A visit to Manchester today, tho MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry. Jack and Josh particularly wanted to see the exhibition of the Bloodhound Project.
Jack and Josh are standing next to the full sized model of Bloodhound, the 1000mph car designed to break the land speed record. The full details about this car can be found here.
Another exhibit in the Air and Space hall was this Japanese suicide bomb (although this one doesn't seem to have gone off bang!). This seems a much lower tech way of blowing yourself up than the high tech Bloodhound.
Personally I was rather taken with this Belgian Hurtu car, built in Clayton, using the Works of the former Manchester Cycle Company. They were renamed Belsize cars and were made up until 1925 when the company was closed by its main creditors, Barclay's Bank. A route the rest of the British Motor industry followed later. This particular car was built in 1912 and had a 10HP engine. I guess it was about 950mph slower than the bloodhound, but so much more stylish.
I suppose a Penny Farthing would have been an alternative method of transport back in the 1850's but again my personal preference would have been shank's, the saddle looked rather attritional to me.
It is the centenary of the first flight of an all British aeroplane. Designed and built by Edwin Alliott Verdon Roe this tri-plane flew 274 metres at an average height of 3 metres on July 23rd 1909. The original plane had a 9hp, air cooled piston engine, build by J. A. P., Tottenham, London. In 1910 Roe founded Avro in Manchester.The company went on to make the famous Lancaster and Vulcan Bombers. The replica above was built by Avro apprentices in 1952.The interactive exhibits in the Xperiment gallery were great fun for all. A busy half term is not to be recommended as the best time to pay a visit though.
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