Bluebird 2018

[ken anderson.]

here is the late Donald Cambells bluebird up in the isle of Bute, they reported that they had taken her up to 131 mph....and probably a bit more....

ken anderson...ne...1... bluebird dept.

[chris meek 1]

I can't wait to see this on Conniston.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Oh Wow! I get goosebumps on my goosebumps watching that! So evocative, so many memories! Billiant.

BEB

[Cuban8]

Great stuff, a wonderful tribute to a true 'boy's own' hero of my young days. A shame that some of his family have expressed and objection to Bluebird being run again (but not to the restoration, per se). I don't agree - providing it's done sympathetically and safely I think it's a fabulous tribute, as opposed to solely being an artifact frozen in time and static in a museum.

[J D 8]

I agree with Cuban8, displayed sympathetically a great tribute to Donald Cambell

At Pendine sands in west wales land speed record car " BABS " Is sometimes run in tribute to welsh inventor John Parry Thomas who was killed there in 1927 in an attempt to get the land speed record back from Donald's farther Sir Malcom Cambel.

[Craig Carr]

Thanks for posting ken

I’ve been watching the restoration with great interest since bluebird was first recovered in 2001

Well done to all the people involved. A fantastic achievement

[fly boy3]

Nice one Ken, great video. I must be getting old as I found the sound of lapping waves after the boat had passed very soothing. Cheers

[kc]

It is of course the same argument as the restoration and flying of historic aircraft or cars that have previously crashed fatally. I think most people want to see them run again but not take too much risk.

[Craig Carr]

Our local news station covered the turbine test back in 2016. The engine was donated by the RAF.

Donald himself sums it all up at 3 minutes :30 seconds 

Edited By Craig Carr on 13/08/2018 14:25:42

[ken anderson.]

static engine run this afternoon....

ken anderson.....ne...1..bluebird dept

[Geoff S]

A very demanding project which seems to be reaching a very successful conclusion. The simple fact that Bluebird has actually run under her own power could even be considered at least a very short step from total success.

Apparently she is powered by a Bristol Siddely Orpheus gas turbine engine which was donated from a Folland Gnat. The Orpheus was the starting point for the development of the BS (later RR) Pegasus vectored thrust engine.

Thanks for the videos.

Geoff

[Kim Taylor]

The boat was originally designed and built by the Norris bros. within a couple of miles of where I am sitting typing this in West Sussex.

Local legend has it that the original sponsons, which I believe were the only parts of the boat to be salvaged at the time, were stored for years in their workshops, then put in to landfill and are now buried below part of the Ditchling Common Industrial Estate. Some effort was made to locate them following the recovery of the boat, but nothing was found.

As said by others, a very evocative sight - I am of an age where I well remember seeing the crash on the TV news.

Kim

[Erfolg]

My own childhood very early memory was of John Cobb and the Crusader,

I built a model about 450mm long unfortunately I have never finished it. Mainly because I do not know how to build a flexible drive shaft assembly. I have some bits, but no knowledge.

The jet bluebird came into my consciousness at the age of about 10-12, as a mate had a plastic kit bluebird.

I had a book about Crusader, that could be why I remember it more clearly.

[Neil67]

Thanks Ken,

Yes goosebumps to the fore and what a sound, hairs on back of my neck now in on the act!

Cheers

Neil

[ken anderson.]

I reckon that the Cambells and Cobbs had no nerves at all...hats off to them and anyone else who decides to go one step beyond...…….

ken anderson...ne...1.... bluebird dept.

[Josip Vrandecic -Mes]

Thank you Ken, as if it was yesterday ... 1967 ... the memories come ... we all know where we were when Armstrong alunated on the moon, so I remember,also, where I was when they reported that he was killed in Bluebird .... RIP....

Edited By Josip Vrandecic -Mes on 13/08/2018 19:35:53

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[J D 8]

That is not so,the larger fin fitted for the 67 attempt came from a crashed Folland Gnat purchased by Cambell for its Orpheus engine which was more powerful than the original Beryl.

It still sends a shiver down my spine watching the film of Cambell's final run. I think it was broadcast live with Cambell himself commenting on a radio link. His final words were " I can't see anything----- I've got the bows out---I'm going--- A sobering moment for a twelve year old.

[ken anderson.]

visited the workshop where bluebird is stored/worked on last week end, and for the entrance fee of a couple of packets of biscuits we were allowed to have close up look.....at a bit of British history.

ken Anderson...ne...1...bluebird/biscuits dept.

[i12fly]

Having seen the accident on TV in '67 and the run on TV in 2018, when I was near Coniston a few months ago I saw adverts to see Bluebird at the Coniston museum. It was late in the day but I thought £13 for us to see it was well worthwhile. I was a bit disappointed though as it wasn't the rebuilt Bluebird but just the original wrecked engine and a couple of panels that could not be restored. But hey-ho, it is still an important part of history. Donald Campbell was an extremely brave man, he knew he was taking a big risk but still went ahead.

[stu knowles]

The people doing the restoration and who ran Bluebird in Bute last year have done an amazing job, I seriously doubt that anyone could have done anything better and yet they have done the job on a shoestring and donations.

Sadly it has all taken a turn for the worse with a dispute over ownership between themselves and The Ruskin Museum in Coniston. They want it back and would like to wall it up inside their museum, never to be seen running again.

The Team say that if that happens it will deteriorate over time and it should spend 8 months a year in the museum and the rest with them where it can be run on the water and maintained in full running order and seen by people all over the country and beyond.

The museum were gifted the wreck.... which of course no longer exists but the Restoration Team went to great lengths to incorporate as much of the original into the restoration as possible. Bluebird as she is now is magnificent, probably in a better state than she has ever been at any time in history.

The other issue is that the Lake District National Park seem to take the view that, in the summer months at least, the Lake District is 'Full' and if Bluebird were to run in Coniston, it should only be mid week in winter in case it draws a big crowd. (I paraphrase slightly)

For the Resto Team, it must be gutting to have this world class attraction into which they have invested so much, owned in part by another body who have such limited ideas on the way forward.

I wish them every success. I am actually sorry that I paid money to visit the Ruskin before all this blew up. I'm afraid I don't harbour good wishes for them until they change their outlook.

[stu knowles]

**LINK**

For anyone who hasn't see how far they have got with BB

[i12fly]

Some good points made Stu and I agree.

What is really telling is that there was no reference to the restoration completion and runs in the Ruskin -and no information about it when I asked either

What would be nice is if a permanent site could be found on the edge of Coniston and occasional runs made winter and summer. It should definitely not be bricked up in the Ruskin museum now it is restored. I'd have thought a crowd funding project would attract enough funds to give overall ownership to the restorers(?)