Backyard Jet Engines
December 26, 2009 5:24 PM Subscribe
If those twats had been doing that in my neighborhood I would've marched right over and beaten the living crap out of them with a blunt instrument.
That being said, since they live nowhere near me, good for them. Looks like fun.
posted by dopamine at 5:56 PM on December 26, 2009
That being said, since they live nowhere near me, good for them. Looks like fun.
posted by dopamine at 5:56 PM on December 26, 2009
"The Ultimate Wind Machine"? I'm not all that impressed with a jet engine that just sits there, making noise and flattening vegetation. You want to earn my respect? Use the engine to drive the truck down the road...
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:06 PM on December 26, 2009
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:06 PM on December 26, 2009
I was just waiting for the fireworks when they actually started that Rolls-Royce Derwent on an engine stand on casters.
posted by pjern at 6:07 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by pjern at 6:07 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
I keep expecting (or hoping) this to happen when I was watching part II.
posted by phyrewerx at 6:08 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by phyrewerx at 6:08 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
Did anyone besides me cringe while watching this engine run with the fuel tank in front of the exhaust?! And a plastic fuel line!!!
posted by Tube at 6:19 PM on December 26, 2009
posted by Tube at 6:19 PM on December 26, 2009
Did anyone besides me cringe while watching this engine run with the fuel tank in front of the exhaust?! And a plastic fuel line!!!
... and a fire extinguisher positioned where it would likely be necessary to wade into the burning pool of fuel to pick it up, and the standing in the plane of the compressor where fragments would be ejected at high speed if it were to come apart, and the lack of hearing protection, and...
Oh my god. I'm getting old!
posted by FishBike at 6:31 PM on December 26, 2009 [3 favorites]
... and a fire extinguisher positioned where it would likely be necessary to wade into the burning pool of fuel to pick it up, and the standing in the plane of the compressor where fragments would be ejected at high speed if it were to come apart, and the lack of hearing protection, and...
Oh my god. I'm getting old!
posted by FishBike at 6:31 PM on December 26, 2009 [3 favorites]
That rudimentary jst engine they built had that sweet jet whine to it.
Phyrewerx, that footage is unbelieveable.
posted by Skygazer at 6:37 PM on December 26, 2009
Phyrewerx, that footage is unbelieveable.
posted by Skygazer at 6:37 PM on December 26, 2009
Are your neighbors this tolerant?
Haha! Back when I lived on Fulton street in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, my neighbors (virtually all African-American, and cool with me rehearsing a 4-piece band in the living room of my 2nd floor brownstone apartment) were that tolerant. That was a different Ft. Greene, though. Another time. Now? Not a chance in hell!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:55 PM on December 26, 2009
Haha! Back when I lived on Fulton street in Ft. Greene, Brooklyn, my neighbors (virtually all African-American, and cool with me rehearsing a 4-piece band in the living room of my 2nd floor brownstone apartment) were that tolerant. That was a different Ft. Greene, though. Another time. Now? Not a chance in hell!
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:55 PM on December 26, 2009
You want to earn my respect? Use the engine to drive the truck down the road...
Ah. Shockwave. You seek Shockwave.
Shockwave is a semi tractor powered by not one but three J34 jet engines. It's silly, but impressively silly.
I wish I'd been there for the discussions about how a truck powered by just A jet engine wasn't nearly cool enough, and the ensuing discussions about how many jet engines a truck would need to have to be cool enough to show to other people.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:05 PM on December 26, 2009
Ah. Shockwave. You seek Shockwave.
Shockwave is a semi tractor powered by not one but three J34 jet engines. It's silly, but impressively silly.
I wish I'd been there for the discussions about how a truck powered by just A jet engine wasn't nearly cool enough, and the ensuing discussions about how many jet engines a truck would need to have to be cool enough to show to other people.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:05 PM on December 26, 2009
I like how neither one is wearing any kind of safety goggles.
posted by HopperFan at 7:13 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by HopperFan at 7:13 PM on December 26, 2009 [1 favorite]
just type jet engine into youtube and all kinds of fun things pop up
posted by Blasdelb at 7:45 PM on December 26, 2009
posted by Blasdelb at 7:45 PM on December 26, 2009
So, wait, he's counting on his truck brakes and (occasionally) some wheel chucks? Seriously?
I'm naively hoping there's some sort of kill switch or critical component that is not onboard the truck itself, so that the engine shuts down if the truck starts to go anywhere.
That said, if I had somehow come into possession of machinery like this, of course I'd try to run it, too.
posted by FishBike at 8:09 PM on December 26, 2009
I'm naively hoping there's some sort of kill switch or critical component that is not onboard the truck itself, so that the engine shuts down if the truck starts to go anywhere.
That said, if I had somehow come into possession of machinery like this, of course I'd try to run it, too.
posted by FishBike at 8:09 PM on December 26, 2009
On one hand I could see myself building or starting a turbine engine in a back yard.
On the other hand I could see myself also building a time machine or self-replicator so I could kick my own ass for building or starting a turbine in a back yard.
posted by loquacious at 8:43 PM on December 26, 2009 [2 favorites]
On the other hand I could see myself also building a time machine or self-replicator so I could kick my own ass for building or starting a turbine in a back yard.
posted by loquacious at 8:43 PM on December 26, 2009 [2 favorites]
I hope not. If they do they at least need to be constrained to purchase some kind of carbon offset. That's a lot of inefficiently combusted kerosene there.
Yeah, but they're not going to use it very often.
It's kind of fascinating that they could take this junk and make a jet engine out of it.
posted by delmoi at 9:39 PM on December 26, 2009
Yeah, but they're not going to use it very often.
