:lol:
I've got a story even crazier than that!!!
I had a customer come to my place with a racing hovercraft in the depths of a snow covered winter many years ago.
It didn't have any electrics so we fitted a cable operated system but we didn't have a cable long enough to connect it from the bars to the location near the engine.
The guy was desperate to experience what the nitrous was going to do before he took it away and begged me to ride on the back (these are single seater vehicles by the way), while he drove it across an open field (covered in snow) in the pitch dark, so I could operate the manual nitrous valve.
Reluctantly I agreed and off we went.
Now I'd never seen one of these things before and I've never been too concerned about stopping whatever I've driven, because I've been overly dedicated to making them quicker, so it didn't enter my head to wonder how they stop those things.
Anyway we're charging across the snow covered field at about 60 mph and he gives me the nudge to hit the gas. The thing shot off and all was good in the world till all of a sudden he screams at me to shut it off and then slings out the anchor. Well that's my technical term
for how they slow them down but what they actually do is spin them through 180 degrees whilst also tipping them side ways, neither of which I was prepared for.
The 180 about face is for the fan to blow in the reverse direction and the tip is to get rid of the air cushion and produce drag but because I wasn't prepared for either and I wasn't holding on to the driver, I went head first into the snow (only managing to hold myself inside the thing with my finger tips) and ploughed my own furrow as it ground to a halt.
Now that was bad enough but the guy was so pleased with the result, that he wanted another go and nobody else would take my place, so I had to do it again, this time however I was prepared and avoided the side exit.
I've had a number of similar zany experiences, like one I had on the first ever 3 wheeled ATC I'd ever seen and gassed, have you ever tried to steer one of those without being told how, especially at speed with an oncoming truck heading towards you????
Then there was the off road V8 Range Rover with 2 stages of nitrous, a total of 650 bhp and a loony behind the wheel (no not me, the guy who owned and raced it), that I unwisely took the passenger seat in. I don't think even off road vehicles are adequately modified to handle rolls and pirouettes and I certainly wasn't!!!!
Like I said all crazy stuff but I lived to tell the tale - unfortunately for some -
Regards
)
