Another one of those urban legend internet wise tales.
Walter Keller
Mark Baxter wrote:
> Folks, if this story is true, it is a prime example why folks should not
> misuse military hardware! Mark M-886
>
> Subject: Jet Assisted Take Off
>
> 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 and 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 the JATO ignition at a distance of approximately 3.0
>
> miles from the crash site. This was determined 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 miles per hour and continuing 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.
>
> <><><><>
>
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Wed Apr 04 2001 - 08:10:48 PDT