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NAE™ Project:
800 Club Newsletter

March 30 , 2008

Dear 800 Club Members,

Well, it's only been a few weeks since my last post, but then there's a lot happening now that we're beyond most of the winter weather and preparations for our May test session are fast approaching.

As some of you who've recently visited the web site, you've discovered that a new look is being applied to it. So far, response has been favorable. However, being a "one man show" with this site, it takes a long time to be sure everything is just right on each page converted, and even then there'll no doubt be some oversights. Should you find any, please don't hesitate to let me know about it. I encourage and count on my visitors to keep me informed about site issues.

Yet another engine test will be occurring next weekend after this weekend's work party. Swaping out generators will now allow us to verify electrical systems functionality and assurance that we'll have what we expect and need for our May test session.

I want to take this opportunity to remind you of a few interactive programs that have been set up for our fans. One is our NAE™ Gear photos. One of our ways we generate funds is by selling our gear through our on-line store. Another site feature is our monthly mystery photo. We've got a guest book for visitors to send comments to, and even a fan photo gallery for those who've managed to visit our test sessions and submit their own photos they've taken. I encourage you to check these out and utilize them.

Of course, we always are hoping our fans are sharing their excitement about our project with those they know and encouraging them to go to our web site. If you know someone who would possibly be interested in seriously looking at sponsoring our record run, we'd love to hear from you about who that is, with contact information, of course.

March 23 , 2008

Dear 800 Club Members,

Good News! Just as quickly as it decended on us, the threat of litigation consuming valuable time and energy fighting it has disappeared. An agreement was reached and we've each gone our separate ways, never to mingle again.

The team has continued the necessary work at hand and an engine test was scheduled. After going to various locations we thought might work for conducting our engine test, we settled on a location to the north of Seattle and pursued clearing the various hurdles involved in getting permission there from management. Over a period of about a month, communications were favorable and indications were good that we'd be going there.

However, at nearly the last minute (we've been here before, folks) while making confirmation calls alerting the management of our imminent arrival the next day, word came down that we could not conduct the test at that location.

So, a quick few emails and phone calls to the team reorganized us all to the Spanaway Airport right in our backyard where we'd conduct a previous test of the engine. Businesses and residents were alerted to the fact that noise and smoke would be created prior to our test.

After set up and checks were finished, the engine roared to life once again, producing periodic bursts of dense smoke being propelled over onto a major highway to the south. Being an abnormal occurance, some motorists pulled over and got out of their cars to run across the field between the highway and the airport's perimeter fence; thinking there'd been an airplane crash.

One of the team members had to go down to the fence to shoo them off from the danger of being in the blast area of the engine. Ed then went into afterburner briefly to see it would lite, and other system checks were done at the same time.

The team will now finish any remaining changes in order to prepare for a May test run in southern California. When this will actually occur is still uncertain at this time, but the location may not be available to all who wish to come view our test runs.

March 3 , 2008

Dear 800 Club Members,

While it may be an over-used cliche', I'll use it anyway because it seems to fit well with the current circumstances; it's always darkest before the dawn.

With most of the major work done on the car there's been very little for team members to do over the past month. The major work has now shifted to third party support and work in the form of aerodynamic analysis with CFD on computers and getting a wind tunnel model built and putting it into a wind tunnel so that data can be cross analyzed against the computer data.

However, another situation has developed which, until it is resolved satisfactorily, I am not at liberty to give any specifics about. So, I can only give vague remarks about what's happening at this time.

A legal challenge, one which we really had no involvement in, has developed that seems to be out of control and has sucked us into it. With limited resources, we are in a difficult circumstance.

In trying to stay true to our team's motto - challenges can be stepping stones, or stumbling blocks, it's just a matter of how you view them - we are hoping that after all the dust settles, it will fade away and we will acquire a sponsorship and be able to go for the record this coming fall.

January 26, 2008

Dear 800 Club Members,

Work on the Eagle is progressing nicely at this time. Next week our sponsor, FARO, will be out to complete the digital mapping of the car's vertical stabilizer for adding to our CFD analysis being conducted.

