[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Author Index][Thread Index]
Re: Misc., including Audi content
Mike Arman <armanmik@n-jcenter.com>
Wrote on Sunday, September 29, 1996 1:09 PM
--------
> From: Mike Arman <armanmik@n-jcenter.com>
> To: quattro@coimbra.ans.net
> Subject: Misc., including Audi content
> Date: Sunday, September 29, 1996 1:09 PM
> More: If you are SERIOUS about JATO for your car <G>, I have the recipe
for
> it. Makes 1,000 lbs of thrust for about 14 seconds, three common
chemicals,
> device is about 30 inches long by 10-12 inches in diameter - looks like
an
> Oxygen bottle from a welder - oh boy, could someone get seriously and
> spectacularly killed trying this at home!
Someone did. Check out the following:
>> >You all know about the Darwin Awards - It's an annual honor given to
>> >the person who did the gene pool the biggest service by killing
>> >themselves in the most extraordinarily stupid way. Last year's winner
>> >was the fellow who was killed by a Coke machine which toppled over
>> >on top of him as he was attempting to tip a free soda out of it.
>> >
>> >And this year's nominee is:
>> >
>> >The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal
>> >embedded into the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of
a
>> >curve. The wreckage resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it was
>> >a car. The type of car was unidentifiable at the scene. The lab finally
>> >figured out what it was and what had happened.
>> >
>> >It seems that a guy had somehow gotten hold of a JATO unit (Jet
>> >Assisted Take Off - actually a solid fuel rocket) that is used to give
>> >heavy military transport planes an extra "push" for taking off from
>> >short airfields. He had driven his Chevy Impala out into the desert and
>> >found a long, straight stretch of road. Then he attached the JATO unit
>> >to his car, jumped in, got up some speed and fired off the JATO!
>> >
>> >The facts as best as could be determined are that the operator of the
>> >1967 Impala hit JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0 miles
>> >from the crash site. This was established by the prominent scorched and
>> >melted asphalt at that location. The JATO, if operating properly, would
>> >have reached maximum thrust within 5 seconds, causing the Chevy to
reach
>> >speeds well in excess of 350 mph and continuing at full power for an
>> >additional 20-25 seconds. The driver, soon to be pilot, most likely
>would
>> have experienced G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-14 >jocks
>> under full afterburners, basically causing him to become >insignificant
for
>> the remainder of the event. However, the automobile >remained on the
>> straight highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20) seconds >before the driver
>> applied and completely melted the brakes, blowing the >tires and leaving
>> thick rubber marks on the road surface, then becoming >airborne for an
>> additional 1.4 miles and impacting the cliff face at a >height of 125
feet
>> leaving a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock.
>> >
>> >Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however, small
>> >fragments of bone, teeth and hair were extracted from the crater and
>> >fingernail and bone shards were removed from a piece of debris
>> >believed to be a portion of the steering wheel.
Would it have helped if he had a Quattro ? ...
Sorry for the non Quattro content, but this one really is a classic.
Robin
Robin Samms
Seattle, WA
95? S6W, 83 4KQ