It's kind of fascinating that they could take this junk and make a jet engine out of it.
posted by delmoi at 9:39 PM on December 26, 2009
Jees, look at the giant puddle of jet fuel that spills out of their antique jet engine in the second half.
posted by delmoi at 9:42 PM on December 26, 2009
posted by delmoi at 9:42 PM on December 26, 2009
I like how neither one is wearing any kind of safety goggles.
One part of me agrees with you. Another part says, you know, if something really lets go, safety glasses aren't even going to make the bodies more identifiable.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:52 PM on December 26, 2009 [2 favorites]
One part of me agrees with you. Another part says, you know, if something really lets go, safety glasses aren't even going to make the bodies more identifiable.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 9:52 PM on December 26, 2009 [2 favorites]
"if something really lets go, safety glasses aren't even going to make the bodies more identifiable."
Well, sure - but there could be any number of minor accidents that would make them, perhaps, a good idea.
I don't like wearing them myself, though - and I would have liked to have those nuts as neighbors.
posted by HopperFan at 10:29 PM on December 26, 2009
Well, sure - but there could be any number of minor accidents that would make them, perhaps, a good idea.
I don't like wearing them myself, though - and I would have liked to have those nuts as neighbors.
posted by HopperFan at 10:29 PM on December 26, 2009
There's the turbine and the shaft sitting next to it, and either it's being assembled or or disassembled, I'm not quite sure whats going on there, and here's a good closeup of the combustion area with the shroud around the outside, and it's the spark-plug siting on the top there, and that's just really crude design, that is as rough as you're gonna ever see in a back-yard jet.
You don't know me.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:31 PM on December 26, 2009 [2 favorites]
You don't know me.
posted by StickyCarpet at 10:31 PM on December 26, 2009 [2 favorites]
I like how the first video goes from "Here is a jet engine we made from a few scrap parts" to "Well, now we have an antique jet engine because... we do." As if Britain's socialized jet engine program just hands them out to citizens.
posted by Turkey Glue at 10:38 PM on December 26, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by Turkey Glue at 10:38 PM on December 26, 2009 [3 favorites]
It's the election promise that kept John Howard as PM for a decade. Baby bonus + jet engine = election victory.
posted by Ritchie at 10:45 PM on December 26, 2009
posted by Ritchie at 10:45 PM on December 26, 2009
Yes, that's right, honey, I want to buy a vintage fighter jet engine... Umm... I'll use it... for.. for.. a film industry wind machine! That's it! That's why I need this jet engine!
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 1:01 AM on December 27, 2009
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 1:01 AM on December 27, 2009
Metafilter: impressively silly.
I just had to do that, sorry
posted by DreamerFi at 1:15 AM on December 27, 2009
I just had to do that, sorry
posted by DreamerFi at 1:15 AM on December 27, 2009
actually started that Rolls-Royce Derwent on an engine stand on casters.
counting on his truck brakes and (occasionally) some wheel chucks? Seriously?
I'm glad I wasn't the only one that was appalled with the lack of safety they seemed to display. In one of the truck videos you could see another vehicle driving around in front of the red truck while the jet was operating. According to wikipedia that engine was capable of developing upwards of 2000 pounds of thrust, and you're just going to have enough trust in your shitty old truck's brakes that you're not worried about this hunk of metal taking off and going flying down the street?
posted by Rhomboid at 5:04 AM on December 27, 2009
counting on his truck brakes and (occasionally) some wheel chucks? Seriously?
I'm glad I wasn't the only one that was appalled with the lack of safety they seemed to display. In one of the truck videos you could see another vehicle driving around in front of the red truck while the jet was operating. According to wikipedia that engine was capable of developing upwards of 2000 pounds of thrust, and you're just going to have enough trust in your shitty old truck's brakes that you're not worried about this hunk of metal taking off and going flying down the street?
posted by Rhomboid at 5:04 AM on December 27, 2009
That truck was actually modded out the wazoo by a special effects technician from the 70s, so I'd the brakes aren't stock.
Still who am I to say what's safe and what's not, having 0 experience with any kind of jet.
posted by Submiqent at 7:37 AM on December 27, 2009
Still who am I to say what's safe and what's not, having 0 experience with any kind of jet.
posted by Submiqent at 7:37 AM on December 27, 2009
Well, I think it's safe to say that very little of that was "safe".
I for one would not be standing on the 'equal but opposite reaction' side of the engine.
(Although, to give them credit, at least they didn't stand behind it)
posted by MtDewd at 8:13 AM on December 27, 2009
I for one would not be standing on the 'equal but opposite reaction' side of the engine.
(Although, to give them credit, at least they didn't stand behind it)
posted by MtDewd at 8:13 AM on December 27, 2009
>: If those twats had been doing that in my neighborhood I would've marched right over and beaten the living crap out of them with a blunt instrument.
If those awesome guys had been doing that in my neighborhood I would've marched right over and demand to be counted in on the fun. I only hope they have plans for putting that beast to practical use.
I still have vivid memories of a tantrum I had when I was about three and I desperately, desperately wanted a jet engine. I was nigh inconsolable until my dad picked up the phone and called the "Jet Engine Company" and ordered one.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:17 AM on December 29, 2009 [3 favorites]
If those awesome guys had been doing that in my neighborhood I would've marched right over and demand to be counted in on the fun. I only hope they have plans for putting that beast to practical use.
I still have vivid memories of a tantrum I had when I was about three and I desperately, desperately wanted a jet engine. I was nigh inconsolable until my dad picked up the phone and called the "Jet Engine Company" and ordered one.
posted by dunkadunc at 5:17 AM on December 29, 2009 [3 favorites]
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posted by toodleydoodley at 5:34 PM on December 26, 2009