An engine test is scheduled to take place, but details are still being ironed out before specifics can be announced. Some interesting variations in the theme of the project will be forthcoming, so be sure to watch the site to find out once we are able to divulge details on what's in store.

As has been said before, it is our earnest hope and intention that this project go for the record this coming fall. Game on!

December 31, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

Happy New Year! According to Ed Shadle this year will be it. If our spring test runs accomplish our goals, and achieving mid-range speeds lands us the ellusive sponsor the record attempt needs, we should be going for the record in the fall. Exactly when and where that is will be up to mother nature.

Our past October test session revealed to us that, because of a two year drought in the northwestern region of Nevada, the lakebed surface is not in good enough condition to run at the speeds necessary to take the record. So, if this winter doesn't provide the needed annual flooding of the basin, then an alternate venue will have to be found.

However, there may be some other unexpected surprises that come along between now and then which may put an interesting "spin" on the whole thing. Only time will reveal that.

If you haven't been to our new NAE™ Gear Store, check it out. Each purchase, no matter how small, helps. We also have a donation capability through PayPal® for those who wish to help in that way.

December 13, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

My, things got a bit slow there after we returned from our last test session. In fact, the NAE™ has been sitting in the transport trailer since then, only to come out for our appearance at a local sponsor's shopping center at the first of the month.

With work ready to resume on the car over the next several months, the team must first wrap up the year with its annual Christmas Breakfast gathering next weekend. Several member's spouses, or significant others, will be coming along, so it should prove to be a festive experience.

Ed Shadle will give a presentation which will include a recap of the past year's accomplishments. I will provide an account of those events worthy of mention in an update later this month. It's also rumored that the "Velvet Hammer" award will be given out to a team member who's done something over the past year to earn the honor of having it bestowed upon them.

Even though Steve Fossett's demise put a temporary halt to their project, it appears that the project intends to go ahead with an attempt. Of course, they'll have to find a replacement driver and conduct some training and test runs, like us, before they can be considered "viable" contenders for taking the record. We currently are working patiently to create an opportunity to conduct another test run next spring. If weather and surface conditions favor us, we hope to finally get her running at a respectable mid-speed range at that time.

October 19, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

The team has returned home from its visit to a test session at the Black Rock desert and participation in the 10th anniversary of the record being set by the ThrustSSC team. For pictures, please go to the update for this event.

First, we want to thank all the great sponsors that have supported this project's efforts to go for the record. They are too numerous to mention here, but a visit to our sponsor pages will give you an idea of who they are.

A fantastic effort by all team members was witnessed while there. All hands chipped in to get whatever job had to be done as fast as possible.

The first two days there, the weather was beautiful; sunny and calm. Unfortunately, we were so busy getting tasks completed so we could run the car, we didn't get it out of the temporary hangar provided by our sponsor Cover-All until the third day when the clouds and wind began acting up.

However, we did our best to take advantage of a deteriorating situation and managed to get in two runs at low speed to check steering before it was impossible to continue due to the dust clouds rolling across the playa. The dust particles are so fine they get into everything.

The celebration at Bev's - Miner's Bar - was fantastic. Present to celebrate the occasion were John Ackroyd - designer of the Thrust 2 car that set the record for the first time at Black Rock in 1983 - Jeremy Davy; webmaster of the ThrustSSC project, and his new bride, Lisa, Craig Breedlove with his wife, Yurina, Rosco McGlashen from Australia, and of course, Ed Shadle and his team were there with the others. Speeches were given by all and an atmosphere of comaraderie amongst everyone was very evident.

We accomplished two out of our three objectives that were set for this session; running on the new all metal wheels for the first time, and assessing the new hydraulic steering system we'd built. Ed discovered that the rolling resistence of the car with metal wheels was greater than expected - he didn't have to use any of the braking systems at low speed - and the steering system work well, even if it was a bit too responsive. That will be adjusted easily.

We folded up camp a day early because of the declining weather conditions and came home. Were we disappointed we didn't get the car up to 400 and 500mph? Of course! But when you're dealing with such an unpredictable circumstance, your hand is forced to play it safe and wait for a better day. We'll eventually get there, but there's still a lot of details behind the scene to get done that will insure the project's success down the road.

