Bloodhound SSC fires up Rolls-Royce jet engine for land speed record

Fizz, whirr, shriek, pop and silence … It took several attempts to get the Bloodhound land speed record contender started for the first time on Sept. 28. On a bright and blustery day at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, in southwest England, the sense of occasion was palpable, if only the damn jet engine’s blades would fire up.