Re: archives or catacombs

[VBra676539@aol.com]

In a message dated 5/27/99 11:23:31 PM, shawl@torchlake.com writes:

<<Now if you had gone down (dive) in the Bond Sub that would count for 
something I
guess.
And to reply to the other recent mail about this being a Zany bunch, any idea 
what
that was about? :-)>>

Jon,
I was in Germany doing sea trials on PC-1202 when the Bond Lotus wet-sub 
thingamajig was being filmed outside Nassau.  HAP Perry built it on a 
fiberglas skin supplied by Lotus themselves via the film production company 
and there were some moderately hysterical stories out of the shoot which some 
of the shop guys were involved with.  The big problem was the patent 
difference between aerodynamics and the hydro counterpart--the damned thing 
just wouldn't fly.

It had four 3/4 hp (Applied Permanent Magnet motors) direct driving aluminum 
kort-nozzled props bolted across the back and a 24 VDC pressure compensated 
battery pack mounted internally (four 6-V 225 amp golf cart batts, of 
course).  The car shape was basically completely hollow with bulkheads here 
and there to sort of keep things together but no matter what they did they 
couldn't get it to fly in anything resembling a straight line.  The shape of 
the car helps its road holding abilities, and the shape of the sub does the 
same thing only more.  What you saw in the movie, for the most part, was 
filmed in a single morning with the subcar running down a thin wire which led 
through small shackles latched fore and aft underneath.  They ended up with 4 
PAIRS of rudders to get it do anything at all and the little dive planes were 
strictly for show, and didn't do anything but break off at inopportune 
moments.  I wonder what happened to the silly thing?

And that zany crack--what IS up with that?  Is he teasing?  Man must know 
we're serious about this--at least I am.  Otherwise why would I be sitting 
here dressed as Groucho Marx talking to you lot?  Man's got to be serious if 
he takes that much trouble, don'cha think?

Vance