Own a Piece of History - DDWFTTW Car for Sale
About two years ago, I wrote about a very counterintuitive concept in the entry, Directly Downwind Faster Than the Wind (DDWFTTW). Also known by the slightly shorter acronym DWFTTW (for simply Downwind Faster Than the Wind), it's a vehicle that utilizes wind power to travel downwind faster than the wind is blowing. If that sounds impossible to you, go read my previous entry for an explanation of why it is, in fact, possible.
After arguing about it theoretically, and then building a small treadmill powered model, a team headed by Rick Cavallaro built a full scale manned vehicle to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. This vehicle, named the Blackbird, set an official DDWFTTW record on July 2, 2010, certified by the North American Land Sailing Association (NALSA). Their top speed was 38.5 mph in a 13.5 mph wind - 2.85 times the wind speed.
Now, this vehicle is up for sale, and as of right now, it's not too terribly expensive. With just under 23 hours of bidding left, the current bid on e-bay is $5,120. If you're looking for an interesting, unique vehicle to own with a small place in aviation history, this is your chance. But don't wait. Bidding is over at 1:00 pm PDT on Saturday (tomorrow).
Here's the e-bay link:
Blackbird - Faster-Than-The-Wind vehicle