When we're ready for another trip to conduct mid-speed runs, we'll be letting everyone know.

October 1, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

In a couple of weeks the project's next step toward the goal of bringing the record back to North America will take place. A scheduled test session is to occur at Black Rock desert over the 10th anniversary celebration of the British ThrustSSC setting the existing record. Speeds on our new all metal wheels will take the car into new territory; the 400mph to 550mph range.

Right now, the team is taking care of last minute preparations to get everything into place so the car and support equipment is ready to go.

Information has come to the team that Monster Energy Drink will be sponsoring our test session this time, which means we'll have their logo on the side of the car while a video crew they've hired is shooting the event. It is still uncertain at this point, but CNN might also have a video crew there to tape a test session run or two.

This will be the team's first time out on the very playa where we intend to go for the record. While the logistics of getting everyone and everything down there is daunting, this new experience will be a test of how well the team functions in less comfortable conditions; even if for only five days.

I will be maintaining a daily journal on my laptop while there, and upon returning to civilization and home, will submit a summary report on how things transpired from day to day. So, be watching for it around the 21st of the month.

September 14, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

Not quite two weeks ago did the news break that Steve Fossett, our contender for the record, disappeared while on a short flight in Nevada. As has been indicated on our front page of this site, we hope for the best. However, as the days run into weeks, the odds are fading fast for a positive outcome in this sad scenario.

Occasionally I get messages from those who seem to know everything and want to let me know what they think we should do. Recently, an individual sent me an email saying he felt we were spending far too much time "tinkering" with equipment and electronics on the car and should just go out and light the fire and go for it. I thought I'd share my response to him with you.

-------------------

Thanks for sharing your views with us about our project. Please allow me to clarify a few points for your edification about why our project has taken so long. It's hardly a matter of over engineering.

The co-owners, Ed Shadle & Keith Zanghi, when they met were both "working stiffs" from the middle class. The one thing they share is the vision to go after the unlimited class land speed record; even if they didn't have the unlimited funds others have had, either in the past, or currently. Actually, even Richard Noble didn't have as much funding as most people like to believe.

Going about the project with very little, if any, financial backing required Ed & Keith to patiently gather together volunteers who had various areas of expertise and ask them to gather on a Saturday when they weren't working; a few times a month here, once a month there. At the same time, without having credentials like Richard Noble did as the record holder, they gradually got a local paper to do a story on their project, or a TV station to put a 10 minute piece into a local show and waited patiently for local companies to learn about us and come on board as donors of equipment, or services, that were needed. At least the fact that they chose to save millions in R&D by using an F-104 as a platform to construct a land speed car with was a "selling point" the media was attracted by. This is how the project got its engine and why we are a two country effort since the engines are on loan from a British Columbia, Canada company. Our precision machining is also in B.C.

Over time and with persistence, we've gradually acquired several larger sponsor who've provided us with donations of a data acquisition system, sensors from nose to tail, magnetic brakes which make this car very unique, a start cart, high speed cameras that are used on the Space Shuttle, and more recently, our high speed wheels have been donated or paid for by various parties interested in seeing us succeed because we've demonstrated a stubborn, yet patient drive toward pulling it off.

We have not been tinkering or playing with technology just to see how long we can stretch the project out. Rather, we've had to endure those who've promised us items we've needed, only to discover months later that they weren't really serious about their stated interest in supporting us as promised. Plus, we've had to learn by mistake at times that we couldn't go forward until certain systems were modified, or components were included, to make them work properly. After all, there aren't a lot of folks taking a jet powered vehicle to speeds we are intending to go. Without the funds readily available, it was, at times, a game of casting for someone to come along and offer their product that would meet the need and waiting for them to surface.

Because the co-owners understand the seriousness of what they've embarked on accomplishing, and the ramifications involved if they hurried through it to just go out and run for the record without properly preparing the car to be as safe and trustworthy of performing as needed, we are not in a rush to ignore those factors which could well end the project in tradgedy; as many in the past have saddly learned. Recall what Craig Breedlove experienced in '96 when he pushed his car to its limit and discovered that you can get a record for the world's fastest U-turn on land. It set his project's progress back a whole year. We want avoid making the same errors.

