Thunderbird Fuel
01/07/2000 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 

Where there are people likely to lose their lives when no conventional rescue service is either available or with the necessary equipment, who do you call?

Buy Thunderbirds in the USA - or Buy Thunderbirds in the UK

In 1966, it was International Rescue and their incredible Thunderbirds who flew worldwide to the rescue.

Saying that, the setting wasn't 1966 but 2066.

A future envisaged where the then speed of sound wasn't considered as a problematic design in delta-winged aircraft as today.

Aircraft could go much faster, obtaining hypersonic rather than supersonic flight.

In terms of our current knowledge, this isn't too far off the mark. Mach 6 is possible today, if rumours of what was the so-called Aurora Project or whatever its new name is true.

Books on the subject describe a deep rumble across the skies in such aircraft's path that would no doubt have given rise to why the International Rescue vehicles were christened 'Thunderbirds' as they ripped and rumbled across the sky.

This article was originally written to address a single question: How and what do you fuel these Thunderbirds to fly across the globe?

Soon as one question was answered, it's inevitable that others need answering to complete the picture.

This article had also to be written within the context of the reality and information in the TV episodes, two films, the Century 21 EPs, the original John Theydon novels and the rather authoritative highly-praised Thunderbirds 1966 Annual that is littered with rather authoritative blueprints that all other reference pictures, from Japanese books and more recent comicbooks, have used as their starting block.

Any speculation can only use these as tools rather than suggest things that were never used when the series was first created.

To do otherwise is creating something that wasn't originally there and not part of the original canon and would be grounds for cheating.

Hiriam K. Hackenbacker aka 'Brains' is an acknowledged aircraft designer, who even before the 'Skyship One' airship in the 'Thunderbird Six' film, created the fuel jettison module for the Skythrust jet in the episode 'Alias Mr. Hackenbacker' without anyone questioning his credentials.

Part of International Rescue's operation requires no photographs of their vehicles.

This is presumably in case anyone recognises Hackenbacker's designs - although why no one never thought to sketch them escapes me.

Likewise, it also conceals the type of fuel the two main Thunderbird aircraft use, too. Considering the number of times both Thunderbirds have landed at airports, ground staff might have been curious about the lack of fuel deposit on the ground.

The 1966 Annual specifications indicate both Thunderbirds do carry small regular fuel tanks - far too small for the distance they travel - and probably used to conceal their real source.

Aircraft designers, even those who work mostly alone, bring together a variety of disciplines and people in making their vehicles possible.

Fueling the main Thunderbird aircraft to travel across the world must have been a major headache. Supplying fuel to take Thunderbird Three into orbit must have been a nightmare.

It has been suggested by some fans of the TV series that a nearby island is used as a fuel dump and is regularly supplied by freighter. Such an operation would require the co-operation of a number of people off of Tracy Island and the paperwork could be tracked.

Jefferson Tracy might be a rich millionaire but I doubt if his resouces are endless let alone unaccountable. Considering the vast quantity of fuel for TB3 this doesn't seem logical.

With the episode 'Terror In New York City' when Thunderbird Two had to be repaired, great pains were taken in concealing the making and transportation of parts to suggest that the Tracys are anything but cautious.

Considering the distance and velocity the two main Thunderbirds travel the globe, the fuel would have to be new and revolutionary. The evidence was provided to just what this was in the episode 'The Perils Of Penelope'.

Here we are told that Sir Jeremy Hodge and Professor Borender were involved with International Rescue from the beginning. Their speciality and expertise was in making fuel from water and it was only a few years after International Rescue became operational that their work was being acknowledged.

I suspect, without being too technical here, that the process involves extracting deuterium oxide (deuterium is an isotope of hydrogen) or 'heavy water' from salt water. Although deuterium can only be found in 1 part per 6000 molecules, the energy released is sufficient for their needs without necessary calling on their reserve supplies.

Deuterium's nuclear fusion, combined with using the remaining water as a high-powered thruster propulsion propellant combined with both Thunderbirds' ramjets. The water would also be used as a coolant to the fuselage and under high pressure, could be expelled at a lower boiling temperature - and not likely to damage animals or plant-life - and thus be environmentally friendly.

Most hypersonic flight would also be over water than land as well. All the Thunderbird vehicles are equipped with nuclear reactors but it would be unwise to exhaust nuclear fuel lest it contaminates the world as they fly past.

This solves a number of problems, especially at take-off. Ramjets are only effective at high velocity when they are drawing oxygen on board. Had Thunderbird One been using a high octane fuel, its launch bay window could not possibly contain all its exhaust.

The patio and house would continually smell and be stained by the fuel. A dead giveaway to any visitors of some unusual aircraft in the area. Using water, it would appear that the island had had a brief shower and with tropical temperatures be quickly evaporated. Thunderbird Two, when leaving the island, needs the ramp for take-off.

