'My wife signed me up for world speed record bid'
BBCA retired fighter pilot aiming to set a new world land speed record said his wife's encouragement was crucial in persuading him to accept the challenge.
Wing Cdr Andy Green, who lives in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, said his wife Emma "signed me up for it there and then" following a call from Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB.
The company has developed the Hydromax car in an attempt to set a new record for a hydrogen-powered vehicle.
"You can hold a glass up to the exhaust and all that is coming out is steam, and when it condenses you can drink it," Green said.
In 1997, Green drove the jet-powered ThrustSSC across Nevada's Black Rock Desert at 763mph (1,228km/h), making him the first, and still the only person, to travel faster than the speed of sound on land.
Twenty years ago, he set a world land speed record for a diesel vehicle in the JCB Dieselmax, attaining a speed of 328.767mph (529.099 km/h).
Last month the Hydromax reached 208mph (335km/h) during testing at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire.
Green's "day car" is a 1904 Stanley Steam Car, so "my flat-out speed going to the local pub is 15mph".
"You have to stop every 10 miles to pick up more water because the steam engine is using it up," he added.
Green's fascination with aircraft first sparked his interest in speed.
"I've been very lucky to have [had] the world's best day job, flying jet fighters for the Royal Air Force and doing something that I'm very proud of, which is defending the country as part of our armed forces," he said.
Green served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia and the Falklands, flying RAF aircraft such as the Phantom, Tornado F3 and Harrier.
But he said travelling at hundreds of miles per hour in a car was very different from piloting a supersonic jet, due to the need to remain in contact with the ground and constraints relating to drag and acceleration and braking distances.
Green is due to head to Utah this week ahead of attempts to set the new record.
The team will first compete at SpeedWeek, run by the Southern California Timing Association (SCTA), which governs and verifies official class records at the event, before pursuing an officially recognised record under the FIA in August.
His wife, a professional medic, will be part of the support team in the US.
"She said, 'I'm not staying at home while you're having fun out on the salt,'" said Green.
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