The shuttle’s main engines suck fuel through a 17-inch-diameter pipe at such a rate that they’d drain an Olympic-sized swimming pool in ten seconds flat.
In space, the crew take just the most astonishing photographs.There they are, fiddling about in their balloon suits, while far below we can see Italy sliding by.
The pilot has got to slow the machine down from 17,000 mph to a safe landing speed of 211 mph.This is tricky, partly because he has no fuel left and therefore no power and partly because the Shuttle has the aerodynamic properties of an Aga. As a result, he has to make a series of sweeping turns,washing off speed with each one, but even then the rate of descent is still seven times greater than in a normal plane.
When, as a boy, I first heard that a Ford was going to take on these exotic alien spaceships from Italy I could sense that David was loading his sling in readiness for the battle with Goliath.
The Ford GT 40 initially had a 4.2-litre V8 that produced 350 bhp and a top speed of 207 mph. But this was deemed too wet so it was increased in size to 4.7 litres.
Some might say that no machine conceived only to kill could ever be called beautiful. Magnificent maybe, and awesome perhaps. But not beautiful.The thing is, though, that in the battleship’s short life of just 90 years it turned out to be a less effective killing machine than almost any other weapon of war. All they did was steam around the oceans, making the people who paid for them feel good. So I do consider them beautiful and I consider the Yamato to be the most beautiful of them all.
The Yamato had 141 anti-aircraft guns. But these were an amuse-bouche compared to her main 18-inch weapons, which were simply humungous. Each one could fire a 1.3-ton shell 25 miles.Yup, that’s right. 1.3 tons and 25 miles. And she had nine of them.
The battleship had to be fast, supremely well armoured and fitted with massive guns. No more pea-shooters for close-range stuff. Just lots and lots of monsters.
The fact is simple.The Spitfire looked good. It was every bit as dashing as the young men who flew it, and in flight it was as graceful as any bird. Its progress through the sky seemed effortless, as though it was simply riding the breeze and its Merlin engine was only there to provide a suitable soundtrack.
It may have been hard to create the Spitfire but the finished product was demonstrably better than anything the Nazis sent our way. In essence, the Spit could climb, turn and fly faster than a Messerschmitt. More importantly, when an Me109 reached its ceiling the Spit had 3,000 feet in hand. And height, in a dogfight, is everything.
Possibly, just possibly, the Spitfire is the greatest machine ever made.
Index
Affleck, Ben, 45
Afghanistan, military radio traffic, 84
Agnelli, Gianni, 33
Agutter, Jenny, 118
Airbus, 97
aircraft carriers, 151, 220
accommodation on, 154, 161
flotilla, 156
landing on, 153
size, 155, 156, 157, 158
steam catapult, 154, 160–61
taking off from, 160
airfields
requirements, 46
wartime expansion, 52
Air France, 11
airships. See also Zeppelin airships
long-haul flight, 113, 114–17
silence, 114
used in advertising, 113, 116
air traffic control, communications, 88, 89
air travel
