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One REALLY Long Runway for Rent
DarkNemesis618 writes "NASA is looking into putting its 15,000 foot runway up for rent at the Kennedy Space Center. The runway, which is used for Space Shuttle landings, will soon be used less and less as the Shuttle fleet is set to be retired in 2010. The first private venture was seen last month when Steve Fossett took off at KSC in Virgin Atlantic's experimental plane. One promising deal in the works comes from Zero Gravity Corp. which offers customers a few seconds of weightlessness on a Boeing 727-200. The shuttle runway, built in the 1970s never got the use it was expected to, and with the next generation of space vehicles using parachutes to land, the runway is going to have even less use."
Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
15 000 feet = 4 572 meter
Google Maps link
From NASA: http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/nasafact/landin gfac.htm
Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way...
... than underused shuttle facilities at KSC is the Air Force shuttle facility on the west coast, which cost $6 billion, and was never used at all.
KTTS "NASA Shuttle Landing Facility" details here:
Runway Information
Runway 15/33
Dimensions: 15000 x 300 ft. / 4572 x 91 m
Surface: concrete/grooved, in good condition
Weight bearing capacity:
Single wheel: 120000 lbs
Double wheel: 220000 lbs
Double tandem: 500000 lbs
Dual double tandem: 800000 lbs
Runway edge lights: non-standard
NSTD HIRL; 85' FR RWY EDGE.
RUNWAY 15 RUNWAY 33
Gradient: 0.0 0.0
Traffic pattern: left left
Markings: precision, in good condition precision, in good condition
Approach lights: ALSF2: standard 2,400 foot high intensity approach lighting system with centerline sequenced flashers (category II or III) ALSF2: standard 2,400 foot high intensity approach lighting system with centerline sequenced flashers (category II or III)
Centerline lights: yes
CL RWY 15-33 NSTD, 10,000'. yes
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cribbed from airnav.com [sweet site]
-- Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
Any potential merit you had as a car guy went right out the window when you suggested that the viper's handling as a track car is any better than mediocre... And that's despite your ludicrous claims on the Fierro *cough*bullshit*cough*... Every race prepared Fiero I've ever seen weighed in right at 2000lbs, and that was with the aluminum V6, and an 8 point roll cage! Furthermore, NASCAR circuit tracks are boring as hell unless they've got a road course in the middle, and not all of them do, and most are just average as road tracks go anyway. Yay for left hand turns? NO, damnit!
My advice to the GP: look up some tracks in your area. In the US, there are places with lots of tracks, and places devoid of them (mostly in the middle), and some have open track days. Most will rent out a day, so if you can get enough people together to make it worthwhile that's an option... Maybe there's a Subaru club that rents a day at the track, which can cost upwards of $8000 depending on the track. So, the more people you've got, the cheaper it will be. Open track days can cost anywhere from $100 to $300 to attend, but it's worth it... But unless you've got an STI, I wouldn't push your car too hard, the plain WRX transmissions are pretty weak as far as sports car transmissions, they shafts and case can flex tear up a bunch of gears if you're not careful, or worse yet, you could break the case. Ouch. I've seen it happen!
Other than that, I think the best investment you can make as far as going fast and enjoying it is in performance driving school. There's lots of schools around the country and tracks can often get you headed in the right direction. If you've got money to blow, and some space to work on and store your cars, you could get a wrecked WRX, and turn that into a semi-dedicated, but still road legal car.
Constitutional rights may be respected, repealed, or modified; but they must never be ignored.