The K7 was and still is a beautiful thing. My dad was a pattern maker and worked on both versions of the CN7 Bluebird car (the original one that crashed and the second one where they added the tail). He also did some work on the K7 but a lot of his stories centred around the CN7. He did the patternwork for the compound curvatures, wings and cockpit canopy and also made the actual canopy and windscreen. One story he tells is of the recovery of the crashed car and the cockpit canopy being returned virtually unscathed after Campbell crashed at 400mph. The only “damage” to it were the paint streaks on the inside where Campbell’s head and helmet had rattled around inside like a marble! An incredibly brave man to get back in version 2 of the car and take the record!
Not even a mention of Donald in the news on what would of been his 100th birthday . Wonder if hed be proud of the way this country's gone down the pan ?
327 mph on water? You'd have to be obsessed, insane, drunk, all three to even attempt that. "The nose is up ... I'm going ..." Great final words from a true British legend. We can only hypothesise that if Donald had added some fuel at the turnaround, even a small amount, Bluebird K7 would have been more stable on that return run. He was a man in a hurry though and gambled his life against a few extra kilos of kerosene.
I was born the year this boat was launched. Eleven and a half years later Campbell died. At that time in a boys life such things were thrilling. I remember attending school that day and the place was alive with the sad news. The headmaster spoke of it in assembly. In a world far from our own, a true hero had passed.
I too remember hearing the devastating news at school as a 12 yr old and the utter feeling of disgust when, after bursting into our large kitchen at home and pronouncing "Donald Campbell is dead", my older sister said "Who is Donald Campbell?" Grrrrr He was every young lads hero for so long!
I was there in 1959. I had won an art competition with Bluebird Toffees to attend the record attempt and was the youngest person to be permitted on the jetty at the time of the run. I was nine years old.
Sad that harry Vincent's blue bird toffee factory closed. Nr clent and hailsowen . Best toffee ever . I still have an early blue bird tin which is 80 90 years old. Which toffee was sold in . Very decorative.
@@markcynic808 At the time, and today too for that matter, much of our own ocean remains undiscovered, we know MORE about space than our own ocean. So given the slow advances in nautical matters (which persists to this day), for a few guys in a shed (the initial construction anyway) it was pretty amazing engineering if you ask me.
Petyr Kowalski - According to Leo Villa's book, they also filmed a powered remote controlled small scale replica of Bluebird on water where they could apply small modifications until obtaining desired results, very old school and definetly no computers...
The uprated fuel system had a sprung loaded bleeding valve that was located on the fuel line from the main fuel tank to the aux tank with the booster pump required to supply the new engine. It opened and allowed an air lock to stop fuel being pulled from the main tank. Engine suffered complete fuel starvation and lost the down thrust holding the nose down that was enough to allow the noise to lift beyond the critical angle to flip at 300 mph. The same thing happen on the trials on Fad in 2019. Ties in with the lack of jet effects on the water in 1967 when the boat was vertical. I get to help out working on the restoration (licensed aircraft engineer).
Great documentary about a great man. The craft and the body were found by a diver, who got inspired by Marillion's song "Out of this world". Singer Steve Hogarth sang at the funeral in the church. I have had the pleasure to see the song live several times and it gives goosebumps every time.
I was lucky enough to be a guest of the video crew and band in Dublin back in 2001, they kindly allowed my wife and I to sit in for soundcheck. They played "Out of This World". There was a bit of consternation as Steve H's earpieces weren't working and he couldn't hear himself. I couldn't determine any fault in his singing at all, he's that good. A replacement set was found in time for the gig that night and all was well. Every time I hear "Out of This World" now I think of that night. It certainly is a magical and otherworldly song, very appropriate for the subject.
If I recall correctly, his fatal accident was caused by a combination of lighter weight due to not refueling and hitting his own wake from the first run. Damn shame such a simple decision cost him his life.
I remember seeing pictures of Bluebird just before Cambells accident, having sand bags draped over the tail, presumably to keep the tail down perhaps they then put too much weight in the tail which caused the front to lift up and consequently crash.
@@keithdouglas4581 , your on the right track, but the tail heaviness at the time of the crash was actually a nose lightness due to low fuel. Had he refueled the weight the fuel would have been ballast in the nose. The theory is that because the nose was light when it was upset into a pitch up by a wave, the air was able to get under the craft and then Newton took over in making the boat fly. Campbell instinctively cut power which caused the nose to come back down and then plummet into the lake.
I also remember a theory that Campbell wasn't in the boat when it crashed ..... having faked his own death due to financial problems.. The eventual discovery of the body put that story to rest once and for all. Brave men the Campbells.
