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Full Catalog 3 Wheelers Thread

AriLea

AriLea

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Don't know where else to post this, so why not here.
Recently found this posted on facebook.
I knew all these people back in the day. Especially the guy at the wind tunnel. He is Me, and my Taddy model being tested too.
I actually fabricated the door for the tunnel, fixtures to mount the models, and the electronics for the readout.

1121a.jpg
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AriLea

AriLea

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Coss said:
ALLLLRITE!!! AriLea I didn't know they even had a wind tunnel up here, or is that not "up here" where is that?
Click to expand...
Well, where I first tested my 3wheeler was at U of Washington. they had an large, 40 or 50 inch single venturi tunnel. But Dr Seal figured out how to make a 30 inch dia closed loop tunnel at Western Wa.U. It was very nice to have a tunnel located on the Bellingham campus.

At first they had the tunnel at one location on campus, and when a new building was built, they moved the tunnel and the whole VRI to the basement. I saw it there when I visited for my daughter's graduation, a number of years ago. Dr Seal was retired by then, and has recently passed. Which is the reason I could locate that image. There is a rash of image sharing going on now. (I can post those on a different thread if you like or see the facebook page.

Interesting tiny point. Those latches came from the trash-bin when I was in the Air Force prior to that. I collected such junk, I like cool hardware, what can I say? So it may be Titain II missile parts, MAC or TAC aircraft parts, other military or just common hardware. But it was useful for that one application.

At this point, it seems the whole VRI program is now winding down, and may be eliminated altogether, although they don't say so here at the official VRI page. Sad. So the tunnel may not have a future there much longer. Go see it while you can, and check out all the scale models built for testing. However, that tunnel is not very impressive to look at where I last saw it.

Any three wheeler models might have been my build. I left one or two, and sent a model of my Atlantric a few years ago. With limited space they may toss anything out at anytime. Given the program closure (if it does), maybe you can talk them into letting you take one. (don't quote me on that) :-)
Taddy1.jpg
Taddy2.jpg
 
AriLea

AriLea

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Well, for those who like Automotive History. In fact a little off-beat into pure research. My professor at university (WWU) and the director of the VRI, where I worked for 2 years, passed away. They made a mimorial video for his life and times here. It's a two hour documentary/memorial. My time there starts around 1:15 into it.
I particularly liked seeing all of Michael, Craig, William("Bill-Greene"), and "Bill-Brown", and some others, in it. I'm not sure, but I could be in the image at 1:15:25, although I wouldn't likely wear my collar like that.(I think). Then about 1:18 is after my time. Funny, my 5 years there are about 1minute per year.
((On review, yep, that could be me. I had a 'catchup' attitude after my time in the Air-Force. At that point, I dressed any damn way I wanted. And it was hot that day, I would guess.))

Student and personal projects like my trike, didn't make the cut. Otherwise this video would have been triple the size. Didn't even see our wind-tunnel in it. There were about half a dozen three wheel car test models made and kept for the tunnel, and about a hundred others. I would have liked to see at least one shot of the bulk of them. We only saw a few made for the major car projects. Likely 10 times as many got tossed out or went home with the student who made it.

I personally tested about seven models, two or three that you see in the video. 3 not seen were personal projects.(see in posting above/prior)

Wow, each one of those vehicles is likely 5 man-years of effort for the first project completion. Good thing there were lots of students interested.
 
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AriLea

AriLea

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lol, I put it in the word HERE above, but here it is again. LINK HERE.
I'm still not sure that is me at 1:15:25-to-1:15:31 with the sunny bono look, but it could be me. At 6'1" (185.5cm) I definitely was taller than Seal and his wife, but by that much? hmmmm. and that collar position. I would not likely do that. double hmmm. Everything else was right.

Dr. Seal built this one below, just after I left to go work at Boeing. It is the coolest one of the lot, IMHO.

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That stone work behind Seal is an outdoor artwork. Must be gone now, it was located where a new building is at the red oval below.
The blue oval is where the VRI was when I was there, and where I built my 'Taddy' and I took a photo of it at the green oval when the chassis was first complete.

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Taddy.jpg

I take it back, looking at google maps, the rock ring is still there, back of the newer building to the right of the red oval above.
WWU, has a world class collection of outdoor artwork. And everyone of them makes you say, "What The...?".
 
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