The Bluebird Project

Renegadenemo wrote: ↑Thu Aug 23, 2018 12:11 am Nigel,

A perfectly well intentioned question for you. We all want to see you succeed. We have our boat on the water - in fact we now have to get half of Loch Fad back out of there again. The Warbys are warming their Orph' on a regular basis. We all want to see Quicksilver coming along so where exactly are you with the build? what parts have you spannered on lately? Can we see some pic's? It's what we all thrive on over here. You've been one of us for a long time, we want to see this so please share...

Hi Bill,

Last night, I asked the chap who took that pic to send it to us so we can put it on the BBP forum. Look out for it and it should be on here before the day is out.

But here's the thing. A near-identical pic, taken at the same event as the one you're referring to, was on the Home page of our website for three long years, for everyone to see. So I don't understand the sudden interest. I really don't.

It was taken in 2014, and that was the last time we put a fair few items of hardware in one place so people see our progress (meaning our progress up to that point in time).

And back then the critics still said the same, hopelessly ill-informed, negative things. One of which was that the engine in the boat at that time was a scrapper. That engine was a lusty runner then and throughout the time we've owned it, and it is running at the moment in a Buccaneer at Brunty. We loaned it to them as they've been an engine short there for a while.

So we therefore have long since ceased putting stuff out there. I don't blame you at all for your question. It was a perfectly reasonable one. But you will have to accept that I don't pander any more to what people ask and expect me to do. I do the things that suit me.

People who make up the negative stories only have themselves to blame if there's a scarcity of information and photos in the public domain.

The Warbys recent activities haven't raised the slightest bit of interest beyond the anorak brigade, so it doesn't raise a ripple here. I haven't given any of it more than 20 seconds' thought, because nothing has changed. The record set 40 years ago still stands.

I hope you won't take this reply as a put-down of your question. It isn't. I like being on here to defend myself and to add some colour here and there where it's relevant.

What's important to mention, too, is that I'm not just defending myself. I'm defending the people who devotedly help me. Yesterday, I received the news that our engine man Graham Pool had died. I was expecting the call, as he'd been terminally ill for several weeks. Graham had an illustrious career with Rolls-Royce for 37 years, mainly on the Spey, and kept involved with Speys whilst 'in retirement' as part-owner/operator of two Buccaneers at Bruntingthorpe. There is absolutely no question that at the time of his death Graham had more knowledge and hands-on experience with the military Spey than anyone alive, anywhere in the world.

Why is this relevant today? Because Graham devoted hundreds upon hundreds of hours of his precious time, unpaid throughout, to the Quicksilver project - for a period of over 11 years.

When the idiots who made unfounded criticisms of Quicksilver spread their hate and made our job that much harder, they were doing that to Graham and to the many others who do the real work in our project. Is it any wonder I don't like it?

Cheers,
Nigel

I think it was Hemmingway who as challenged to write a novel in only six words...

For sale, baby shoes. Never worn.

So, Nigel, in six words - what's the latest news on your project?

That's the one, Mike - and thanks for posting. It's saved me the trouble.

And what's shown there is ...

Spaceframe (high-tensile steel tubing; modified to new design)
Three of the four upper-hull 'hoop' structures (6-series and 7-series aluminium sheet, at T6)
All of the engine-mountings (steel, aluminium)
Rolls-Royce engine (a Spey that runs at full power, and still does)
Jetpipe adaptor
Fuel cell (ballistic nylon, etc)
Foredeck (carbonfibre skins over Airex structural foam core)
Crash helmet (and built-in intercom)

The sponsons are actually the patterns for same. They are a combination of: steel spaceframe, CNC-machined high-density foam, timber, and fibreglass. The stern section/tail-fin is a mock-up.

What we didn't display up there in Sheffield, and left back home at our base at Sleaford, was ...

Jetpipe (the very long bit!)
Instrument panel (almost complete, with all instruments calibrated)
Pitot-tube/pitot system (linked to airspeed indicator)
Seat (fibreglass)
Fire-suppression system
On-board computer system (Siemens PLC equipment, for data-recording and various control and safety functions)
Steering system (fly-by-wire)
Throttle system (there's a manual system and a fly-by-wire system, so we can try both)

There's probably more, but I'll add to this if they spring to mind.

This was all over four years ago. Since then we've been concentrating on the rest of the outer-hull structure (mainly Kevlar/Baltek/epoxy-resin) and the main sponson-arm (mainly 6082-T6 aluminium, mainly bonded not welded).

The hardware exists, but we've not released many images.

The thing is, all of the above has been on our website at various times - and mentioned by me on the BBP forum several times - but nobody seems to take a blind bit of notice.

Either keep taking the tablets, or give me a call when one of the really 'credible' British WWSR projects out there overtakes us

Nigel

Renegadenemo wrote: ↑Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:33 am I think it was Hemmingway who as challenged to write a novel in only six words...

For sale, baby shoes. Never worn.

So, Nigel, in six words - what's the latest news on your project?

Hello again Bill,

I seem to have inadvertently answered your question, whilst actually responding to the photo Mike posted on here.

