2005 U-7

[Glenn 787]

Whatever happened to the U-7 automotive powered hydroplane that was supposed to race this year?

 

[Hurricane]

From what I heard they forgot to get the motor ordered or a contract for the motors and ran out of time. It was in the Jones boat shop and being modified for the new auto power so it seems the motors where the hang up. These rumors are not confirmed but it was what I heard around the pits in the Tri Cities.

 

[Mike McKnight]

It was some sort of motor issue that the automotove powerplants weren't going to be ready and that they were going to try to refit the boat with a turbine and try to be ready by Detroit. Then that never happened and then I heard they were just going to be doing the West Coast only and then never showed. There is nothing new on their website either.

 

[hgatjens]

It was some sort of motor issue that the automotove powerplants weren't going to be ready and that they were going to try to refit the boat with a turbine and try to be ready by Detroit. Then that never happened and then I heard they were just going to be doing the West Coast only and then never showed. There is nothing new on their website either.

They were low lifes who took money from sponsors then never delviered nor returned any of the money.

Luckily the ABRA stepped up and tried to mitigate the losses for the sponsors.

 

[Mike McKnight]

Was anything on their website true? Did they even have the boat?

 

[Hurricane]

One of the guys racing in RCU said he had been invited over to the Jones boat shop to view the progress, he was a sponcor. Scott never made it over to Seattle to the shop and that was before the West Coast swing. Not saying there was anything in the shop that is what he told me a month or so before the Columbia cup.

 

[troymcintire]

Ron,

They never even touched the hull. They never paid Muscatel for it and it got repo'ed and it was sold to Kevin Ayleworth with the rest of Muscatels stuff. Troy

 

[Mike McKnight]

I didn't realize Ken had sold all of that stuff to Kevin as well. When I ran into Ken at the airport in SD Sunday night after the race he told me it was the 25 boat and the truck and trailer and such. He didn't say anything about the other hull. Interesting.... Wonder if Kevin is rethinking stepping up in to the big boats after that blowover<kidding>. That was wicked, happened right in front of where we were sitting at Ski Beach going into the turn. Seemed like the patrol boats took forever getting there.

 

[Watercadet]

I didn't realize Ken had sold all of that stuff to Kevin as well. When I ran into Ken at the airport in SD Sunday night after the race he told me it was the 25 boat and the truck and trailer and such. He didn't say anything about the other hull. Interesting.... Wonder if Kevin is rethinking stepping up in to the big boats after that blowover<kidding>. That was wicked, happened right in front of where we were sitting at Ski Beach going into the turn. Seemed like the patrol boats took forever getting there.

Hey Mike, we should have hooked up while you were there! I was on the water as a shuttle boat again, the yellow and blue tunnel cat called the Legend? You prolly saw me running all over the course.

Kevin actually wants to buy that boat too :lol: Anyway, Kevin is supposed to be scaring up some Griffon motors but wants to have a turbine boat to run and keep the sponsors happy. Maybe that is why he took the U-7 with the deal. I should run up to the shop and see....

 

[Mike McKnight]

I think I remember seeing that boat. Yeah man we were sitting right at the edge of the grass and beach right at the turn. I guess Kevin is doing better. His injuries apparently were more serious than was being reported. I guess he ingested a large amount of salt water into his lungs and is rehabbing to get more of his lung function back. Usually salt water in the lungs is pretty critical even fatal.

I was playing with a new zoom lens for my digital camera and got some really close pics of the flip.

 

[Don Ferrette]

I think I remember seeing that boat. Yeah man we were sitting right at the edge of the grass and beach right at the turn. I guess Kevin is doing better. His injuries apparently were more serious than was being reported. I guess he ingested a large amount of salt water into his lungs and is rehabbing to get more of his lung function back. Usually salt water in the lungs is pretty critical even fatal.

I was playing with a new zoom lens for my digital camera and got some really close pics of the flip.

I heard the TV commentator say during replay footage that his air supply tube to his mask was a little too short, it ripped loose in the flip which is why he ingested a lungful of the bay.

 

[Mike McKnight]

Jim Hendrick and the other announcers were downplaying the reports a bit on the PA later in the race saying he was going to be just fine. He did get out on his own and was helped into the rescue boat where the boarded him, did c-spine immobilization and had him on oxygen immediately. However then did fly him out on the chopper rather than ground ambulance which did make me rather concerned. I used ff/medic and rescue diver. I did diver standby on patrol boats a few times for the outboards here years ago and I was kind of concerned about the amount of time it took for the boats to get to him.

