Andy Green

RAF career

Born in Atherstone, Warwickshire, Green was educated at St Olave's Grammar School in Orpington, Kent, and then gained an RAF scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1983 with first class honours in mathematics. Later that year Green was regraded from acting Pilot Officer to Pilot Officer in the RAF. He qualified as a fighter pilot on F-4 Phantom and Tornado F3 aircraft. In 2003 Green was promoted to Wing Commander. He later became Officer Commanding Operations Wing at RAF Wittering near Peterborough. Green is also the captain of the RAF team at the Cresta Run, where he uses an experimental French toboggan.

Supersonic

Green is the current holder of the World Land speed record, and the first person to break the sound barrier on land. On 25 September 1997 in ThrustSSC he beat the previous record in Black Rock Desert, US, reaching a speed of 714.144 miles per hour (1,149.303 km/h). On 15 October 1997, 50 years and 1 day after the sound barrier was broken in aerial flight by Chuck Yeager, Green reached 763.035 miles per hour (1,227.986 km/h), the first supersonic record (Mach 1.016). His call sign was "Dead Dog".

Green is now working with Richard Noble again on their new record attempt to break the 1,000 miles per hour (1,600 km/h) mark with Bloodhound SSC.

Road car

His next land speed attempt was intended to be for MG in a specially modified MG F called the MG EX255, however, due to the time required for modifications, the project did not finish on time and that attempt never happened.

Diesel power

Since then, Green's most recent challenge was the driving of the JCB Dieselmax car, attempting to take the Diesel Land Speed Record over 300 mph (480 km/h). Having tested the vehicle on his own RAF base, Wittering, on 22 August 2006, he broke the previous record of 236 miles per hour (380 km/h) (set in August 1973), after attaining an average speed of 328.767 miles per hour (529.099 km/h) during two runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. Twenty four hours later, Green broke his own record, achieving a speed of 350.092 miles per hour (563.418 km/h) on 23 August 2006.

Honours and awards

He was credited with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 1997 New Year's Honours List. He was awarded the Segrave Trophy by the Royal Automobile Club in 1997. In 2006 he was awarded the John Cobb Trophy by the British Racing Drivers' Club for "a success of outstanding character" and an Honorary degree from Staffordshire University, July 2008.

Racing experience

On 14 June 2009 Green gained his first ever circuit racing experience, whilst raising money for the Bloodhound SSC project, by participating in Round 4 of the Elise Trophy at Snetterton.