in business, 16
cost, 8, 16, 53, 94
discomfort, 115
early, 110, 111
holidays, 16
safety, 93
AK47 machine gun, 101–5
design defects, 102
power, 104
simplicity, 103
street cred, 105–6
Albert, Prince Consort, 69
Alcock, John, 43–4
Alfa Romeo 166
driving experience, 166
front-wheel drive, 162, 163
sales, 163–4
styling, 165–6
Alfa Romeo company, management, 164–5
Allen, Andy, 193
Arctic, SS, 60–62, 64
Argentina, Falklands War, 185–6
Ark Royal, HMS, 212
Arthur, satellite dish, 82–5
Aston Martin DB7 car, 26, 123
astronauts, 187
problems, 193–4
Atlantic, SS, 62–4
Atlantic Ocean
crossing time, 59
dangers, 55–7, 58–61
atmosphere, supersonic flight and, 7–8
atmospheric railways, 74
Australia, space debris, 78
BA, Concorde flights, 11, 12, 13, 14
Bacon, Francis, 123
Bahrain, Concorde flights, 11
Barbados, Concorde flight plan, 5
Bardot, Brigitte, 32
Barry, John, 31
Battle of Britain (1940–41), 229, 230, 233
battleships
armour, 204, 205, 209
British, 206–10, 220
cost, 219
design, 204–5
German, 206, 208–9, 210–16
Japanese, 216–20
prestige, 205
role, 214, 220
tactics, 206–10
B-52 bomber, 128, 130–37
accuracy, 134
conventional arms, 133–7
design, 129, 130
length of service, 130
nuclear bombs, 126, 131–3, 133
safety, 132–4
scrapping, 127
size, 130
Belgrano, sinking, 185–6
Benn, Tony, 6
Beretta family, 29
Bismarck, KMS, 210–13
Black, Cilla, 105
Blackbird. See SR-71 (‘Blackbird’) spy planes
Blake’s Seven (TV series), 35
BMW cars, 20–21
5-series, 162, 163
i-Drive computer, 22
Boeing 314 flying boat, 47, 48
Boeing 747 plane, 3, 9
development problems, 96
flight decks, 97–8
flying height, 3
hump, 95–6, 97
Lockerbie disaster, 92
Los Rodeos air crash (1977), 87–91
safety, 91–3, 98
San Francisco accident (1971), 92
speed, 93
statistics, 94–6
Boeing 777 plane, 93, 97
bombers. See also B-52 bomber
long-range, 129, 137
Borge, Victor, 32
Boulder Canyon, 144, 147
Branson, Richard, and Concorde, 14
Bristol
Concorde development, 9
floating harbour, 58
SS Great Britain, 69, 70, 73
Britain. See also Royal Air Force; Royal Navy
Concorde, joint development, 6–7, 9
engineering, development, 141
flying boats, 47–8, 49
Industrial Revolution, 57
British Empire Exhibition (1924), 119, 122
Brunel, Isambard Kingdom
ambition, 58, 69
engineering skill, 57–8, 70, 71, 73–4, 74, 75
persuasiveness, 72
steamships, 27, 58–9, 68
BUFF. See B-52 bomber
Bugatti, Ettore, 19
Bugatti cars, 19
Burton, Richard, 32
Bush, President George W., 197
Canada, space debris, 78
cars
European manufacturers’ idealism, 19
front-wheel-drive, 162, 163
mass production, 17–18, 24
personality, 17
rear-wheel-drive, 162–3
torque steer, 163
Caspian Sea Monster, flying boat, 52
Catalina Flying Boat, 48
Cerise satellite, 78
C-5 Galax
y plane, 129
Challenger Space Shuttle accident (1986), 190, 195–6
Chapman, Colin, 19
Chris-Craft engines, 29, 32
Churchill, Winston, 222, 233
and FW190, 231
and loss of HMS Hood, 211–12
and U-Boats, 179, 181
City of Glasgow, SS, 64
City of New York, SS, 66
Clarke, Arthur C., 78, 79, 80, 82
Clifton Suspension Bridge, 58
Clippers (flying boats), 47
Clipper Victor, air crash (1977), 87–91, 96
Cod (cargo plane), 152, 155, 160
Cold War, 130, 185
Collins, Joan, 32
Collins Line, 65
Colorado Desert
irrigation, 141–2
