May 25, 2004

Strap this baby onto your bicycle (or, ok, on your R/C airplane if you must) and step into the spage age. A real jet engine that is 5 inches in diameter, uses real Jet-A fuel, and can be yours for $2795.
posted by rolypolyman 20 years ago
  • (and if you find out what a "spage" is let me know)
  • This reminds me of the JATO rocket car UL which turned out not to be a UL (don't listen to snopes; I don't believe them anymore unless the evidence is good), unfortunately I am far, far too lazy, alcoholized and unmotivated to search for the URL to the story of the dueds who strapped a JATO bottle to a train trestle or something, which apparently was a true story. I'm all for it. Damn, I'd like to build a backyard rocketship to get into orbit, or something. I don't care about any of that detail crap, let's just weld some steel together, strap on a few rockets and blast off. Bring some parachutes.
  • Or was it a 57 chevy? Something to do with train tracks, anyway.
  • With only 45lb thrust, it's not going to get me very far on a bike. With a 25 hour maintenance interval, it's going to be more trouble than it's worth. I think I'll pass.
  • if you find out what a "spage" is let me know spage (spaj) n. Anything that, according to 1960's television programs, literature or film, should have been invented already, but hasn't been; either because it was a lot more difficult than people thought or because, on reflection, it was just fucking stupid. e.g. flying cars, moon-bases, utopian societies of bald pleasure-seekers wearing silver jumpsuits, etc.
  • Lump in that Rand Corporation proposal to link NYC and LAX via transcontinental subway. I think they pegged it at $200 billion, and that was 32 years ago.
  • Old news. People have been strapping jet engines onto various objects for years. Here's a scooter, a couple of jet cars, jet powered race vehicles, and the hobby of a famous Area 51 worker. Here's another source for small jet turbine engines. Let the experimentation begin!
  • Whoa!
  • TedW: holy moly, that guy's got logorrhea. Nostrildamus, Snopes is right. It's still an UL, at least if you're thinking of the link TedW posted. That guy's story is not remotely similar to the the UL rocket car story. Even if the writer is not simply making the whole thing up.
  • *wonders if strapping a wee jet engine to a keyboard will make a person's fingers fly faster*