They should have used an Amphicar

[Ken Chambers]

Here's the text of an amusing article I just read in our local paper. Hey David,
what do you know about these guys over there?

Ken Chambers, CA
'64 Amphi

Title: Duo's new ice vehicle sinks in Thames run
Two adventurers who hope to cross the treacherous ice pack between Alaska
and Siberia were embarrassed Tuesday when their new
amphibious vehicle - designed to power through the Bering Strait's freezing
water and drive across ice floes - sank in the ice-free
Thames.
After passing Big Ben and Westminster Palace on the river's calm waters, a
flotation device on the SnowBird 6 started to fill
with water. The pilots, Steve Brooks and Graham Stratford, managed to get it to
shore before it submerged completely.
Brooks and Stratford failed in their first attempt across the Bering in
March when their SnowBird 5, an earlier version, was
damaged by an ice ridge.

 

[David Chapman]

> Here's the text of an amusing article I just read in our local paper. Hey
David, what do you know about these guys over there?
> Two adventurers who hope to cross the treacherous ice pack between Alaska
and Siberia were embarrassed Tuesday when their new
> amphibious vehicle - designed to power through the Bering Strait's freezing
water and drive across ice floes - sank in the ice-free Thames.

Yes, interesting idea but in reality a bit of a joke and not much chance of
success, every few year someone from Europe (normally the UK !) has a go at
"driving" overland to the USA. This latest attempt is by a "self made business
man" who seems to have overlooked some of the enginnering issues, he has
basically taken one of those snow clearing tracked vehicles from a ski resort
and fitted a long cylinder each side for flotation, these revolve and are meant
to drive the thing forward over snow - an idea I remember from the Thunderbirds
kids TV shows in the 1960s !

Anyway he seems to have forgotten about some of the engineering issues and also
the extreme cold, the thing has a diesel engine - all the Russian stuff in the
area runs on gas because diesel turns to jelly in the cold up there. In both
public outings here, one for a Kids TV show and one the mainstream news, the
cylinders have become detached, although it has managed to stay afloat, good
news as there are enough problems using amphibious vehicles here without an
"Amphibious Vehicle Sinks" news headline !

There is a nice website here: http://www.icechallenger.com/ but if you are
reading this at work watch out because it has sound !


David Chapman