Granted, this is not usually considered an efficient way of going about the process of running a project of this magnitude, especially amidst today's climate of "instant gratification", but if it illustrates one thing for certain, it is that this project is an example of how those with a strong enough vision and the wisdom to make sure it's done the way it needs to be done, can overcome seemingly insurmountable odds until it's achieved. And that, we will.

September 1, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

Well, the summer's almost over. July and August went by in a flash, but the project has gotten a lot of stuff done behind the scenes.

Admittedly, things have moved slowly over this season, but sometimes things don't always go as fast as one would like. Here are some of the highlights that have occurred during this period:

Some of these modifications were major, which took several months to complete. There are still other less important issues to deal with, but we've made a great deal of progress. Now, things will once again begin to move forward with more test sessions planned for later this year.

We've added three new sponsors to our list of growing support from around the country. The east coast based Starfighters, Inc. the world's fastest airshow team, Puget Sound Rope, and Falcon® Electric have joined us in our goal to bring the record back to America.

We encourage you to visit our site frequently to keep informed via our regular updates, as well as these occasional newsletters.

June 15 , 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

Since last month a number of exciting things have happen on the project. First off, the Discovery Channel aired our one hour television show, Mega Builders - Worlds Fastest Wheels two more times. Since the show has debuted in the United States, the Discovery Channel has run the show nineteen times! Our Canadian team member, Steve Green, was on the other network when he and his niece, Nadine, were featured on the National Geographic Channel. Salt Flat Speedway was shown three times and highlighted the 2006 Bonnevelle Speedweek. It gave a lot of air time to the Green Brothers as it was filmed at Eagle Machine, Inc shop in Abottsford BC.

Other news is the addition of Mike Thoe to the team. Mike is an Aerodynamic Engineer and works at one of the most advance wind tunnels in the world. His help will make the transition from a subsonic to a transonic speed a safe one. Ed Shadle, Steve Wallace and Keith Zanghi went on the road again and gave presentation to over 1,300 people at the 2007 COE (CATIA Operators Exchange) in Las Vegas, NV. Libby Wallace was also on hand to meet sponsors and answer questions to the thousands in attendance. The project got some more ink this month when it was featured on the very popular How Stuff Works website.

This month was espicially exciting as we gained two more partners on the project. Opto 22 will be providing IO boards for the Eagle and Uremet Corporation will be building our rear high speed wheels and providing engineering support.

April 18 , 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

Progress has been steady at the NAE™ hangar over the past month. Systems on the car are being adjusted and improved (software work on the canard design, hydraulics redesign, and parachute modifications), new equipment is being acquired and worked over (team bus, new team fire truck) and our bi-metal wheels are being manufactured at this time. All of this is being done in anticipation of our upcoming test session later this year. Where it will occur is uncertain at this point. However, once we know, it will be announced prominently on the site.

March 31, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,

Well, in the process of making the shift from the old site to the new, I accidentally lost the contents of the last few newsletter entries. For those of you who read them from here, it won't be a big loss. For those who are new to the site and haven't read them, you really didn't miss much. I gripped and moaned about how few of you were not showing support for the project by purchasing NAE™ Gear from our store so you could send me an attached picture of our members in their shirt or hat like some of the others have done. So, I won't bore you with that sniveling here.

Hope you like the new format of the site now. Hey, it's the best I could do with the little spare time I have working full-time and such.

February 4, 2007

Dear 800 Club Members,
 
I hope all of you are doing well. With little news to report at this time of year on the progress of the project other than what I've already shared in the previous newsletter, I've decided this was a good time to share a unique story the team was given last spring from the daughter of a man who lived and worked in the heart of the aviation industry during the era of the "right stuff". (For those of you who may not have seen the movie, The Right Stuff, I strongly recommend at least renting the DVD and watching it.) His name was Gene E. Burton, and his daughter Vicki Burton Knepper sent us a PDF of the scanned documents he had written for his memoirs.
 