A minor point of correction: Birmabright was an alloy of aluminum and magnesium, but did not have steel as an alloying element. Today it would be classified as a 5000-series wrought aluminum.
I'm from South Australia and back in the 90's our neighbor told us he water skied behind the Bluebird when it came to Australia lol.. He was getting old and loved to tell stories and I think he believed some of them, my brother and I would never laugh at him but this is one story I've always remembered.
@MusicMadMaurice By "we" I take it you mean Sandgropers, West Aussies? I totally agree! I'd never heard of the Dumbleyung thing but I'm glad to hear it. Greetings from Perth
I recall that at some stage there was a demonstration on the Swan River in Perth. I was there for that and remember seeing Bluebird on a trailer afterwards. Many years later I was working on the Wheat Bins at Wagin and made a trip to Make Dumbleyung. I didn't see any monument but then again I did not know one existed.
@@paulreichelt1259 My Dad used to tell me he rode a horse to school and it took him 2 hours to get there. One day I decided to drive it in my car. Like the hare he must have had a good sleep on the way. I did see the Bluebird boat at Lake Bonney at Barmera late Nov 64 when I was 9 years old. I couldnt get over how huge it was.
Why does this channel NOT have a video on Ken Warby, the current world water speed record holder at 317mph since 1978? Built in his backyard with an engine bought from a junk dealer it is a true story a one man's triumph against the world.
Probably because hes not from the upper classes. They seem to be the only ones who get recognition for this sort of stuff. Theres quite a few ordinary people who've done some great stuff but got nowhere because they havent been born with a silver spoon in their mouths
@tonydean2541 Not always. Search this channel for videos about the Arfons Brothers who were American hot rodders, who came from a humble background and built Jet Land Speed Record cars from recycled and locally built parts!😊
Fascinating. Marvelous historical record and presentation of Mr. Campbell and his passion. Superb telling of an amazing story. Thank you so much. My favorite hydroplane was U-27 in your video. I hope to ride in a vintage hydroplane this October on Lake Chelan, WA.
Thomas O'Leary U27 Good old Slo Mo IV...Allison V12 Aircraft engine of WW II vintage....Stan Sayers first 3 point hydro that all hydros copied and is still being used today !!!
That was a great video. Water crashes are so violent.... I hated seeing that but it’s the reality of breaking speed records. What an amazing boat and team.
Great video. Yes I knew the ending. I do think it would be good to see Bluebird K7 run again at speed, although 150 to 200 MPH would be enough, machines are made to be used. I'd like to see this in real life, and not just watching old film. It's a shame when they're stuck in a museum.
Incredible insight into speed on this channel, literally everyone of the clips in this video the lakes or water looks choppy as hell to be running at speed!!
I was 3 yrs old when I heard on NZ radio that Bluebird had crashed and Donald had been killed-having read so much about Donald over the years he was always in his Father's shadow yet he was a talented and very brave man,what he achieved over the years is a testament to this thanks for the doc
The blue bird is part of British land and water speed records History. This should be placed in a museum for the general public to view. Then Donald Campbell’s legacy will live on .The engineering company that rebuilt the blue bird should be paid for the cost of the rebuild and given recognition in the exhibition for all there hard work. The blue bird K7 is part of Britain’s Great history and should be recognised as such .Raising the blue bird was the right thing to do . R.I.P Donald Campbell .
The Ruskin Museum at Conniston is where many believe it should be. The corroded out engine and some other parts were there in 2017 when I was there. The Lake District has not forgotten him.
Correction, K7 is not the rating by Lloyd's of London but by Lloyd's Register, too completely different companies never related, one is a insurance company the other is a ships register
In 1967 I was around 11 yrs old. I had followed Bluebird and Donald Campbell, and was horrified when he was killed in the crash. He had been a hero of mine.
Absolutely wonderful story, as a small child growing up at the time of his death, i am really happy to know what really happened. R.I.P Donald Campbell.
I've seen WSR/LSR documentaries on TV that were less comprehensive than this and most importantly you show a true respect for the men and women who risk their lives in the quest to be the best in the world at what they love. I subscribed and turned on notifications because I don't want to miss anything you put out.
He's the only world speed record holder to hold both the water and land at the same time. I think he was under too much pressure to try and get a record and prove the ankle hacking journalism that seems to be the remit of the English Press.
There was a book called "The Racing Campbells"published in the early 60's which chronicled the exploits of both Donald and his father, it was a detailed excellent read which is as far as I know, sadly no longer in print.
Excellent presentation. I was not aware that K7 had been restored to such extent that it is routinely run. That shot towards the end..."only" 150 mph and it looks like it is flying! Film from it's original runs is mostly all long teles with compression and you never got an impression of how truly fast 300+ is on water. Thank you!
