Frequently Asked Questions These are a few of the questions that come up again and again – hopefully they’ll be of interest. When will Bluebird be finished?
How long is a piece of string? The build still faces some unknowns however the aim has always to have K7 back on the water sometime in 2011 and this is still achievable. She’s being built to the highest possible standard using as much original material as possible so she’ll be done when she’s done. There is no hurry nor is there a deadline. Keep checking the diary for updates.
Will she run under her own power? Yes, Bluebird K7 is being rebuilt to full running condition and will undergo a series of proving trials during which she’ll be worked back up to planing speeds so that what the public see in the museum is not a hollowed out husk of the once great craft as are so many museum objects. This will be a fully functional and proven machine
Who will drive her? Our UK-based pilot is yet to be chosen and announced but K7’s new pilot will be an experienced and skilled hydroplane pilot with a deep respect and understanding of the magnitude of the task. Current WWSR holder Ken Warby has already accepted the offer to handle K7 for some of the runs but whether he chooses to do so remains at his discretion.
How fast will she go?
Only as fast as she needs to go in order to plane and look as she should for display purposes. Available data suggests that she planes at around 65mph but there is no reliable, surviving information on her performance envelope so her optimal display speed is an unknown at present. Her engine is being de-rated so she will not be capable of record breaking speeds.
Can I visit the workshop?
Generally speaking, no. We don’t have the time or the facilities on most days. The place is a PC and H&S free zone where the crew can get on with their work unfettered by bureaucratic constraints so we don’t usually invite strangers to trip over things and fall on the sharp edges whilst breathing the residue of 1950s chemicals. On the other hand, if you message us to say that you’d really like to see what your sizeable donation is being spent on we’ll see what we can do.
Where will she run?
At present (early 2010) an application is with the Lake District National Park Authority for permission to exceed the speed limit on Coniston Water but any straight stretch of freshwater with a mile or two of uninterrupted surface will suffice for the proving trials. If permission for Coniston is denied or substantially delayed an alternate venue will be announced.
Are there plans to run K7 after the proving trials?
Nothing planned at the moment but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. K7 ought to be fully functional and capable of running again and we’d obviously hope that she does but she may also be forced into retirement by her trials depending on how well she stands up to the battering. At the very least we’d expect that her engine will have to be run periodically to keep her systems tip-top.
Will she be available as a promotional tool at other events?
This is not an option for the foreseeable future with K7 not scheduled to return to Coniston until 2011 at the earliest.
How is the project funded?
The museum building and display and K7 rebuild are separate endeavours and are funded independently. The rebuild programme relies on sponsorship from industry either in the form of materials or services but not funding. Cash donations from enthusiasts and the sale of merchandise provide the modest cashflow necessary to keep the project going. The project has no paid employees and all monies raised go directly into the rebuild.
What is the likely environmental impact of running Bluebird?
Twelve and a quarter… see diary archive 25th November 2008
How is the rebuild progressing?
See that button top-left that says ‘Diary’? It’s all there to read about from late 2000 right up to the present.
Whats a type 3 idiot? Bluebird Project guide to idiot types. * [An idiot, dolt, or dullard is a mentally deficient person, or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way.] (Wiki) Standard Idiot. The standard idiot is to the human race what pigeons are to city streets. Irritating whilst simply being themselves and individually harmless whilst large concentrations can prove deleterious to health – mental health, that is. An endearing characteristic of the standard idiot is that once the outward manifestations of idiocy are pointed out, and this may require some patience and the boiling-down of simple concepts, the standard idiot will usually grin in understanding then endeavour to improve themselves. The fact that they were born an idiot generally precludes spectacular progress but the process has a faintly charming quality nonetheless. Danger level – minimal. Type I Idiot. The Type I is as above in many ways but lacking the kindly nature and slightly guilty manner when confronted with evidence of its own idiocy. The Type I is usually either obnoxious or overly friendly, the latter requiring most caution as those unskilled in spotting the more exotic idiot forms may realise somewhat later than is comfortable to tell the offender where to go. Occasionally a vestigial form of learning ability still exists in the Type I and, with extreme stimulation, a punch in the face, perhaps, or telling the offender precisely what you think in good strong language, this recessive attribute may briefly spring to life and exact beneficial change on the individual concerned. Danger level – low to moderate. Type II Idiot. The first of the dangerous varieties, Type IIs are predominantly masters of the over-friendly method because all doorways to the human world would otherwise be closed without this vital coping tool. Mild pity may be taken on examples that combine stupidity with idiocy though these are rare – the majority of type IIs are reasonably intelligent but lack the closed loop linking self-observation to the learning and behavioural-modification centres of the brain. This cerebral short-circuiting is best observed in the Type IIs frequent and expeditious flight into a huff condition when faced with the conflict between idiotic self-recognition and the absence of an innate mechanism for rapid behavioural modification. Patients exhibiting these symptoms are at serious risk of spiralling into the Type III regime of heaping spectacularly stupid acts one upon the next in an orgy of self-defeat. Another seldom-encountered evolution of the Type II is the intelligent / obnoxious variety where the cumbersome matter of outward friendliness is dispensed with in place of learning, researching and accumulating vast tracts of knowledge with which to impress and regale other idiot types and weaker subjects. It should be noted that all Type IIs are dangerous due to a typical inability to modify their stance regardless of how utterly defeated, outgunned or proven wrong they may be. Extended periods of mental hibernation awaiting the trigger that will start them off all over again is typical and may give others some respite but the Type II has a single redeeming feature elevating it above the Type III, this being its modicum of low cunning and on rare occasions the Type II may see a vision – a vision of themselves as others see them – and, although unable to publicly acknowledge this epiphany, they will usually drop from sight at this point never to be seen or heard from again. Danger Level – moderate to high. Type III Idiot. The Type III is to the human race what syphilis is to sex, it represents the highest functioning idiot life-form formally classified by social science. There’s good reason why words do not exist in the English language (nor probably any other) to fill the disbelieving silences left in the wake of Type III activity. Type IIIs are the true masters of the over-friendly technique and with a penchant for overdone pleasantries they make smarming headway through the social orbit of their victims with a desperate need to please and a love of mummy that would make Oedipus blush. True Type IIIs are serial losers with little to show for their stay on the planet, their calling requiring the sacrifice, faith and lifetime dedication of a monk. Career-wise, they find themselves endlessly returned to square-one due to an inabilty to work with anyone, finally achieving middle-aged stagnation when claimed either by premature redundancy or a weak-willed and last-ditch attempt to work for themselves. But what really sets the Type III apart from other idiot species is their staggering determination to heap one fantastically stupid act on top of the next leaving observers intrigued and dumbstruck in equal measure. The Type III doesn’t rest for a moment – forging relationships that live and die like summer moths it slithers through society like diarrhoea, afflicting many but making no friends in a transitory universe utterly beyond its grasp where only family and other idiot types can tolerate long-term association. Like cancer, two discreet forms exists. The benign form is often found in bureaucratic circles making preposterous rules that no one can understand whilst the malignant form grows as an ugly, unwanted tumour within a social group spawning poisonous platitudes that, due to an inability to learn, alter little with the passage of time.
Frequently Asked Questions (Archive) These are a few of the questions that come up again and again – hopefully they’ll be of interest. Q1. How did the project start? ‘Three hundred miles an hour on water’ From a track by Marillion (www.Marillion.com) called ‘Out Of This World’ from the album ‘Afraid Of Sunlight’. |