# The Spirit of Australia I & II



## Kevin (Aug 9, 2016)

TimR said:


> Gotta love anything powered by jet engines...you guys will especially like #1 on the list



That's a cool list indeed Tim, but IMO it doesn't contain the _by-far-#1-most-impressive-non-aircraft-jet-engine-feat of all time_ IMO. That which was accomplished by Aussie Ken Warby. I was still in high school when I first heard one of my uncles talking about some crazy Aussie that everyone was saying was going to kill his fool self by trying to set a world water speed record in a jet boat he built in his backyard. He set the first record in late 1977 but it was less than 300 MPH and he wasn't to be content until he broke the 300 MPH mark he had set for himself. It was the first world current event which caused me to start buying/borrowing/swiping newspapers just to follow his story. There was rarely an article about him just every now and then, but when there was one my heart would race as I read it. Most of you probably remember his story but here's a refresher course.












 

This is Spirit of Australia II in June of this year - Ken's son David is preparing to break his father's record.



 

In my opinion Ken Warby is one the most impressive record setters of all time in any field of endeavor. And when you consider all the odds against him which he overcame, and to the extent he accomplished the near-impossible, him not being on that list Tim linked is an absolute joke. 

It's no ding on you at all Tim - the kid who wrote the article probably never even heard of Ken Warby because it probably wouldn't have come up on a google search of "coolest stuff with a jet engine" or whatever terms he used, which you know is probably all he did to research that article. A keyboard can't find you the good old stuff always. A jet powered skate board is #8? A jet powered tractor is #1? *Ken Warby is not even on the list?* Sheesh!!! Tim send that young Chris Perkins kid a link to this post so he can have the pleasure to know of Ken Warby's supreme accomplishment for some article in the future. Maybe he will follow David Warby's attempt to break his dad's record and do an article on that.

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 3


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## HomeBody (Aug 10, 2016)

I saw a show about him breaking the record in the 70's. IIRC he was having trouble getting the max thrust out of his jet engine. The Australian military came to his aid and the Air Force pros tuned it for him for free and he was able to break the record. Gary

Reactions: Agree 1


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