Contact Information: Falcon Electric, Inc. Dina Seredian Media Relations 800-842-6940 dina@falconups.com www.falconups.com Agency Contact: PJ Jennings Jennings & Associates 760-471-7376 pj@jandacommunications.com www.jandacommunications.com
Falcon(R) Electric Helps North American Eagle(TM) Become Fastest Land Vehicle in North America
Supersonic Land Speed Challenger Reaches 400 MPH -- Advancing Its Goal to Exceed Current World Record of 763 MPH
| Source: Falcon Electric, Inc.
IRWINDALE, CA--(Marketwire - July 16, 2008) - Falcon Electric, Inc. (www.falconups.com), an
award-winning manufacturer of power protection and conversion solutions,
today announced that its ED Series online uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
provided backup power and frequency conversion on board the North American
Eagle supersonic land speed challenger (http://www.landspeed.com). During
its June 30 test run at the El Mirage Dry Lakebed in Mojave Desert,
California, the supersonic race car, powered by a jet engine with an
afterburner from an F-104, reached a record-breaking 400 mph achieving a
significant speed milestone and advancing the team's goal to exceed the
speed of sound (Mach 1) at a new world land speed record of 800 mph.
"We just finished up a successful week of testing the North American Eagle.
In spite of the 110 plus degree heat of the El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, we made
four test runs over three days, with the last one attaining a speed of just
over 400 mph -- making it the fastest active car in North America," said
Keith Zanghi, director of operations, North American Eagle.
"The purposes of these test runs were to deploy the high speed parachutes
and to integrate all of our electronic components to see how they work
together. This included our PCB Piezotronics Data Acquisition System,
Falcon Electric UPS/Frequency Converter, Topcon GPS, Space
Age Controls transducers and Tropos wireless broadband. We also engaged the
afterburner (AB) during a run and analyzed the effects. In addition, we
gathered video from our RocketCam and Olympus iSPEED HG on-board cameras to
use in an upcoming Sundance Film Festival documentary. Lastly, we needed to
gather air pressure data around the car to compare with CFD analysis,
measure the rolling resistance of the car on the lake bed and finish
filming the CBS News production for the Discovery Channel called Future
Life series which will air in late 2008. We will conduct more testing in
Black Rock, Nevada in late 2008 or early 2009."
"We're thrilled to be a part of this historic project. The dedication of Ed
Shadle, Keith Zanghi and their team of visionaries to build the most
advanced racing car in the world is very exciting," said Michael A. Stout,
vice president engineering for Falcon Electric. We're very pleased that our
ED Series UPS helped the 56 foot long, 42,500 horse power dream machine
attain its first major speed goal. We can now say we have the fastest UPS
in the world."
Located onboard the race car, Falcon's ED-1 Series 1kVA converts the jet
engine's 115 Volt, 400 Hz frequency power to 115 Volt 60Hz power for the
onboard data acquisition, GPS and other key computers. In addition, the
Falcon unit provides power conditioning and instantaneous backup power in
the event the vehicle's electrical system is compromised. "Our ED Series is
the perfect unit for this extreme application as it's built from the ground
up for harsh military applications. This rugged unit can withstand high
heat temperatures and vibration without degrading its reliability, while
its light weight and small size allow the unit to be placed in tight
spaces," said Stout.
"The Falcon Electric UPS system works great. We have 30 minutes of data
protection and I can't tell you how valuable that is," said Zanghi.
The purpose of the North American Eagle Land Speed Program is to realize
Ed Shadle's dream to bring the land speed record back to North America.
Data and knowledge gained through this program has the potential to impact
high-speed rail, ground effects of high-speed aircraft in the landing
configuration as well as deceleration methods utilized by high-speed
vehicles. Primarily self-funded with help from private company
sponsorships, North American Eagle continues to seek sponsors and
technology donations. For more information on helping to make history, go
to http://www.landspeed.com/eagleslair.html or contact Ed Shadle at
253-847-3584. For more information on Falcon Electric's innovative power
solutions, call 800-842-6940 or visit Falcon's web site at:
www.falconups.com.
About Falcon Electric:
Headquartered in Irwindale, Calif., Falcon Electric, Inc. is a leading
manufacturer of award-winning power protection and conversion solutions.
For two decades, Falcon has been dedicated to offering the latest in
technology, superior engineering standards, and unmatched technical support
and customized solutions. Falcon manufactures power systems that meet the
exacting standards of the military/aerospace, scientific/labs, industrial
automation, computer, telecommunications and other industries that demand
the highest product reliability to meet their critical power needs. For
more information about Falcon Electric and its innovative products, visit
www.falconups.com.