Tsunami as it appeared right before its
ill-fated 1989 World Speed Record
attempt and miraculous, four-day rebuild
effort in Wendover, Utah.Gary Watts
Key Takeaways:
Tsunami was a groundbreaking, custom-built race plane designed by top engineers with extraordinary speed potential, becoming the first modern-era scratch-built Unlimited air racer.
Despite its innovative design and the crew's immense dedication, the plane's journey was plagued by persistent mechanical failures, bad luck, and the owner's continuous, often counterproductive, modifications.
The project tragically concluded with the owner's fatal crash, leaving Tsunami as a complex symbol of remarkable innovation, unfulfilled potential, and a dream fiercely pursued, with efforts now underway to rebuild its likeness for a museum.
The Greeks would have had a name for it, I imagine. Not quite a full tragedy, because there were moments of greatness. But it’s a complex memory that I still can’t easily categorize. So when my friend Pat called and asked what should have been a couple of simple questions, I had no easy or adequate words with which to answer.
“Do you remember Tsunami?” she asked.
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