Looks like it's possible to go downwind faster than the wind in a wind-powered vehicle. Much faster.
While the rest of us spent the weekend watching fireworks or barbecuing in the backyard, the intrepid team behind the Downwind Faster Than The Wind (DWFTTW) vehicle were on a dry lake bed in El Mirage, California trying to set a record.
And prove a contentious point.
Though the record has yet to be officially ratified, it looks like the team succeeded in not only setting a record but also establishing a record category for a wind-powered vehicle that could travel downwind faster than the wind.
According to team captain Rick Cavallaro, who also piloted the vehicle during 18 runs over two days in the blistering hot sun, the team set a direct downwind record at least 2.5 times faster than the speed of the wind. Now it's up to the North American Land Sailing Association to look at data collected from more than 20 sensors and determine exactly which run goes into the record book.
In addition to the record-ratifiers, Cavallaro and crew were joined by well-wishers including engineers from Joby Energy, their primary sponsor, who flew a plane to the lake bed to watch the record attempt.
As far as skeptics are concerned (and we know you're out there, commenting on the last post we wrote about the project), one downwind doubter joined Cavallaro on an earlier test run and is almost on board.
"I would have described him as somewhere slightly beyond extremely skeptical," Cavallaro said. "Now I describe him as extremely convinced if somewhat confused."
We'll let you know when the record is officially official. In the meantime, congrats to the team for putting a longstanding question through rigorous tests.
And hopefully to rest.
Photos: Emilio Castaño Graff /fasterthanthewind.org
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Wind-Powered Car Travels Downwind Faster Than the Wind