Rockwood’s canals, 141–3
Colorado River, 138–9, 148. See also Hoover Dam
power, 138, 140
silt, 138–9, 140, 142
Columbia Space Shuttle accident (2003), 197
Columbus, Christopher, 56
communication, satellites, 77, 78, 84
computers, soulless, 175
Concorde, 1–16
airworthiness certificates, 14, 15
Anglo-French development, 6–7, 9, 14
confidence in, 13
design costs, 1, 4, 5
engines, 5, 10
final flight (2003), 1, 4, 14
flights, problems, 12–13
flying height, 3–4, 168
interior design, 2–3, 4
loss, 13–16
marketing, 11
as museum piece, 16
noise, 4–5
Paris crash, ix, 12, 13
range, 11
replacement, lack of, 14–15
seen as tool, 2, 4
speed, 10
tickets, cost, 12
wings, 10
Conqueror, HMS, 185–6
Convair, C-5 Galaxy plane, 129
convoys, wartime, 180–81, 210
Cooke, Alistair, 82
Corsair, Empire Flying Boat, 43–5, 48
Corsairville (Coster), 44
Coster, Graham, 44
Cribbins, Bernard, 118
Crimean War, 73
Crowe, Frank, 146
cruise liners, 67–8
Cuba
missile crisis (1962), 125–6, 175
planes, 152
Cunard Line, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70
Cuniberti, Vittorio, 204, 205
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 126–7
Dean, James, 106
Delta rockets, 81
delta wings, 10
Deltic diesel engines, 123
desert driving, 37–9
Detroit, Chris-Craft company, 29, 32
Diaz, Cameron, 123
Doncaster, 119, 120, 123
Dorsetshire, HMS, 213
Dreadnought, HMS, 205–6, 207
driving
desert, 37–9
off-road, 38
Dwight D. Eisenhower, USS, 151–2, 153–61
Echo satellite, 81
Eckener, Hugo, 115
Edwards Air Force Base, California, 173, 194
Edward VII, King, 205
Elgar, Sir Edward, 25
Elizabeth II, Queen, 81
Empire Flying Boat, 48
Empire State Building, use as airship mooring, 113
engineering, British, 57, 141
Enterprise, USS (Star Trek), 35–6, 41, 42
F-14 fighter jet, 151, 155, 159, 160
F-15 fighter jet, 34
F-16 fighter jet, 123
F-18 fighter jet, 151
Falkland Islands, SS Great Britain in, 55, 73
Falklands War (1982), 185–6
Faslane submarine base, 186
Ferrari, Enzo, 199, 200
Ferrari cars, 19, 199
Fiat company, and Alfa Romeo, 164–5
First World War (1914–18), 107–9
naval battles, 207–9
submarines, 179
flying boats, 43, 45–8, 52, 54
wartime service, 49–51
Flying Scotsman (film), 121
Flying Scotsman train, 119–23
Focke-Wulf 190 fighter, 223, 231
Ford, Henry, 199, 200
Ford company
centenary, 202
Consul GT car, 198
fast cars, 198–200
Ferrari deal, 199
GT 40 car, 198, 199–203
XR3 car, 198
France
Concorde, joint development, 6–7, 9
engineering, invention, 57
satellites, 78, 80
France, liner, 68
Fuji Heavy Industries, 18
Furious, HMS, 217–18
Gatwick Airport, 46
Gaulle, Charles de, 6
Germany
battleships, 206, 208–9, 210–16
Second World War, 222, 228–31, 232
U-Boats, 179–82
Zeppelin airships, 107–9, 113, 116
Gibson, Hoot, 187–8, 190, 191, 193
glass-fibre boats, 32, 33
Goering, Hermann, 116
Goonhilly satellite tracking station, Cornwall, 82–5
Graf Zeppelin airship, 114–15, 116–17
Granger, Stewart, 31
Grand Banks, North Atlantic, 56, 60, 63
Grand Canyon, 139–40
Great Britain, SS, 55, 68–75, 75
Great Depression (1930s), 144
Great Eastern, SS, 73
Great Wall of China, 27
Great Western, SS, 58–9, 68
Great Western Railway, 58, 120
Great Western steamship company, 72
Great Yarmouth, Zeppelin raid, 108
Greenland, B-52 crash (1968), 133
