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Fastest printing of a postage stamp

The fastest time to print a postage stamp is 57 min 50 sec and was achieved by Liechtensteinische Post AG (Liechtenstein) at the LIBA 2012 Stamp Exhibition, in the Saal am Lindaplatz in Schaan, Liechtenstein, on 16 August 2012. The stamps were printed as part of celebrations marking the 100th anniversary of the country’s first ever stamp. The three designs chosen for the record attempt were determined using a voting system open to visitors to the event, and all depicted the myths and legends of Continue reading →

Fastest powered street luge

The fastest speed attained on a jet-powered street luge is 115.83 mph (186.41 km/h), achieved by Jason Bradbury (UK) on the set of The Gadget Show’s 200th episode in Bentwaters Parks, Suffolk, UK, on 9 August 2011. Adjudicated by Gaz Deaves

Fastest propeller fighter of WWII

The German Dornier DO-335 was unique in having a tractive (pulling) propeller in its nose and a propulsive (pushing) motor behind its cockpit, technology that at the time was totally new. It had a maximum sustained speed of 665 km/h (413 mph), increasing to 765 km/h (477 mph) with emergency boost. Two models existed (A-1 and A-6), the second one a a two-seater Nightfighter. Only 28 were completed before the end of WWII.

Fastest rail link

The line between the cities of Guangzhou and Wuhan in China is the world’s fastest rail link with trains achieving an average speed of 350 km/h (217.48 mph), covering the 1,069-kilometre (664.24 mile) distance in just three hours. This compares favourably with France, where the average speed for high-speed trains is 277 km/h (172.12 mph), while in Japan high-speed trains manage a relatively sedate 243 km/h (150.99 mph).

Fastest propeller-driven boat

Dave Villwock (USA) reached a speed of 354.849 km/h (220.493 mph) in Miss Budweiser, an unlimited class hydroplane, on 13 March 2004 at Thermalito Afterbay, Oroville, California, USA. The boat is powered by a Lycoming T-55 L-7 turbine engine from a Chinook helicopter, which is rated at 1,976 kW (2,650 hp). The record was timed over 1 km.  Miss Budweiser  is 9 m (29 ft 10 in) long, 4.4 m (14 ft 6 in) wide and weighs 2.8 tonnes (6,200 lb).

Fastest relay 1,000 miles by a team of 10

The record for the fastest 1,000 mile relay by a team of ten is 99 hr 3 min 27 sec. It was run by Willie Mtolo, Graham Meyer, Jan van Rooyen, Dimitri Grishine, Daniel Radebe, Pio Mpolokeng, Oliver Kandiero, Frans Moyo, Simon Mele and Philip Molefi (all South Africa) from Cape Town to Johannesburg, South Africa from 14-18 August 2002.

Fastest railed vehicle (rocket sled)

A four-stage rocket sled system accelerated a 87 kg (192 lb) payload to a speed of 2,886 m/s (9,468 ft/s) in 6.031 seconds at Holloman High Speed Test Track, Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, USA, on 30 April 2003. This is equivalent to 10,385 km/h (6,453 mph). The sleds carried a package designed to simulate the warhead of a ballistic missile defence system, and despite costing US$750,000 (£465,000 at 2003 rate) to stage, it is cheaper than staging an actual ballistic missile test. The Continue reading →