 

[My Gypsy]

This is a portion of a post on the inboard site by Kevin Braun, crew chief of the UL-5 team:

After investigating Kevin's crash a week ago,

talking to Kevin and the diver who rescued him. We

have concluded that, what caused him not to have air

when the boat flipped was, the hose coupling that

connects to the piece of hose from his mask came

uncoupled.

He did not have a scratch on him other than him

pulling the mask to get one last breath of air before

the capsule fulled with water.

 

Kevin Braun

UL-5 crew chief

....And this was from Kevin Aylesworth:

The rest of the story.

 

This is to help clear-up any misunderstanding as to what I went through

during this accident.

 

On Saturday, both vertical wings were nearly destroyed during Heat 2A when

another boat run ran over the top of the UL-5. After working all night, the

crew repaired one wing. Before attaching it, we tested Sunday morning with

no wings and found the boat handled good in the straightaways but not as

smooth in the turns.

 

Discussions took place and based on past experience with other boats, it was

determined it would be better to run one wing than none. The repaired right

wing was installed before the B-Main.

 

During the warm-up period for the B-Main the boat seemed to turn better. We

fought for Lane 3, nailed the start, and were cruising up the back

straightaway with Greg Hopp in the UL-1. The boat felt steady on the water

and I was running our front wing in the neutral position.

 

As the boat speed increased, the boat drifted to the right (outside), away

from Greg, and started lifting the left (inside) sponson just before the

turn. For those of you who have watched our boat run before, the right

sponson - which is much lighter - always lifts first. At this point, I put

the front wing in the full upright position to bring the boat back down, but

the boat did not react.

 

I realized things had gone from bad to worse when the boat continued to

climb and inverted. I was completely upside down and heading backward when I

looked to my left at Greg. I tucked my knees up into my chest, covered my

face and air mask with my palms and gripped my helmet visor. The UL-5

continued to rotate, spun on its side, and finally pancaked into the water

capsule- and sponson-first. The impact with the water immediately crushed

the air vent in the front of the boat and water blasted into the cockpit.

 

After the boat settled in the water, I was completely alert and aware of

what had just happened. (I attribute a clear state-of-mind and wherewithal

to four capsule training sessions.) Because my mask was still on my face, I

went to take a breath of air. There was no air to breath.

 

At this point, only a small pocket of air remained in the capsule, so I

removed one side of the mask and inhaled half air and half saltwater. I had

enough strength to remove my seatbelts and attempt to reach for the trap

door under my feet. It was very dark.

 

I was unable to get to the trap door because I was upside down and my

previously tucked legs were falling toward the lid of the capsule. At this

point I had run out of oxygen, so I had to take another breath. With no air

left in the cockpit, I inhaled a gulp of saltwater. It took nearly all my

strength to open the capsule door.

 

The last I remember, my feet, legs and hips were hanging out of the cockpit

and my hands were on the lip of the capsule pushing my body out. I blacked

out after that.

 

Thankfully, the rescue team got to me when my orange helmet surfaced and

banged against the left sponson of the UL-5. They report I was floating face

down and unconscious, and when the divers turned me over I was frothing at

the mouth. There was a little blood - presumably from a scratch under my

nose. They put me on a beat-up yellow board in the water, and lifted me

into the rescue boat.

 

I have brief memories of being wheeled up the dock, moving my hands on the

stretcher, being loaded into the helicopter, and arriving at the trauma

unit. The ER doctors sedated me and put me on the ventilator within minutes

of arriving due to lack of oxygen and heart trauma. They put tubes through

my mouth and down my throat to pump out the Mission Bay saltwater. I was

hooked up to an IV with antibiotics to ward off infection from the

inevitable bacteria I'd inhaled.

 

I was on the ventilator from Sunday through Wednesday. When I left the

hospital on Thursday, I had 20-percent of my lungs and heart working. The

doctor ordered bed rest for 3-4 weeks and rehabilitation for 6-12 months.

Each day seems a little better than the last.

 

These are the facts in which I know happened. I hope this clarifies any

questions that you may have.

As a result of this accident, APBA is now looking at permitting a different fitting for the air supply. The current Parker fitting, SH-62, has a sleeve that's retracted to release it, similar to a typical shop air hose fitting. Over time they become quite loose and easily disconnected with slight pressure. In the Aylesworth accident, it is suspected that the fitting snagged the bottom if the instrument pannel, causing it to release. The new fitting that is being considered is the SH-62-SL, which is the sleeve lock version. The SL requires the sleeve to be rotated 90 degrees before it can be retracted.

 

[Mike McKnight]

A recent post from him on his team website. http://www.freedomracingteam.com/kevin.htm