I was fascinated by land and water speed records as a boy. The Campbell story and the close but gentlemanly rivalry with other English engineers and technical geniuses. I used to enjoy going to Beaulieu while we were sailing in the south of England. These legends should be celebrated as the heroes they were.
The fatal run occurred on my nineteenth birthday. When I saw that Bluebird had been recovered and fully restored I was inspired to compose a guitar instrumental as a tribute. I've now posted it on You Tube; (Bluebird's Last Run).
Great video thanks, i used to have a book called "the record breakers" by Leo Villa, i believe he was Sir Malcolm and Donald's mechanic. Unfortunately someone borrowed it and didn't return it. A wonderful book, now out of print.
Huge difference between the Bluebird and a modern Unlimited Hydroplane. The jet-powered Bluebird achieves its thrust by its jet exhaust, where an Unlimited Hydroplane is a propeller driven craft using a gas turbine engine driving through a gearbox to the propeller shaft. The jet-powered craft would naturally be much faster as it has less drag in the water. It’s hard to compare the two craft.
Being born in 1967 i've always had a fascination with her....i was over in Bute in 2018 to see her for real,and seeing Gina at the Highland Games,memories i'll cherish!
Lake dumbleyung western Australia there's a replica of bluebird in town of dumbleyung open to the public and a memorial at the lake,..Well worth the visit
I've discovered this channel only recently and the videos you make is a joy to watch. I sure as hell hope to one day involve myself in some attempt to break some speed record in some way. Cheers, keep up your good work.
I had no idea that Bluebird had been restored back to functioning condition! Last thing I heard, they were still debating having it on display in the condition it was in when it was raised from the lake. Obviously the media has decided that it's not a story worthy of publicity. I guess it's better this way as it has allowed the team to get on with it without being disturbed too much by people wanting to do interviews / photoshoots.
The boat was created to have a top speed of 250mph. It was going in excess of this when it took off. I have a theory which may well be rubbish, but here it is anyway. The sponsons at that speed, acted like winglets at it briefly did an uncontrolled take off.
Vet been following the restoration project for years and donated also. I hope some day Warbelies record can be eclipsed. Keep up the British upper lip gentlemen.
12:30 clearly shows the problem. each sponson takes turns in touch and lifting which combined with the upwards sweep of them and the nose means that a wedge of air builds up then escapes...that builds up until the inevitable lift off. Plus each time the nose lifts the engine torques over onto the left sponson while the raised nose means the jet thrustline is pushing the nose higher. take off is inevitable. fast boats should look like fast cars.
The cause of the accident was an engine bolt welded to the rear frame had fractured and allowed the engine to move vertically up and down at the rear. This caused the front of K7 to lift far enough for too much air to pass underneath thus taking to the air and crashing. Donald knew there was an issue on the second run as the rear braking mechanism had been deployed about half way in order to scrub off speed...I was one of two welders who worked on the restoration project and one job was to weld the cockpit framework back on the the mainframe as it had sheered off in the crash...a very brave man out mr Campbell ...buried now at coniston water graveyard.
Interesting life of that craft. To be a record holder, then asleep underwater for three decades, then resurrected as a viable craft again only to be locked down by bureaucratic red tape. Too bad.
What an astonishing man Donald Campbell was and a tragedy that (his own) human error cost him the ultimate price. As for Bluebird CN7; what a thing of genuine beauty and it shoud be displayed permanantly in Conistons museum as a tribute to the legend that was Donald Campbell.
Brilliant upload Absolute stunning well engineered beautiful Machine . Campbell was a brave man because water so unforgiving . I read Jessi Combs tragically died chasing my Hero Kitty O,Niels record . Kitty tried Her hand at the water record and even as brave as Kitty was she said she refused to pilot the machine for the return run to back up 275mph .
That last shot you can see the pilot leaning into the turn, magical! I'm amazed at the simplicity of the cockpit. No trim! Plus, what felled me after being a kid who had purchased the Red Arrows Gnat Airfix kit & still remembers gluing in that strange landing light in the nose, £200! Really? A whole, flyable Gnat for £200! Can I buy three please? I'm sure you could make a flyable aircraft from three decomissioned ones!
I was 12 at the time , it was major , major news and shocking . Last year I visited the Lakeland Motor Museum, across the car park is The Campbell/Bluebird ( tribute ) museum , whilst not the real item's , the exhibit was very powerful.
I remember a drama with Anthony Hopkins starring as Donald Campbell. The gist of it was that Donald spent his life trying to live up his powerful and rather domineering father Sir Malcolm Campbell. It was rather a sad tail, to be honest.
The latest version of the bluebird was pretty well conceived . It looked almost picture-perfect on the water . At speed . The fatal mistake was not refueling .
