Willow Grove Airshow 2005 / WG139 05/28-29/2005

Shockwave Jet Truck

Shockwave, a triple jet-engine truck on a 260-inch (660-cm) wheelbase, holds the Guinness record for jet-truck speed at 376 miles per hour (605 kph). Driving on a runway, Shockwave races airplanes that are flying above it at 300 miles per hour.Shockwave uses three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 engines, also used in the U.S. Navy's T2A Buckeye plane. The engines are arranged in a pyramid formation, tilted at a three-degree angle to help keep the 6,800-pound (3,084 kg) truck on the ground. Aircraft-type parachutes are used to slow Shockwave down at the end of a run. Shockwave jet truck cools down after an exhibition run at an air show. Note the parachute-storage tube visible beneath the rear spoiler.In a typical show, an aircraft approaches the jet truck from behind, flying at about 200 mph . The Shockwave jet truck accelerates from zero to 300 mph in about11 seconds in an attempt to catch up with the plane overhead: WG212