High Stakes Enterprises

Sonic Wind

Land Speed Record Attempt

Land Speed Record To Come Back to America

Two self-taught engineers have built a vehicle to bring the Land Speed Record (currently held by Great Britain) back to the United States of America.

"America wants it back" says Waldo Stakes( Ice Man) and Ken Mason (Rocketman) of High Stakes Enterprises, builders of "Sonic Wind" a bi-propellant liquid-fueled rocket-powered ice racer with an estimated top speed of 900+ miles per hour.

"It is techno-kinetic sculpture" says Stakes, " a Frankenstein of surplus supersonic aerospace hardware". Parts are used from various rockets , jet aircraft, and satellites." Ken Mason has developed a reliable rocket propulsion system from parts of the X-1 ( with which Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947). All we are doing is taking proven man-rated hardware, modifying it and incorporating it into a vehicle to go back through the sound barrier on land." said Mason.

Sonic Wind runs on ice and plans call for a series of test runs (100-200 mph) on frozen lakes in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Minneapolis/ St. Paul and other cities as soon as sponsorship can be found.

Pictures courtesy of Sonic Wind:

Click on a thumbnail to see full size picture.

The lox-alcohol rocket engine of Sonic Wind comes to life to shatter the eerie silence of the dessert . The engine makes its own "Sonic Wind". Sonic Wind is the only manned privately funded rocket-powered vehicle of any kind on air, land or sea that is ready to punch through the sound barrier. Waldo Stakes is the man with the right stuff and is ready to do it.

Sonic Wind shortly after engine shutdown. Silhouetted against the mountains like a vintage Chesley Bonestell painting of a 1950's spaceship of the imagination.

A jubilant Waldo Stakes ( the Man in Black) gives a high five to a friend after a successful test of Sonic Wind's rocket engine.

Visit the Sonic Wind website for far more detailed information of Sonic Wind, sponsorship, and merchandise.

Godspeed for Sonic Wind, valiant Waldo, and his innovative Team.

Beware Great Britain, America is having a rocket-powered Revolution and your land-speed record will be blown away with a Sonic Wind.