Gresley Pacific locomotives, 119, 122
Grubbs, Captain Victor, 87–91
Guevara, Ernesto Che, 105–6
Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, 26
Hanoi, Vietnamese War Museum, 136
Harrison, Rex, 31
Hawker company, 225
Hay-Drummond-Hay, Lady Grace, 115, 117
Heathrow Airport, London, 12–13, 46
Heineken, Karl, 32
Heston, Sir Henniker, 55
Hindenburg airship, explosion, 113
Hitler, Adolf, 49, 113, 231
Honda cars, 18, 27
Hood, HMS, 210–12
Hoover, President Herbert Clark, 143
Hoover Dam
beauty, 149
construction, 143–8
engine, 138
masonry, 138
water power, 148, 149
Humber Bridge, 26
Hurricane fighters, x, 223, 225
advantages, 232–3
role, 229
Hussein, King of Jordan, 32
Imperial Airways, 47–8
Imperial Valley (Colorado), irrigation, 141–2
Indian Mutiny (1857-8), 73
Indonesia, unrest (1963), 232
Industrial Revolution, 57
Inman Line, 65
Intelsat 903 satellite, 83
intercontinental ballistic missiles, 131, 183
International Space Station, 197
Iraq
B-52 bombers in, 136–7
military radio traffic, 84
Republican Guard, arms, 101
Iseo, Lake, 27, 33
Italy
aesthetics, passion for, 27
motor industry, 30
Jaguar cars, 19, 20
Japan
battleships, 206, 216–20
cars, 18, 24
kamikaze raids, 219
Spitfire order, 228
Johnson, Tex, 130
Jumbo aircraft. See also Boeing 747 first passenger flight (1970), 87, 96
safety, 91
Junkers JU-88 fighters, 51
Jupiter, moons, 197
Jutland,
battle of (1916), 208
Kalashnikov, Mikhail Timofeevich, 100–101, 106
kamikaze raids, 219
Keegan, Kevin, 119
Kennedy, President John F., 125
Kentucky, B-52 crash (1959), 132
Khrushchev, President Nikita, 125
Kidman, Nicole, 45
King George V, HMS, 212, 213
King’s Lynn, Zeppelin raid, 108
KLM air crash, Los Rodeos (1977), 86–91
Laker, Freddie, 8
Lamborghini, Ferruccio, 32
Lamborghini Miura car, 26
Las Palmas airport, explosion (1977), 86
Las Vegas, development, 144, 149
Le Mans Grand Prix, 199, 200
Lightning fighters, 232
Lineback, Operation, 135
liners, transatlantic, 65–7
Linley, David, 27
Lizard Point, satellite tracking station, 82
locomotives, individuality, 118–19
London
Blitz, 230–231
Zeppelin raids, 109
London & North-Eastern Railway (LNER), 119, 120
Loren, Sophia, 32
Los Angeles Class submarines, 184–5
Los Rodeos airport air crash (1977), 86–91
Lotus cars, 19
Lucas, George, 35, 40
Lusitania disaster, 65
Lyons, Sir William, 19, 20
McAuliffe, Christa, 195
machine guns, 100, 104–5
machines, flaws, ix, x
Macmillan, Harold, 6
McQueen, Steve, 106
mail, air transport, 47
Mallard train, 122
Mars, exploration, 197
Mauretania, SS, 66–8, 75
Mead, Lake, 148
Mercedes Maybach car, 20, 22
Merlin engines, 225, 227
Messerschmitt Me109 fighters, 228–9
meteorology, 76–7
Meurs, Klaus, 89
MiG fighters, 169
Miles Aircraft Corporation, 10
Millennium Falcon (Star Wars), 35, 36–7, 40–42
Mir Space Station, 196
Missouri, USS, 221
Mitchell, Reginald, 223, 224, 226, 231
Mitsubishi, battleships, 218
Mogadishu, arms, 101
Monsarrat, Nicholas, 179
Moon, exploration, 5, 197
Moon, Keith, 188
Moore, Roger, 4
Morris, Johnny, 201–2
Mustang 9-51 plane, 223
NASA, 54, 78, 189, 191, 196
Nasser, President Abdul Gamal, 32
New York, World Trade Center disaster, 13
Nimitz Class aircraft carriers, 152
nuclear power, 156, 157, 221
size, 157
speed, 156–7, 221