I have seen the movies. I know there is no way that a car can survive in the jet blast of a plane. I remember the scene from Casino Royale. And for me, that is science. But the engineers at Porsche and Stratolaunch aren’t so sure. They operate in the real world of science, and they came together to see if the Porsche Cheyenne Electric could withstand the take-off power of one of the largest and most powerful aircraft in the world. Why? Because they can and because curiosity oftentimes leads to something awesome. Spoiler alert…the car holds up. But don’t take my word for it.
The car is its own beast. It’s got the ability to keep up and play in this space. – Orlando Bloom, Porsche ambassador
Trusting the engineering
A lot goes into a stunt like this. The pilots of the Stratolaunch Roc, with a wingspan of 385 feet and developing 340,500 pounds of thrust with its over a quarter million horsepower, had to keep the plane as steady as they ever had. And, of course, professional race driver Patrick Long had to be as precise as he ever could to keep the vehicle in the eye of the storm. The dead space around the jet stream.
“It was probably one of the most focused and intense moments of my life,” said Patrick Long, reflecting on the minutes before the first flight. “We believed in the data, and I knew I could rely on the Cayenne and the pilots of Roc – we had a good team. Operating with a fully charged battery, we started slow – I was using minimal power and holding the car exactly where it needed to be, and I knew I had the performance to maintain my position no matter what. The real acceleration occurred once all six engines spooled up. As the speeds shot north of 100 mph, I put it in Boost mode and utilized everything the Cayenne had – keeping right on the landing gear. It was an awesome feeling – the sound from those six engines was overwhelming, and I could feel the turbulence bouncing off the car, but it remained rock solid, even after Roc took off and the engines were pointed down at the Cayenne and me. At that moment I glanced at the speed, which showed somewhere north of 170mph before I eased off the throttle.”
Watch the feat from Porsche below.
