Bluebird Sapheria Team

02/10/2026

JetCat P350 Pro. Modified Formula Ford chassis.

One rather unusual plan.

The first stage of the BB3 chassis refurbishment is now complete, with huge thanks to Chris and everyone at Pro Alloy. The next stage will follow as further components are designed and manufactured.
A large batch of machined parts is already under way with our friends at IMS Precision, while the team develops a rather trick turbine-mounting installation integrated with the bulkhead-stiffening structure.
Russ and Adam spent Sunday exploring battery and fuel-tank packaging, brake-system installation and bodywork concepts. The key frontal aerodynamic surfaces will be there, but everything else will be kept to an absolute minimum, allowing students and visitors to see the engineering within.
Matt continues turning the team’s ideas into CAD behind the scenes.
The next major milestone is a complete rolling chassis finished in Bluebird blue. After that comes the proposed JetCat P350 Pro and the challenge of funding it.

Following last year’s RTA, Adam has retired from driving the team’s cars but plans to become increasingly involved in Bluebird activities as recovery from the accident progresses.
Adam says: “It was great to be back in the workshop with Russ for a few hours on Sunday.”




Lightweight. Adaptable. Brutal. Efficient

03/08/2026

No Santa Pod so far this season?
That’s because we’ve been busy building BB3, the ultimate successor to Bluebird Aero.
Current ingredients:
✅ Modified Swift Formula Ford chassis
✅ Turbine power with more than double the thrust
✅ Race-spec front end
✅ Floating ventilated brakes
✅ One slightly overexcited engineering team
Designed around a completely different performance envelope to Aero, BB3 is also being developed as a platform for future innovation, with plenty of scope for students and young engineers to contribute ideas and help shape its evolution.
The rest is still under wraps... 😉
For now, here’s a small glimpse of what’s happening behind the workshop doors.
Watch this space.

Prototype Projects
Don Wales
TTP plc
Pro Alloy Group
Don Wales

27/05/2026

18/05/2026

What a week. Well done all involved, and thank you to The Ruskin Museum for allowing us to be a small part of it. Huge thanks must also go to Don Wales for your unwavering support and getting us a few once in a lifetime experiences, both in the tent with the boats, and out on the water on the Coniston Launch. This past week will live long in the memory. K7, what an icon 💙

Good morning everyone… it’s nice to have a lie in today.

Now we have a bit of time I want to give a brief overview of the past week.

Firstly this event was about putting Bluebird K7 back on Coniston Water, that was the main objective.

It is nearly 60 years since Donald Campbell was tragically killed on the same lake and we chose 2026 because it is 70 years since he achieved his first world water speed record on Coniston Water.

Secondly anyone who expected either pilot to get on the water on the first day and do 150mph frankly needs to have a word with themselves.

Neither pilot has ever driven K7, she has a new engine in her and to satisfy the insurance company we first had to get the pilots used to the craft by doing a series of familiarisation runs, there was a restrictor fitted to the engine so we did not initially have the thrust to plane, we knew this and once the familiarisation was completed the restriction was removed.

We then found there was a fuel starvation problem, so a new boost pump was fitted.

And then at 16:30 on Friday 15th May, Bluebird K7 got up on her points and planed across Coniston Water at 100mph, something that hasn’t been done since that fateful day in 1967.

We had inclement weather all week which we battled with, a few times we had to call runs off because it was too dangerous on the water.

We then had an issue with the catch on the canopy bending. Everything was a work in progress and we were bound to have issues that had to be dealt with on the hoof. Donald Campbell spent months waiting for the right conditions.

The first day was a bit of a whirlwind and we took on board the comments about keeping people updated, and as the week progressed we got slicker with launching and getting the boats out.

K3 was on the water for the first time since 2018, and the crew also needed to check a few things over which can’t be done until the boat is on the water.

The naysayers saying it would have been better if Bill Smith had run it, they also had issues at Bute, they lost a canopy and also had problems to deal with, but we also had original members of BBP on our team this week so it wouldn’t have been any different.

The complaints about paying £25 a day for parking to watch a free event and see history in the making are mind boggling. We rented fields so visitors could park close to the event but this wasn’t compulsory, there was plenty of cheaper parking in the village and we even put on a shuttle bus for people to go back and forth.

We achieved what we set out to do, which was to put Bluebird K7 back on Coniston Water, we exceeded our expectations by having her plane at 100mph and at 17:00 on Saturday 16th May, we took her home to Pier Cottage nearly 60 years since she left.

This week has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Working with the best team ever. We all came together for the first time on Monday and gelled immediately, the respect we have for each other is second to none.

The question we’ve been asked most this week is, will you do it again?

Our reply is Bluebird K7 is an old lady, every time she runs there is a risk and she is a one off priceless piece of history that needs protecting. We will never say never. We may look at doing it again for special occasions but putting K7 on Coniston Water is a massive undertaking, and if we do, it will be with the same team.

So we would like to thank everyone who came to watch history being made and for the messages of support we have received. We’d like to thank Bill Smith and the Bluebird Project for recovering and restoring Bluebird K7, because this wouldn’t have been possible without every single one of them.

Thank you all for being a part of this amazing week. 💙💙💙

Bluebird out…….

16/05/2026

What a fantastic day yesterday was! Firstly we were visited by a class of children from Coniston Primary school in The Ruskin Museum, who were already very clued up on Bluebird history, and asked some very good questions about both Sapheria and Aero, they were all very well behaved and a credit to the school, and the town! We then popped down to the waters edge and witnessed all the hardwork paying off as K7 finally got up on the plane, the crowd cheering as she rose, it really was a special moment. In case that wasn't enough, we then spent the evening at a talk with K7 pilot Dave Warby, and 2nd Pilot DJ Gibbs. Some really interesting insights into both Dave's Spirit of Australia background, and DJ's piloting career! Bring on what should be another memorable day today!

14/05/2026

We were very lucky to get out on the Coniston Launch this morning, to watch K7 from a different perspective, and what a view it was! We also popped down to see pier cottage whilst on board, which was the base used back in the day for the record runs on Coniston.

13/05/2026

The children of Coniston primary school getting a front row view of proceedings, with K7 afloat. Getting the younger generations involved is what we are all about so this is great to see!

13/05/2026

K7 preparing for action