Great video. Something that always bugs me with speed records though is when they all swapped over to jet or rocket power. Damn... there is just something pure about how fast can a car or motorcycle go when the wheels are powered traditionally. Same goes for boats... a screw or water jet just seems appropriate. Jets and rockets are a bit like cheating and IMO only belong on aircraft.
The car was four wheel drive. The Bristol Siddeley Orpheus jet engine provided drive to the axles via two power take offs from it's external gearbox. The rear casing of the gearbox had to be recast with the mounting for the take off in reverse, to match the direction of rotation for the front take off. This was a special job given the go ahead by the brilliant engineer, Sir Stanley Hooker, the then boss of Bristol Siddeley. So although the car was jet powered, it wasn't jet propelled.
Hello. On the 24th of November 2019, I am arranging a event to celebrate the 65th anniversary :- . When Bluebird K7 was handed over to Donald Campbell at Samlesbury Engineering on the 26th of November 1954. How can I get a copy of the Film to use at this event. Regards Steve
Hi Steve - it depends whose archive the film is in, but try www.britishpathe.com, they have a good search engine to help you find footage.. also try AP.org, they look after British Movietone archive I think. Some of these archives are also available to view on UA-cam. Good luck!
Hi, Thanks for the email. The film is on youtube under:- Scarf and Goggles , which is titeled Bluebird K7 -Donald Campbell,s jet Hydroplane. Which I must say, is the best I have seen on the boat K7. It has a number of film clips and cover a numbers of years. I do not know what you can or cannot use off youtube, Or how someone can show films off youtube. Could you enlighten me. Regards Steve
Hi Steve - sorry, I misinterpreted your request, mistook it for requesting advice on how to find possible newsreel footage of the K7 handover. Thanks for your kind comment regarding my video about K7. If you go to my UA-cam channel and select "About" you can message me directly and I'd be happy to advise you further.
Currently building a bluebird model rc which when finished I hope to run her on coniston in tribute to Donald my hero and then go place flowers on his grave.
Water speed records are hard to break, mostly because they're most likely to kill you in the attempts. Water speed records are for people who got bored of regular old not-as-deadly land speed records.
The K7 was and still is a beautiful thing. My dad was a pattern maker and worked on both versions of the CN7 Bluebird car (the original one that crashed and the second one where they added the tail). He also did some work on the K7 but a lot of his stories centred around the CN7. He did the patternwork for the compound curvatures, wings and cockpit canopy and also made the actual canopy and windscreen. One story he tells is of the recovery of the crashed car and the cockpit canopy being returned virtually unscathed after Campbell crashed at 400mph. The only “damage” to it were the paint streaks on the inside where Campbell’s head and helmet had rattled around inside like a marble! An incredibly brave man to get back in version 2 of the car and take the record!
S head of his time
I remember, so clearly, seeing that on the News as a boy of ten. He was one of my heroes...
Not even a mention of Donald in the news on what would of been his 100th birthday . Wonder if hed be proud of the way this country's gone down the pan ?
@@stevenwade7466 Crikey, Steven; l'm fed up with it so God knows how he'd feel.
As for his birthday, it appears that he was born on 23rd March 2021.
327 mph on water? You'd have to be obsessed, insane, drunk, all three to even attempt that.
"The nose is up ... I'm going ..." Great final words from a true British legend.
We can only hypothesise that if Donald had added some fuel at the turnaround, even a small amount, Bluebird K7 would have been more stable on that return run.
He was a man in a hurry though and gambled his life against a few extra kilos of kerosene.
I was born the year this boat was launched. Eleven and a half years later Campbell died. At that time in a boys life such things were thrilling. I remember attending school that day and the place was alive with the sad news. The headmaster spoke of it in assembly. In a world far from our own, a true hero had passed.
He really should of been Knighted for his 1964 double. Today they knight idiots for sod all .
I too remember hearing the devastating news at school as a 12 yr old and the utter feeling of disgust when, after bursting into our large kitchen at home and pronouncing "Donald Campbell is dead", my older sister said "Who is Donald Campbell?" Grrrrr
He was every young lads hero for so long!
I was there in 1959. I had won an art competition with Bluebird Toffees to attend the record attempt and was the youngest person to be permitted on the jetty at the time of the run. I was nine years old.
Wow! What an honour to have seen it run first-hand!
@@ScarfAndGoggles I would love your version of "the Spirit" and Ken Warby's efforts. . . . . .
Sad that harry Vincent's blue bird toffee factory closed. Nr clent and hailsowen . Best toffee ever . I still have an early blue bird tin which is 80 90 years old. Which toffee was sold in
. Very decorative.
Thank you for these videos about all of those incredible machines and the people behind them, lovely work!!!!
Suicide Machines...But, everyone should have the freedom to do with is life what he thinks he has to do.
You're probably safer traveling on the Apollo mission. Water is very unforgiving. Thank you for a wonderful channel.
Amazing engineering.... All designed by hand, hand drawn plans, measured using micrometers and calulations done using slide rules and log tables.
Yep, and not a computer in sight!
@@devilsatan2973
It was no longer "amazing engineering". Within three years the Americans had put men on the moon and brought them back.
@@markcynic808 At the time, and today too for that matter, much of our own ocean remains undiscovered, we know MORE about space than our own ocean.
So given the slow advances in nautical matters (which persists to this day), for a few guys in a shed (the initial construction anyway) it was pretty amazing engineering if you ask me.
Petyr Kowalski - According to Leo Villa's book, they also filmed a powered remote controlled small scale replica of Bluebird on water where they could apply small modifications until obtaining desired results, very old school and definetly no computers...
@markcynic808 most of NASA were Nazi scientists....Operation Paperlip
The uprated fuel system had a sprung loaded bleeding valve that was located on the fuel line from the main fuel tank to the aux tank with the booster pump required to supply the new engine. It opened and allowed an air lock to stop fuel being pulled from the main tank. Engine suffered complete fuel starvation and lost the down thrust holding the nose down that was enough to allow the noise to lift beyond the critical angle to flip at 300 mph. The same thing happen on the trials on Fad in 2019. Ties in with the lack of jet effects on the water in 1967 when the boat was vertical. I get to help out working on the restoration (licensed aircraft engineer).
Great documentary about a great man. The craft and the body were found by a diver, who got inspired by Marillion's song "Out of this world". Singer Steve Hogarth sang at the funeral in the church. I have had the pleasure to see the song live several times and it gives goosebumps every time.
I was lucky enough to be a guest of the video crew and band in Dublin back in 2001, they kindly allowed my wife and I to sit in for soundcheck. They played "Out of This World". There was a bit of consternation as Steve H's earpieces weren't working and he couldn't hear himself. I couldn't determine any fault in his singing at all, he's that good. A replacement set was found in time for the gig that night and all was well. Every time I hear "Out of This World" now I think of that night. It certainly is a magical and otherworldly song, very appropriate for the subject.
If I recall correctly, his fatal accident was caused by a combination of lighter weight due to not refueling and hitting his own wake from the first run. Damn shame such a simple decision cost him his life.
...and also the sponsors putting too much pressure on him, which caused him to take those risks. Great film thank you!
I remember seeing pictures of Bluebird just before Cambells accident, having sand bags draped over the tail, presumably to keep the tail down perhaps they then put too much weight in the tail which caused the front to lift up and consequently crash.
@@keithdouglas4581 , your on the right track, but the tail heaviness at the time of the crash was actually a nose lightness due to low fuel. Had he refueled the weight the fuel would have been ballast in the nose.
The theory is that because the nose was light when it was upset into a pitch up by a wave, the air was able to get under the craft and then Newton took over in making the boat fly. Campbell instinctively cut power which caused the nose to come back down and then plummet into the lake.
I also remember a theory that Campbell wasn't in the boat when it crashed ..... having faked his own death due to financial problems..
The eventual discovery of the body put that story to rest once and for all. Brave men the Campbells.
A simple decision, forced on him by press and sponsors.
I watched this live on the tv as it happened, one of those images one never forgets
very imformative, great delivery, thanks
A minor point of correction: Birmabright was an alloy of aluminum and magnesium, but did not have steel as an alloying element. Today it would be classified as a 5000-series wrought aluminum.
Thank you for this. Always been fascinated by Donald Campbell...a very complex and flawed man but one of the last of the old school heroes.
Would have been nice to mention that his back to back run was set on lake dumbleyung in Western Australia, where a monument in his honour stands
I'm from South Australia and back in the 90's our neighbor told us he water skied behind the Bluebird when it came to Australia lol..
He was getting old and loved to tell stories and I think he believed some of them, my brother and I would never laugh at him but this is one story I've always remembered.
@MusicMadMaurice By "we" I take it you mean Sandgropers, West Aussies? I totally agree! I'd never heard of the Dumbleyung thing but I'm glad to hear it. Greetings from Perth
I recall that at some stage there was a demonstration on the Swan River in Perth. I was there for that and remember seeing Bluebird on a trailer afterwards. Many years later I was working on the Wheat Bins at Wagin and made a trip to Make Dumbleyung. I didn't see any monument but then again I did not know one existed.
@@paulreichelt1259 My Dad used to tell me he rode a horse to school and it took him 2 hours to get there. One day I decided to drive it in my car. Like the hare he must have had a good sleep on the way. I did see the Bluebird boat at Lake Bonney at Barmera late Nov 64 when I was 9 years old. I couldnt get over how huge it was.
Why does this channel NOT have a video on Ken Warby, the current world water speed record holder at 317mph since 1978? Built in his backyard with an engine bought from a junk dealer it is a true story a one man's triumph against the world.
Probably because hes not from the upper classes. They seem to be the only ones who get recognition for this sort of stuff. Theres quite a few ordinary people who've done some great stuff but got nowhere because they havent been born with a silver spoon in their mouths
@tonydean2541 Not always. Search this channel for videos about the Arfons Brothers who were American hot rodders, who came from a humble background and built Jet Land Speed Record cars from recycled and locally built parts!😊
Excellent quality work as usual my good man.
Fascinating. Marvelous historical record and presentation of Mr. Campbell and his passion. Superb telling of an amazing story. Thank you so much. My favorite hydroplane was U-27 in your video. I hope to ride in a vintage hydroplane this October on Lake Chelan, WA.
Thomas O'Leary U27 Good old Slo Mo IV...Allison V12 Aircraft engine of WW II vintage....Stan Sayers first 3 point hydro that all hydros copied and is still being used today !!!
That was a great video. Water crashes are so violent.... I hated seeing that but it’s the reality of breaking speed records. What an amazing boat and team.
Great video. Yes I knew the ending. I do think it would be good to see Bluebird K7 run again at speed, although 150 to 200 MPH would be enough, machines are made to be used.
I'd like to see this in real life, and not just watching old film. It's a shame when they're stuck in a museum.
Another channel by chance & I couldn't be more intrigued👍TY
Incredible insight into speed on this channel, literally everyone of the clips in this video the lakes or water looks choppy as hell to be running at speed!!
I was 3 yrs old when I heard on NZ radio that Bluebird had crashed and Donald had been killed-having read so much about Donald over the years he was always in his Father's shadow yet he was a talented and very brave man,what he achieved over the years is a testament to this thanks for the doc
The blue bird is part of British land and water speed records History. This should be placed in a museum for the general public to view. Then Donald Campbell’s legacy will live on .The engineering company that rebuilt the blue bird should be paid for the cost of the rebuild and given recognition in the exhibition for all there hard work. The blue bird K7 is part of Britain’s Great history and should be recognised as such .Raising the blue bird was the right thing to do . R.I.P Donald Campbell .
The Ruskin Museum at Conniston is where many believe it should be. The corroded out engine and some other parts were there in 2017 when I was there.
The Lake District has not forgotten him.
Correction, K7 is not the rating by Lloyd's of London but by Lloyd's Register, too completely different companies never related, one is a insurance company the other is a ships register
amazing that it was recovered after decades, restored and now being run again
That machine is magical😍it is an engineering Marvel how it just glides at such incredible speed😳
In 1967 I was around 11 yrs old. I had followed Bluebird and Donald Campbell, and was horrified when he was killed in the crash. He had been a hero of mine.
Great video, so much research went into it, thank you, I learned a lot Bluebird still looks stunning and futuristic in 2020
Great documentary, I remember his last attempt, I was 10 years old, and into speed records.
Absolutely wonderful story, as a small child growing up at the time of his death, i am really happy to know what really happened. R.I.P Donald Campbell.
I've seen WSR/LSR documentaries on TV that were less comprehensive than this and most importantly you show a true respect for the men and women who risk their lives in the quest to be the best in the world at what they love. I subscribed and turned on notifications because I don't want to miss anything you put out.
He's the only world speed record holder to hold both the water and land at the same time.
I think he was under too much pressure to try and get a record and prove the ankle hacking journalism that seems to be the remit of the English Press.
There was a book called "The Racing Campbells"published in the early 60's which chronicled the exploits of both Donald and his father, it was a detailed excellent read which is as far as I know, sadly no longer in print.
notable material, hermoso recuerdo ......felicitaciones.. Nací en los 60´ y desde niño supe y conocí la historia de D Campbell, saludos desde Chile
Excellent presentation. I was not aware that K7 had been restored to such extent that it is routinely run. That shot towards the end..."only" 150 mph and it looks like it is flying! Film from it's original runs is mostly all long teles with compression and you never got an impression of how truly fast 300+ is on water. Thank you!
use UA-cam's speed settings to double the speed of the video , i looks incredible!
Excellent and informative video - can remember the day it happened very clearly - great tribute to a very brave man!
I think allowing Bluebird to run at Coniston Waters would be the greatest tribute to Donald Campbell.
I was fascinated by land and water speed records as a boy. The Campbell story and the close but gentlemanly rivalry with other English engineers and technical geniuses. I used to enjoy going to Beaulieu while we were sailing in the south of England. These legends should be celebrated as the heroes they were.
