Sonic wind : the story of John Paul Strapp and how a renegade doctor became the fastest man on earth

The untold story of an eccentric, scientific visionary whose death-defying research has saved millions of lives. Sixty years ago, cars and airplanes were still deathtraps waiting to happen. Today, both are safer than ever, thanks in part to one pioneering air force doctors research on seatbelts and ejection seats. The exploits of John Paul Stapp (19101999) come to thrilling life in this biography of a Renaissance man who was once blastedfaster than a .45 caliber bulletacross the desert in his Sonic Wind rocket sled, only to be slammed to a stop in barely a second. The experiment put him on the cover of Time magazine and allowed his swashbuckling team to gather the data needed to revolutionize automobile and aircraft design. But Stapp didnt stop there. From the legendary high-altitude balloon tests that ensued to the ferocious battles for car safety legislation, Craig Ryans book is as much a history of Americas transition into the Jet Age as it is a biography of the man who got us there safely. 8 pages of illustrations Part I: The glorious rebellion against dissolution. 1. Where are my children to-night? 2. The most interesting place 3. Colonel Tank and Colonel Gas 4. Scum jobs 5. The citadel of aeromedical research Part II: The hot Siberia of the Air Force. 6. The battle of Muroc 7. Oscar Eightball and the Curbstone Clinic 8. Stapp's first rides 9. Anticipating strict compliance 10. G-force chimps 11. Brother, we are the goats 12. Evicted 13. Solo on Lovers Lane 14. Waiting for a tiger to spring 15. Subject had considerable apprehension Part III: Above the Armstrong Line. 16. The conference 17. Space scientists in Hollywood 18. Space scientists in space 19. The most significant apparatus 20. Kicked upstairs 21. The Survivors Club 22. Exit from Valley Forge 23. Nazi doctors and the never-ending road trip Part IV: The ghosts that never happened. 24. Washington 25. Slugging away at the standards 26. Who wants a resurrection, anyway? 27. Honor and violation 28. The Stapp years Appendix: How fast? CONTENTS PROLOGUE WHERE ARE MY CHILDREN TONIGHT? THE MOST INTERESTING PLACE COLONEL TANK AND COLONEL GAS SCUM JOBS THE CITADEL OF AEROMEDICAL RESEARCH THE BATTLE OF MUROC OSCAR EIGHTBALL AND THE CURBSTONE CLINIC STAPP’S FIRST RIDES ANTICIPATING STRICT COMPLIANCE G-FORE CHIMPS BROTHER, WE ARE THE GOATS EVICTED SOLO ON LOVERS LANE WAITING FOR A TIGER TO SPRING SUBJECT HAD CONSIDERABLE APPREHENSION THE CONFERENCE SPACE SCIENTISTS IN HOLLYWOOD SPACE SCIENTISTS IN SPACE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT APPARATUS KICKED UPSTAIRS THE SURVIVORS CLUB EXIT FROM VALLEY FORGE NAZI DOCTORS AND THE NEVER-ENDING ROAD TRIP WASHINGTON SLUGGING AWAY AT THE STANDARDS WHO WANTS A RESURRECTION, ANYWAY? HONOR AND VIOLATION THE STAPP YEARS APPENDIX: H0W FAST? NOTES INTERVIEWS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Documents the pivotal contributions of the late scientific visionary behind the development of seatbelts and ejection seats, outlining his dramatic experiments and battles for safety legislation that have been credited with saving millions of lives.