Our "latest news" as you put it is pretty much as explained in the 'Current Work' section on our website. The outer-hull structure is being featured on there at the moment - and I've already posted a URL on here to that - and prior to that page being updated recently, that section of the site featured our work on the main sponson-arm.

Other than those very major tasks, our work is on the following ...

On-board and shore radio comms systems (Motorola, UHF)
Ruggedised National Instruments data and control system to replace current Siemens system
Manual throttle. We are improving that, using some new parts we have been gifted (ex RAF Bulldog and Jetstream aircraft)

I reckon that's everything that's currently on the stocks, but it's more than enough work for us.

BTW, in my earlier list, I forgot to mention the high-energy ignition units (HEIUs). These were displayed on the boat at Sheffield. We are currently making some changes to the wiring, but that's relatively straightforward. We also have a bespoke emergency fuel shut-off system on the boat, and a purpose-made 24VDC electrical power-generation system mounted on the engine, replacing the heavy 3-phase equipment/hydraulic pump and constant-speed-drive kit that was on it originally.

There's really not much more I could add without repeating myself and without simply duplicating our website on here. It's not all in the public domain, but all of what is mentioned in my posts today either is - or has been - prominently put out there by us in the past, and there are really no excuses for people saying they don't know what's happening.

It simply means they haven't taken the trouble to look.

Nigel

Hi Nigel, Ive been following your project for years and have to say that is the biggest single update - "from the horses mouth" - so thank you.

Could you consider Twitter/Facebook for more frequent updates? Yes, social media is b@*((Ocks to most people but it can't have harmed the BBP in terms of the 7.5k twitter followers that its attracted in little of 2 weeks?

ace_chris wrote: ↑Thu Aug 23, 2018 11:34 am Hi Nigel, Ive been following your project for years and have to say that is the biggest single update - "from the horses mouth" - so thank you.

Could you consider Twitter/Facebook for more frequent updates? Yes, social media is b@*((Ocks to most people but it can't have harmed the BBP in terms of the 7.5k twitter followers that its attracted in little of 2 weeks?

Hello Chris,

And thanks for the positive words.

We didn't get off to the best start, you and I, but I'm happy to forget that and welcome any input you'd care to make going forward. All I have ever wanted was a level playing field to do my best upon. Then let Fate do the rest.

Incidentally, my "Keep taking the tablets" remark earlier wasn't directed at anyone in particular - not even that cheeky monkey Bill. It was a swipe at anyone who simply follows the herd, ignores the very many good facets of the Quicksilver project, doubts and disregards the information we put out, and feeds the ill-informed-trash machine.

On the communications front, we can definitely do better - and I have said that before on this forum. My best bet at the moment is our 'new' website. It went online in March of last year and I'm very happy with the way it is shaping up, but it still has a fair old way to go before it has as much stuff on it as the old site had. "We're getting there, though" is the best I can say.

I am indebted to Gerry Rohling for all the work he has done on the new site. He's built a super new website for us from scratch during a time when he has many, many other calls on his time. And Russell Greaves, too. He was the man behind the 'old' site, and now he's joined us again to work on the new one. A real trooper. Everybody - self included - is very, very busy with other things, alas. It's always been that way. We don't have the time we'd like to devote to either the site or the project as a whole.

Regarding Twitter, you've got to bear in mind that what the BBP was putting on there was a hell of a lot more interesting than what we could put on there at present! That famous boat roaring up and down a Scottish loch? Or would you rather see a chappie here retuning a radio set from VHF to UHF, or a couple of others laying-up Kevlar? Perhaps me signing a cheque for some aluminium plate?

Come on! We're not making particularly compelling Twitter fodder right now - but hopefully we will do later.

Best wishes,
Nigel

Hi Nigel - Thanks for your reply, we actually met a long time ago and I thought things were pretty positive, I even donated to the project! Anyway, to the future.

Websites are great, but social media is better, its more instant, AND you can reply in real-time to silence the doom mongers if needed. Yes, the images and vids of K7 on Bute are emotive, incredible and inspiring, but dont ever under estimate what you think your potential audience will be interested in.

BTW we have a six year old daughter who wants to be an astronaut, loves fire-engines canoeing and roller-coasters, goes to show you never can tell!

Whoops! Then maybe I'm confusing you with someone else. I had rather formed the impression you were somewhat 'anti' ...

But, then again, I'm paranoid!

If you have made a donation in the past, Chris, please PM me, as that entitles you to our monthly newsletters and what-have-you: both retrospectively, and going forward. There is no need for you to be on the outside of all that stuff if you're a 'stakeholder' so to speak.

Sounds like your daughter is really going places - and in a hurry, too! The sky's the limit for the female of the species now. Opportunities are there aplenty to be pretty much anything they like.

Don't forget to PM me with a surname - it can't seriously be Ace - and we'll get you a flow of extra info, plus some goodies.

Cheers,
Nigel

There's an Obituary on the Quicksilver website marking the life and long career of our engine man Graham Pool, who passed away earlier this week ...

http://www.quicksilver-wsr.com/teamwork ... aham-pool/

Graham's role in the project was taken-up on Wednesday by Ian Allaway - another Spey veteran - who retired from the RAF very recently and joined us two years ago.

Nigel