For the sake of accuracy in reading these pages without any confusion, I am gradually retyping sections of the pages (some of the ends, or corners weren't flat and in focus when copied to the PDF) and posting them as a series. They are about his experience in the aviation industry at North American Aviation and those he met and knew who were actually the men with the "right stuff" of that day. I've already posted the first two sections and will, over the next few months, post the remaining ones as time allows. I've dubbed them "The Days of the Right Stuff".
 
One of our 800 Club members who's already read the first two sections wrote me today saying, "Please post the next part to Memoirs soon. Wow!" For those of you who are new members, or those of you who may not yet know this, the airframe we've acquired and modified into the NAE™ has a very unique history as a former F-104 Startfighter. It was part of the "Right Stuff" story, in that it was a chase plane for Edwards AFB's test program and was flown by those test pilots, and was a sister bird to the NF-104 that Chuck Yeager had to save his life from in conducting a "zoom climb" to high altitude. If you've seen the movie mentioned above, you'll recall that this event was the closing scene.
 
I hope you enjoy reading them and I will provide you with more news as it develops.
January 19, 2007
 
Dear 800 Club Members,
 
It's been nearly a month since my last newsletter. At this time of year, things move slowly; especially when the weather is more severe than normal. I know some of you reading this are saying to yourselves, "Tell me about it, pal!" because in some other parts of the country there's been just as bad, or worse, weather. I hope none of our club members have suffered anything unpleasant as a result of these conditions.
 
For our new members who've joined recently, welcome aboard! I want to take this opportunity to inform you "newcomers", as well as remind those who are veterans of several years, of a few important points you may not be aware of, or have forgotten. First, your club membership includes a few benefits at this non-donation level (unlike the Eagle's Lair members who get lots more) which you should have received.
 
They are - an image of the NAE™ in action, a certificate with your name on it, your name posted on the site's Members Worldwide page, AND for those who've purchased NAE™ Gear from our store to wear proudly about your community, if you take a picture of yourself in your gear in front of some landmark in your area and send it into me, I will post it on your own page for us to admire. Those who've already done so have their name on the Members Worldwide page linked to it. So, if you realize you've not received something listed above, or would like to submit your image for posting, let me know or send it in. Also, our Mystery Photo page, which changes each month, has become fairly popular, but mostly from those who aren't even members, but just dropping on in. So, visit the site and check it out to send in your guess and show us how smart you are with a challenge. Some are easy, some are goofy, while others are harder than usual. Hey, it's fun to lighten up once in a while.
 
Okay, down to business of the newsletter for this issue. The work of commencing with modifications to the Eagle has begun in earnest for the winter in the hangar. The tasks are many; converting the front suspension, and box it goes in, into a configuration that will accommodate the all metal wheel (forged aluminum alloy) which is currently in the process of being negotiated for manufacture over the next few months. Changes to the hydraulic system is another task being done. The electrical system is also being modified; there are multiple levels of various voltages and cycles which are involved, most of which I know very little about. The data acquisition system, which collects 3,080,000 pieces of data each second while the car is running, is having some newly received hardware, from our sponsor PCB Piezotronics, added to it for enhancing its capabilities to process it all. Then, there's the deceleration system (more specifically the parachutes and not the magnetic brakes, or the speed brake doors) which will be going through an overhaul. The low speed chute tubes are being taken off and replaced with slightly wider diameter tubes that are a tad longer to give the bags that go in them a bit more room in which to be packed.
 
Other tasks being worked on, are the results of the car's digitally mapped image being analyzed by one of our new sponsors, CSM Software using their Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) program to determine what its behavior will be upon reaching the transonic speeds (600 - 700mph) while, as well as beyond these speeds, into the realm of the supersonic, on the ground. The canards, or small neutrally aerodynamic winglets which are on each side of the nose of the car and in front of the cockpit, need a software program to be designed and constructed which would integrate with the technology of load sensors on the front suspension to make sure that just enough, but not too much, down-force is applied to keep the nose from lifting. Dialog and negotiations are underway at this time regarding the integration of this safety feature on the car. Still, yet another item which is in the works is the fairing, or covering of the rear suspension framework, that attaches to the airframe of the fuselage at three points on the rear half of the car. This covering is believed to be necessary in order to reduce drag when the car's testing begins to move into the mid-range speeds of our test sessions next spring and summer.
 