In the 'Introducing Thunderbirds' EP record, Jeff Tracy explains to Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward that the ramp is required because of TB2's weight, although this doesn't appear to be a problem when leaving the danger zone, where vertical thrusters initiate a lift-off.

The blast wall opened behind the ramp gives something more substantial for TB2's booster rockets to blast against. Considering TB2 is usually only 20 minutes behind TB1 on a rescue flight, it would imply that it is more than adequately fueled to travel the world and re-fuels on the way home.

As commented above, the ramjets are only really efficient at high velocity. The water fuel comes into it's own for maneuvering thrusters. The three principle Thunderbirds are renowned for extremely tight direction changes that are outside of ramjet capabilities.

In comparison, our reality's supersonic aircraft Concorde can only turn around in a ten mile circle as it only has one source of thrust. The Thunderbirds fuel system flexibility suggests it has more options. There is more than one reason why International Rescue don't wish to be tracked in a hundred mile radius when leaving a danger zone.

Apart from indicating their home direction, there is also a need to reach the sea for fuel and would have to dip below the radar screens. John Theydon's books 'Calling Thunderbirds' and 'Thunderbirds: Ring Of Fire' both indicate that both Thunderbirds cruise altitude is 20500ft (33000m) to avoid being tracked on the way to a rescue.

It would take an extended glide path to reach that height from a horizontal take-off based on TB2's probably mass but impractical when needing to drop down to sea-level again to take on fuel.

Saying that, it is always a wonder that Hackenbacker did not design a device to allow them to evade radar. He probably did but it would probably have interfered with receiving any signals from base or Thunderbird 5 making it a poor compromise.

The episode 'Danger At Ocean Deep' indicates they use radio frequencies comparable to a chemical called 'liquid alsterene' for radio transmitting to conceal their radio transmissions. Total radar evasion would have too many hostile military powers interested in their technology that even someone such as the Hood could not keep up with the order book.

The detail specifications of the Thunderbird craft in the 1966 Annual only indicate small 'conventional' fuel tanks. With TB2, its water fuel would be distributed throughout the fuselage and pod. Although only a scout craft, Thunderbird Four doesn't actually have any fuel tanks.

Then again, why should it as the submarine is immersed in its fuel supply. Thunderbird Three uses the water fuel to leave Earth's atmosphere before accelerating the water molecules through particle accelerators to further its velocity.

There would be no need to delay travelling across the globe for re-fuel stops on the way to a rescue. There is always sufficient time to trail a pipe in the ocean to retrieve more fuel on the return journey.

Although there was substantial damage when TB2 crashed in the episode 'Terror In New York City', none of it was fuel related. A crash of that nature would have wiped out both the Thunderbird and its take-off runway. The cruising velocity of Thunderbirds One and Two has generally never been well defined. TB1's velocity ranges from 15000mph to 75000mph (24140km to 120700km).

Hypersonic flight, that is Mach 5 and above, is dependent on straight line velocity with little maneuverability. Gee-force or the act of gravity on a body is only tiresome if the body works against the direction it is being pushed in. Straight-line or linear flying is otherwise comfortable and not tiring and probably explains why Virgil Tracy doesn't even worry about wearing a safety belt when piloting Thunderbird Two.

In 2066, this isn't regarded as unusual as the passenger aircraft, the Fireflash, regularly travels at Mach 6. This author considers both Thunderbirds capable of a cruising velocity of between Mach 6 to Mach 8. As the exact velocity in terms of definable numbers varies with temperature and height, these numbers will have to do for the present.

None of this places criticisms against Hackenbacker's designs. Like all aircraft designs, it requires the cooperation of a variety of experts to bring everything together. If the fuel is impressive, this is nothing compared to the navigational controls that bring TB1 and TB3 down to Earth and into their landing bays on Tracy Island with pin-point accuracy.

The episode 'The Imposters' had General Lambert's US Forces 'Search Control' looking for International Rescue's home base with little success. Thunderbird Three was only detected two miles up. Had Lambert been better advised, he would have concentrated his efforts in locating the base along the equator rather than a world wide search or taken along some of the previously rescued people who might have recognised their faces.

Considering the debt such people owed International Rescue, one can understand their reluctance to do so. The face in the papers would have been totally new to them anyway. If one wanted to be totally cynical, the theft could have been seen by certain parties as an excuse to locate International Rescue.

Finally and to avoid being asked: Which Thunderbird was designed first? Trick question. None. It would have been the Rescue vehicles, the Mole and the Excavator, as both would have been needed to hollow out Tracy Island.

Seriously, Hackenbacker probably designed the Thunderbirds in the same order they were designated.

He only stopped at five originally when he ran out of brothers.

The development of Thunderbird Six largely filled a gap where a light aircraft was required when the heavier motors of both One and Two proved dangerous in situations where other vehicles could not reach.

One can only wonder how these machines would have evolved had the series continued.

GF Willmetts