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If I had only ever seen racing in TV I would have no idea what you were talking about. But I did have the pleasure of watching a few Indy 500 races in person. I

If I had only ever seen racing in TV I would have no idea what you were talking about. But I did have the pleasure of watching a few Indy 500 races in person. It is hard to describe the sound and feeling of the solid dirt/grass vibrating under your feet!

beat 11y ago
Yeah, and Indy cars are wimpy compared to Top Fuel drag racing. The power involved is kind of terrifying. And the failures, too! Watching a couple hundred pounds of supercharger blown right off the top of the engine and sailing through the air in a burst of flame...
- WalterBright 11y ago
  I asked a crew chief once about driving a top fuel car. He said he only built them; the people who drove them were insane.
WalterBright 11y ago
Stand anywhere near a Merlin V12 (think P-51 Mustang) when it starts up. It's an OMG visceral thrill. My dad used to drive them, said it was the best job in the world.
- jacquesm 11y ago
  There is one of those in an airplane museum here in NL and I spent the better part of two hours looking at it, what a magnificent machine. If you look at it long enough you can reason out a lot of the functional bits (a part of the engine is cut-out so you get to see all the guts). Of course that's a static display, nothing to compare to hearing it run but I was just appreciating it as a mechanic. To fly it must be the thrill of a lifetime.
  - WalterBright 11y ago
    The Boeing Museum of Flight once offered rides in the back seat (very cramped) of a P51. I was first in line! Worth every penny (expensive). I didn't stop smiling for a week. My dad being an ex-P51 driver, the local museum was kind enough to do a couple P51 low pass flyovers at his funeral. He would have loved it. One of his relatives remarked that he finally understood the fuss over that airplane. http://i.imgur.com/QqlYM.jpg http://i.imgur.com/QqlYM.jpg There's even a book about the sound of the engine - "Sigh for a Merlin".
    - jacquesm 11y ago
      > The Boeing Museum of Flight once offered rides in the back seat (very cramped) of a P51. I was first in line! Worth every penny (expensive). I didn't stop smiling for a week. Consider me very jealous. > My dad being an ex-P51 driver, the local museum was kind enough to do a couple P51 low pass flyovers at his funeral. He would have loved it. One of his relatives remarked that he finally understood the fuss over that airplane. That gives me gooseflesh. That picture is really neat, the name of the plane seems to have worked out well! Thank you for posting this.
      - WalterBright 11y ago
        All combat pilots have their OCD good luck charms, my dad's was naming his planes "Round Trip Ticket". And it did work, they always brought him home, despite sometimes getting holes in the airplane, and various other failures. He has a great picture of the side of his 'stang covered in oil, after it swallowed a valve. Fortunately, it was over the airfield at the time, as the 'stang wasn't going very far with the rotating junk that was left of the merlin.
        DanBC 11y ago
        > OCD That's superstition, not OCD.
        deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]

beat 11y ago

Yeah, and Indy cars are wimpy compared to Top Fuel drag racing. The power involved is kind of terrifying. And the failures, too! Watching a couple hundred pounds of supercharger blown right off the top of the engine and sailing through the air in a burst of flame...

WalterBright 11y ago
I asked a crew chief once about driving a top fuel car. He said he only built them; the people who drove them were insane.

WalterBright 11y ago

Stand anywhere near a Merlin V12 (think P-51 Mustang) when it starts up. It's an OMG visceral thrill. My dad used to drive them, said it was the best job in the world.

jacquesm 11y ago
There is one of those in an airplane museum here in NL and I spent the better part of two hours looking at it, what a magnificent machine. If you look at it long enough you can reason out a lot of the functional bits (a part of the engine is cut-out so you get to see all the guts). Of course that's a static display, nothing to compare to hearing it run but I was just appreciating it as a mechanic. To fly it must be the thrill of a lifetime.
- WalterBright 11y ago
  The Boeing Museum of Flight once offered rides in the back seat (very cramped) of a P51. I was first in line! Worth every penny (expensive). I didn't stop smiling for a week. My dad being an ex-P51 driver, the local museum was kind enough to do a couple P51 low pass flyovers at his funeral. He would have loved it. One of his relatives remarked that he finally understood the fuss over that airplane. http://i.imgur.com/QqlYM.jpg http://i.imgur.com/QqlYM.jpg There's even a book about the sound of the engine - "Sigh for a Merlin".
  - jacquesm 11y ago
    > The Boeing Museum of Flight once offered rides in the back seat (very cramped) of a P51. I was first in line! Worth every penny (expensive). I didn't stop smiling for a week. Consider me very jealous. > My dad being an ex-P51 driver, the local museum was kind enough to do a couple P51 low pass flyovers at his funeral. He would have loved it. One of his relatives remarked that he finally understood the fuss over that airplane. That gives me gooseflesh. That picture is really neat, the name of the plane seems to have worked out well! Thank you for posting this.
    - WalterBright 11y ago
      All combat pilots have their OCD good luck charms, my dad's was naming his planes "Round Trip Ticket". And it did work, they always brought him home, despite sometimes getting holes in the airplane, and various other failures. He has a great picture of the side of his 'stang covered in oil, after it swallowed a valve. Fortunately, it was over the airfield at the time, as the 'stang wasn't going very far with the rotating junk that was left of the merlin.
      - DanBC 11y ago
        > OCD That's superstition, not OCD.
        deleted 11y ago
        [deleted]