The fatal run occurred on my nineteenth birthday. When I saw that Bluebird had been recovered and fully restored I was inspired to compose a guitar instrumental as a tribute. I've now posted it on You Tube; (Bluebird's Last Run).
I was 10 at the time will never forget it
Great video thanks, i used to have a book called "the record breakers" by Leo Villa, i believe he was Sir Malcolm and Donald's mechanic. Unfortunately someone borrowed it and didn't return it. A wonderful book, now out of print.
An absolutely awesome book which got me interested in the Campbell's and World speed record breaking in general. Still got it on the book shelve.
@@arnenelson4495 Sorry, I just found your comment; yes, I am afraid you are correct.
Huge difference between the Bluebird and a modern Unlimited Hydroplane. The jet-powered Bluebird achieves its thrust by its jet exhaust, where an Unlimited Hydroplane is a propeller driven craft using a gas turbine engine driving through a gearbox to the propeller shaft. The jet-powered craft would naturally be much faster as it has less drag in the water. It’s hard to compare the two craft.
Being born in 1967 i've always had a fascination with her....i was over in Bute in 2018 to see her for real,and seeing Gina at the Highland Games,memories i'll cherish!
Lake dumbleyung western Australia there's a replica of bluebird in town of dumbleyung open to the public and a memorial at the lake,..Well worth the visit
Brilliant videos
So informative and shows how good the British are at innovation, courage and skill.
I've discovered this channel only recently and the videos you make is a joy to watch. I sure as hell hope to one day involve myself in some attempt to break some speed record in some way. Cheers, keep up your good work.
Love your videos! Thanks for posting...
Thanks for watching!
I had no idea that Bluebird had been restored back to functioning condition! Last thing I heard, they were still debating having it on display in the condition it was in when it was raised from the lake. Obviously the media has decided that it's not a story worthy of publicity. I guess it's better this way as it has allowed the team to get on with it without being disturbed too much by people wanting to do interviews / photoshoots.
kudos for the superb narration
Excellent video cheers
Another fantastic video thanks
Another quality video on world speed records. Great job.
4:47 - How brave was Sayres to go at 287 km/h (178 mph) in what looks like a glorified speedboat!
The boat was created to have a top speed of 250mph. It was going in excess of this when it took off. I have a theory which may well be rubbish, but here it is anyway. The sponsons at that speed, acted like winglets at it briefly did an uncontrolled take off.
Great video. Well done.
Thank you for your video.
If I'm not mistaken he held both water and landspeed records in the same period
Vet been following the restoration project for years and donated also. I hope some day Warbelies record can be eclipsed. Keep up the British upper lip gentlemen.
"Warby's" please get it right.
Donald would never want her in a museum , she was meant to fly.........gosh we need her right now to lift our spirits.......
Wonderful story
12:30 clearly shows the problem. each sponson takes turns in touch and lifting which combined with the upwards sweep of them and the nose means that a wedge of air builds up then escapes...that builds up until the inevitable lift off.
Plus each time the nose lifts the engine torques over onto the left sponson while the raised nose means the jet thrustline is pushing the nose higher.
take off is inevitable.
fast boats should look like fast cars.
The cause of the accident was an engine bolt welded to the rear frame had fractured and allowed the engine to move vertically up and down at the rear. This caused the front of K7 to lift far enough for too much air to pass underneath thus taking to the air and crashing. Donald knew there was an issue on the second run as the rear braking mechanism had been deployed about half way in order to scrub off speed...I was one of two welders who worked on the restoration project and one job was to weld the cockpit framework back on the the mainframe as it had sheered off in the crash...a very brave man out mr Campbell ...buried now at coniston water graveyard.
Very well done documentary !!
Great video a pleasure to watch.
Very good job on your videos! I really enjoy them, I'm letting others know of your channel too! Thank you for your great work!
Interesting life of that craft. To be a record holder, then asleep underwater for three decades, then resurrected as a viable craft again only to be locked down by bureaucratic red tape. Too bad.
Still going on yet!!
Vickers F2/4 was a post war axial flow engine design, circa 1947. The Meteor shown used a centrifugal engine.
Meteor flew with F2 Engines in 1944.
Good work, well done.
What an astonishing man Donald Campbell was and a tragedy that (his own) human error cost him the ultimate price. As for Bluebird CN7; what a thing of genuine beauty and it shoud be displayed permanantly in Conistons museum as a tribute to the legend that was Donald Campbell.
Great video!
Brilliant upload
Absolute stunning well engineered beautiful Machine . Campbell was a brave man because water so unforgiving .
I read Jessi Combs tragically died chasing my Hero Kitty O,Niels record .