So, as you can see, there's a lot of different things going on at once by the team to move the test phase of the project into its next level for the coming year. At this point, the project still has yet to acquire a financial backer which would allow the project to move more rapidly along with its progress toward going for the record. This circumstance, however, does not deter us from staying focused and committed to the ultimate goal of getting the record.
 
As to any news from the Steve Fossett camp (new comer to the challenge of setting a record to best the Brits), there is none to report. Having all the finances he needs to do the modifications he's making to the old Spirit of America of Craig Breedlove's former vehicle he acquired for his bid, his project is not disclosing any information. Considering the possibility might arise that he may not meet the deadline for completion of modification in order to conduct sufficient testing with the new configuration, they may not be able to go for the record next October/November as initially hoped for when he announced his intentions last October.
 
While many of you wrote in to share your delight at watching our documentary (shot in the spring of 2004) on the Discovery Channel recently, we have good news; there will be another piece airing sometime this year as part of a show called "Hyperspeed". It will be a shorter segment of our test session conducted in June of last year at El Mirage Lake bed in California. So, be sure to check into the site regularly for announcements - sometimes they are shared with us only days before the broadcast - so you don't miss it.
 
A new look will be coming to the visitors and viewers of our project's web site soon. Webmaster Jon Higley, and his always helpful and reliable assistant Trish Woods, have been working furiously over the last month to revamp the site's look and features to accommodate the growing popularity the project is generating. (Okay, we're growing weary of the current look too.) So, be watching for the debut of this revision around the end of February, or the first part of March.
 
For new members who've joined only recently, I recommend that you read the previous newsletter below (a recap of events) to learn what the project went through last year. Quite a bit of progress was made, but we expect even greater things this coming year.
 
More next month!

December 21, 2006 (Winter Solstice)

Dear 800 Club Members,

Given the fact that this will be the last newsletter of 2006, it will recap the year's events; helping to highlight the progress of the project for the year, while simultaneously bringing many of our new 800 Club members up to speed. (Hey, I think it's a great pun; after all, that's what we're all about!)

Don't forget, most of these events  listed  here also have a Photo Gallery to view.

This past year started out with very sad news; Col. Brian Simpson - USAF, passed away in January after his battle with cancer. Col. Simson was the pivotal individual at Edwards AFB who understood the essence of what our project was about; taking on challenges despite the odds. He made it possible for the NAE™ to conduct test runs on Rogers Dry Lake next to Edwards AFB in the fall of the previous year. For his contribution to the project's forward progress, we are eternally indebted to him. He is missed.

Then too, we can't forget the joy experienced when General Joe Engle (USAF Retired) visited the NAE and team while on display at the Open House for Edwards AFB in October. Gen. Engle, who was one of many test pilots who flew 56-0763 when it was a chase plane at this base, sat in the cockpit of the NAE and joined the team for a group photo. He has become an avid supporter of our project.

Amidst weekend work parties of doing engine removal and replacements, along with various systems upgrade work, the team made an appearance with the car at the Northwest Aviation & Trade Show on the Puyallup Fairgrounds. While there, Scott Crossfield, keynote speaker for this event, came to the NAE™ on display and talked with the team about the days, decades ago, when he flew this F-104 jet at Edwards AFB. He told us how he landed 56-073 (its tail #); performing about 100 dead stick landings in it, to train for later flying the X-15, for which 56-0763 was a chase plane at Edwards.

Only two months later, in April, the sad news of Scott Crossfield's demise in a lightning storm, while flying his private aircraft in the southeast, came to the team. We considered ourselves very fortunate to have had the privilege and honor of meeting him earlier. A tribute to him was posted on the site that month acknowledging his contribution to aviation, as well as his relentless promotion of aviation education.

During the spring, as continued work on improvements to the car's systems went on, a few new sponsor came on board with the project; Olympus Industrial and their high speed video equipment, Space Age Control and their transducer equipment, filled needed components for moving the project forward. The legend of land speed racing, Richard Noble - project director of the existing record holder vehicle, the ThrustSSC - joined our 800 Club at this time as well.

