Tim O’Reilly rides the Jet Ponies

Tim O’Reilly rides the Jet Ponies

timPonyJet_4.jpg
timPonyJet_1.jpg
timPonyJet_2.jpg
timPonyJet_3.jpg
timPonyJet_5.jpg

This ride, built by the dastardly danger-hackers at the Madagascar Institute, scares the daylights out of me. But some men are braver than I am. Like Tim O’Reilly (yes, that Tim O’Reilly) who didn’t seem too apprehensive about straddling a pulse jet welded to a glorified swing set. I don’t know about him, but my heart is still racing!

Photos by Marc de Vinck. More pics here.

7 thoughts on “Tim O’Reilly rides the Jet Ponies

  1. Dave says:

    I’m seriously impressed – both by the ride and the fortitude of those who tried it!

    I froze a frame and placed lines over a screenshot to measure the angle between the ride’s hanger arms and the horizontal. Averaged just about 20°. If my ancient and rusty trig serves me correctly, they’re polling almost exactly 3 G’s!

    I hope the structure was engineered for the stress, but it sure looks like fun…

    Dave

  2. Cyrano says:

    redefines the term “Crotch Rocket” :)

  3. sukotto.myopenid.com says:

    Those jet ponies were really amazing. My 3 year old was adamant about his desire to ride one and I wish I could have as well.

    That being said, I will not attend next years Maker Faire if the jets (or anything like them) are going to be on the grounds. The noise pollution from them was so OVERWHELMINGLY disruptive that my family and I could not enjoy the young maker tent, the crafting/knitting tent, the forensic/CSI tent, or the clothing/art vendor booths.

    The Mentos-Coke fountain guys and the giant mousetrap had to stop their shows and wait for the noise to subside… and they were pretty far away AND blocked by a grove of trees… it was REALLY loud.

    The jets need to be in their own, sound-baffled area next year.

  4. Steven Nelson says:

    YaY Jet Ponies!

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK