Dennis Schaller was a rocket engine mechanic in the Air Force and an electrical engineer on the Apollo missions. So, it's not surprising that he ended up with this thing after 20 years of working on a travel trailer.
"Most people think it's a spaceship," Schaller said of his silver creation that measures 56 feet long, 20 feet wide and 17 feet tall. "It was originally designed to be a hovercraft. Now it looks like it's going to end up as a houseboat. I won't live long enough to get enough money to make it a hovercraft - not unless I went back to work full time; and then I wouldn't have the time to work on it."
Much of the vessel is constructed out of found materials—like a travel trailer he found in the woods, a former acid dipping vat from the Piper Aircraft plant and an old satellite dish. It's brilliant—like a free association sculpture from a genius engineer. Seriously, this guy built his first solid-fuel jet engine in a high school shop class. I built a toolbox. Advantage: Schaller. [TCPalm via Fark]
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
This Is What An Apollo 11 Engineer Ends Up With After 20 Years Of Working On a Travel Trailer [DIY]
via feeds.gawker.com