Approaching the beginning of summer, some team individuals had some notable experiences - Garlow met Mike Melvile - the first private astronaut - at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, while the team's medical specialist, Patrick Smith, completed his RN training. Work on the NAE™ was wound up and the car and team prepared for another test session in California. After a couple of runs on El Mirage Dry Lake, mother nature threw the team a curve ball and rained us out. We then moved down to Burbank and the scheduled appearance at the Aerobooks/Autobooks store on Magnolia Blvd., thanks to the hard work of Doug Schwartz, the team's PR/Sponsorship specialist.

On the second of the two days in the store's parking lot, we were honored with the appearance of none other than Jay Leno, host of the NBC Tonight Show. After touring the car with driver/owner Ed Shadle, he made a small contribution to the donation jar and offered to write an article in his monthly column for the Popular Mechanics magazine. Lots of pictures were taken and hands were shaken. What a great guy!

Through summer, Team NAE™ made three local appearances, but the car remained in the hangar while work was done on both hydraulic and electrical systems for improvements. August saw Ed and his entourage of buddies make their way to attend the annual Speed Week at Bonneville's Salt Flats. There Shadle ran his Roadster, but the highlight of the week was getting to meet Andy Green - current record holder in the ThrustSSC - and the JCB DieselMax team and car. Also, Ron Ayers was there as a consultant to the project and acquaintances were reestablished and sharing of information abound between racers.

Summer was capped off with an invitational appearance of the NAE™ at the annual LeMay Auto Museum's Marymount Academy site in Spanaway, WA. While there, the team talked with the crowds, but the NAE™ did the real crowd pleasing; it conducted two engine tests and gave them some real loud noise! Monitoring of the electrical system was conducted simultaneously and new information was gleaned.

Fall began with the team's annual BBQ at the Wallace residence in University Place, WA. Then, after a few work parties where more hydraulic work and an engine throttle adjustment were done by crew chief Bill Eckberg, the NAE™ made an appearance at one of its local sponsors in Puyallup - Hydraulic Repair & Design. This event proved very helpful to the team's attempt to tackle the issue with the hydraulic problem we were experiencing, with the input from H-R-D's President, Nick Neslund.

As fall went into full swing, work on the car continued. In mid-October, Jay Leno's article in Popular Mechanics was published. The team was very pleased with Jay's contribution of bringing the project the exposure so important to a massive endeavor like this. At the same time, Steve Fossett, of around the world ballooning fame, announced his plans to modify the Spirit of America he'd purchased from Craig Breedlove, and possibly go for the land speed record in the fall of '07. How ironic, while Fossett's got the money, but little time, we've got no real money and have spent a total of nine years thus far! We press on for that elusive sponsorship that includes capital to bring it all together.

Late fall proved a real "roller coaster" for team member's emotions, as it suffered a great loss. Ed Drumheller II, team deceleration specialist, passed away after battling with cancer, on November 9th; just as the car was heading to southern California. At the same time, two new sponsors partnered with us; Wolfe Air Aviation Limited & ITR North America joined the growing ranks of companies supporting our bid for the record. In mid-November, the NAE™ appeared at the Aerospace Testing Expo in Anaheim, California where hundreds of aviation related companies were also on display. The three days there on the show floor across from our sponsors - PCB Peizotronics' - booth, proved to be the most productive for attracting new and very needed sponsors from companies that will provide the project with critical serivces and opportunties to make it leap ahead in its goal to go for the record.

Two days after the expo concluded,the team and car met once again at El Mirage to conduct tests. These tests, while only going 225mph, were mainly to verify suspicions that some key parts in the hydraulic system needed changing out. Two weeks later, the team went back to Yorba Linda, California for an invitational appearance at the John Force Holiday Auto Show at the J.F. Racing facility.

A team of four separate companies which work collaboratively, - Dassault Systemes, FARO® Technologies, Verisurf Software, & INCAT® - met at the JFR site the day before to digitally map the entire car's body into a CAD program. This will later be completed for CFD analysis and wind tunnel model making purposes next year. The accomplishment of this work was a quantum leap forward for the project, as it will provide it with greater opportunities and accelerate it more rapidly toward our ultimate goal; going for the record!

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