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Barreling down a flight line at 300 mph, in a school bus, isn't your everyday activity. (U.S. Air Force photo by SrA. Kelly Galloway)
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300 mph to class
Posted 9/2/2012 Updated 9/2/2012
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by SrA. Charles Hutchinson IV
439th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
9/2/2012 - WESTOVER AIR RESERVE BASE, Mass. -- Barreling down a flight line at 300 mph, in a school bus, isn't your everyday activity, but for Paul Stender it's just another day in the office.
The school bus, nicknamed "School Time," is the largest jet land vehicle in the world and is powered by a 42,000-horse power F-4 Phantom jet engine. The jet school bus was among the performances at show center at August's Great New England Air Show.
"The entire vehicle was custom-built by myself," said Stender.
The bus can hit speeds north of 350 mph and burns roughly 150 gallons of fuel in a quarter mile.
Stender performs 35 weekends per year, and when he isn't performing he's thinking of, and building, new jet-powered land vehicles.
He's working on his 40th jet-powered land vehicle.
I rode with Stender in the school bus. One minute I was looking out the window with clear visibility of the runway. Within seconds, Stender was doing massive doughnuts that produced a ring of smoke that left me with zero visibility. Then I was hurtling through the smoke. After a few doughnuts and a few flame flares, Stender stopped the bus, looked in the rear-view mirror and put his thumb up.
It's go time.
Within seconds we sped down the runway at more than 300 mph. My seatbelt seamed to tighten, my head jerked back, my heart was pounding, and I gasped for air.
I tried to pull my body forward to see out the window, but by the time I was able to lean forward the chute was deploying and the thrill was over. Stender, originally from Big Bend, Wisc., defines himself as an adrenaline junkie.
Starting off racing motorcycles and snowmobiles, Stender always had that need for speed. After racing sprint cars and even being in a NASCAR pit crew, he decided to shake things up a little. After three concussions and many broken bones, Stender said, "I wanted to do something safer," hence the transition to driving a jet-powered school bus.
Other jet-powered vehicles in Stender's arsenal include a fire truck, a jeep and a 1967 Chevrolet Impala.
His next goal: beating the land speed record. He hopes to build a car that will reach 800 mph. |
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