Kitty tried Her hand at the water record and even as brave as Kitty was she said she refused to pilot the machine for the return run to back up 275mph .
Love your work, subscribed
Thanks and welcome!
Thank you
That last shot you can see the pilot leaning into the turn, magical!
I'm amazed at the simplicity of the cockpit. No trim!
Plus, what felled me after being a kid who had purchased the Red Arrows Gnat Airfix kit & still remembers gluing in that strange landing light in the nose, £200!
Really? A whole, flyable Gnat for £200!
Can I buy three please? I'm sure you could make a flyable aircraft from three decomissioned ones!
I don’t know that it was actually airworthy.
I love your content and please keep it coming.
Great story Deliver news paper it was from page i do remember he has the feel for speed
I was 12 at the time , it was major , major news and shocking . Last year I visited the Lakeland Motor Museum, across the car park is The Campbell/Bluebird ( tribute ) museum , whilst not the real item's , the exhibit was very powerful.
The first thing you'll notice is how much bigger K7 is in person when the whole boat is out of the water.
Very brave guy, it takes guts to lay your life on the line, to gain something special
They ran the Bluebird hydroplane craft at canadian exhibition back 1960s behind the breakwater at 125 mph. Awesome ??
Great video, with a name like mine I'm interested in all this stuff.
Thank you
Water adds another variable that isn't a constant.
this is awesome
I remember a drama with Anthony Hopkins starring as Donald Campbell.
The gist of it was that Donald spent his life trying to live up his powerful and rather domineering father Sir Malcolm Campbell. It was rather a sad tail, to be honest.
It's right here - ua-cam.com/video/v9PouwZkbnM/v-deo.html
Brilliant. . . . .
The latest version of the bluebird was pretty well conceived . It looked almost picture-perfect on the water . At speed . The fatal mistake was not refueling .
Bluebird was designed to run. She shuold be run on water in the summer months and static display during the winter maintenance.
Great video. Something that always bugs me with speed records though is when they all swapped over to jet or rocket power. Damn... there is just something pure about how fast can a car or motorcycle go when the wheels are powered traditionally. Same goes for boats... a screw or water jet just seems appropriate. Jets and rockets are a bit like cheating and IMO only belong on aircraft.
I could not agree with you more!
The car was four wheel drive. The Bristol Siddeley Orpheus jet engine provided drive to the axles via two power take offs from it's external gearbox. The rear casing of the gearbox had to be recast with the mounting for the take off in reverse, to match the direction of rotation for the front take off. This was a special job given the go ahead by the brilliant engineer, Sir Stanley Hooker, the then boss of Bristol Siddeley. So although the car was jet powered, it wasn't jet propelled.
This is without doubt the best channel ever
Thank you kindly!
Didn't Campbell nickname the vessel 'the blue lobster?' And no mention of Mr Woppitt...
It's sad no matter what he did and accomplished, he could never seem to escape the giant shadow his Father cast , and always seemed to drive him on .
Dam good video. My compliments sir
As I see it... if it wasn't that day it would have been another one... the man was never satisfied.. it was never fast enough
How was it steered ?
What if this thing had pontoons on a suspension like a baja truck has its wheels?
Hi, great videos keep up the good work. Just to say K7 was first launched in February 1955 not January and the actual date was 11/02/55
Hello.
On the 24th of November 2019, I am arranging a event to celebrate the 65th anniversary :-
. When Bluebird K7 was handed over to Donald Campbell at Samlesbury Engineering on the 26th of November 1954. How can I get a copy of the Film to use at this event.
Regards Steve
Hi Steve - it depends whose archive the film is in, but try www.britishpathe.com, they have a good search engine to help you find footage.. also try AP.org, they look after British Movietone archive I think. Some of these archives are also available to view on UA-cam. Good luck!
Hi, Thanks for the email. The film is on youtube under:- Scarf and Goggles , which is titeled Bluebird K7 -Donald Campbell,s jet Hydroplane. Which I must say, is the best I have seen on the boat K7. It has a number of film clips and cover a numbers of years. I do not know what you can or cannot use off youtube, Or how someone can show films off youtube. Could you enlighten me.
Regards Steve
Hi Steve - sorry, I misinterpreted your request, mistook it for requesting advice on how to find possible newsreel footage of the K7 handover. Thanks for your kind comment regarding my video about K7. If you go to my UA-cam channel and select "About" you can message me directly and I'd be happy to advise you further.
Currently building a bluebird model rc which when finished I hope to run her on coniston in tribute to Donald my hero and then go place flowers on his grave.
Water speed records are hard to break, mostly because they're most likely to kill you in the attempts. Water speed records are for people who got bored of regular old not-as-deadly land speed records.