Watch a Jet-Engined '97 Pontiac Firebird Attempt To Jump 120 Yards Over 12 Skoolies

Challenge accepted, and the gearheads turned their attention to the central part of the job: the car. That’s pretty easy; the world has a continuously growing overflow of automobiles just waiting for internet stardom. A Pontiac from 25 years ago seemed to be the ideal candidate for the kamikaze enterprise. We must admit that the Firebird nameplate is prophetic for this vehicle’s fate.

Having cleared that bit, team Donut rotated their turrets toward the elephant in the room: jet engine propulsion for the flying machine. And this is where they ran into the engineering quicksand. Unlike reciprocating engines, which anyone can grab from the junkyard, a jet engine is not the regular convenience store type of good.

But this is 2022, and the internet works miracles for those who dare – and the boys at Donut Media asked for help from one of YouTube’s jet authorities. Matt Mikka, from Warped Perception – his name had crossed our keyboard sights before when he built the gasoline-hybrid cordless Tesla (read more about that here).

Finally, the Firebird needed one more modification: remote-controlled operation. As quirky as the YouTubers’ actions seem, this endeavor is in a different safety category, so no chances were taken. Luckily, Matt Mikka had the answer for driverless driving, too – watch the video to see how they pulled this off.

After running into engineering mishaps, supply chain delays, and unforeseen drawbacks, the big day arrived. The jump site was set in Greenville, North Carolina: a quarter-mile run ending in a full-speed steep ramp climb and takeoff. Beyond the ramp, a dozen school buses parked parallel to each other, 30 feet apart (nine meters), mark the 120-yard equivalent of a football field length.

At the other end of the jump, a landing ramp – just in case the 550 lb (2.44 kN) thrust from the seven-jet engine array will launch the Firebird that far out. To test the mechanical aspects of their challenge, the Donut Media team built two remote-operated Firebirds. However, just one of the Pontiacs received the extra firepower to up the top speed of the 200 hp (203 PS) 3.8-liter V6.

The first run – with the V6-powered automobile - proved to be a successful automotive experiment in physics, mechanical engineering, and last-minute improv. But putting the assembly together was the difficult unseen part. The vital bit is to see if the whole matched the sum of the parts – namely, testing the setup for essential maneuverability and correct operation.

This is where having a test car for the experimental test jump comes in handy. As the viral video shows, the First-Person View control system does not have enough range to send a continuous video feed from the car-mounted camera to the operator. The solution is straightforward: make the cordless driver follow his R/C full-size automobile.

So, the pilot got to ride shotgun in a buggy that would drive parallel to the track on which the long-jumping Pontiac was set to roll. This way, he would have visual control of the car’s movement and make the corrections to its trajectory and speed.

You can watch the entire 30-day adventure in the video below and the result of the YouTubers’ collective efforts. Just know that both Firebirds were destroyed during the experiment. All in the name of social media science, of course.