The Bloodhound land speed record car doesn't have an ejector seat - here's why

When something goes wrong in an aircraft, the last resort for a pilot is to pull the handle between his legs and eject from the cockpit, leaving the plane to tumble to the ground. Considering the Bloodhound SSC land speed car is achieving velocities over and above some fighter jets, you'd maybe think that an ejector seat would also be a means of escape from a potential disaster.

Considering Bloodhound is attempting to achieve over 1000mph, safety is obviously a huge factor in the car's design. And although thousands of hours have been poured into CFD analysis to make sure the car is aerodynamically stable, what happens if things start to go wrong?

We all thought that an ejector seat would be the go-to solution to escape an impending crash. But at these speeds, it isn't that simple:

As Mr Ayers explains, the forces the driver would be subjected to are simply too large to be survivable during an ejection and the reliability of such a system could not be guaranteed.

At 1000mph then, it is actually much safer to stay within the confines of the composite cockpit and switch off the engines, greatly reducing the speed of the vehicle and hopefully allowing for the car to come to a safe halt. If the car does break up, the driver will be cocooned in a cockpit similar to that in F1 cars, ensuring the strength and durability.

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Bloodhound is aiming to smash the 763mph land speed record by driving its car at 1,000mph in 2018 in South Africa. DriveTribe has teamed up with Bloodhound to bring you all the excitement in the run up to its first test run - the aim is to drive at up to 200mph in Newquay, England on 26th October 2017 as the first step to beating the 20 year old record. We'll be bringing you exclusive interviews, never-before-seen footage and amazing technical facts, culminating in a live broadcast of the test run itself.

To read more of our content on Bloodhound, click the link below: drivetribe.com/p/how-much-does-it-cost-to-break-BSZnUM_ZQ8OwIjonJxEzjg?iid=XYCVx82XR0W3CAMYCUuORg

DRIVETRIBE

How much does it cost to break the land speed record?

Pushing engineering boundaries in any form is always going to need deep pockets but the exact figures are normally left solely to our imagin

And for your chance to see Bloodhound SSC in action, get your tickets by clicking the link below to attend the testing in Newquay: bloodhoundssc.yourticketbooking.com/events/bloodhound

BLOODHOUND SSC

BLOODHOUND SSC First Public Runs

@media all and (max-width: 400px) { .performance-list-row.header { display: block; } .performance-list-row.header { border-bottom: 1px solid #aaa; } .performance-list-row.header .status { display: none; } Guest Tickets Dates Time BLOODHOUND SSC - VIP Day Thursday 26th October From 10am More Information BLOODHOUND SSC - Public Day Saturday 28th October From 10am More Information BLOODHOUND SSC - Education Day Monday 30th October From 10am More Information $(document).ready(function() { $('div#main-panel > div.action-area').html($('#action-areas').html()).removeClass('action-area'); }); Enjoy a fantastic day out and be one of the first in the world to see, hear and feel the BLOODHOUND Supersonic Car blast down the 1.7mile long runway at Cornwall Airport Newquay. Kicking off at 10am, we have an action packed schedule; including team interviews, vehicle demonstrations, family friendly education activities and driving simulators. Meet BLOODHOUND’s fantastic sponsors and enjoy first class Cornish refreshments on site throughout the day. By buying a ticket you’re helping fund the Project and witnessing an unique moment in history.