Stender wears a fireproof, seven-layer Kevlar suit in case something unexpected happens.
“The danger is always in the back of your mind,” said Stender, who has experienced numerous concussions and broken bones in his long career as a daredevil.
The School Time Jet-Powered School Bus is one of the many scheduled attractions of the 2010 Vectren Dayton Air Show. It also is the brainchild of Stender, its driver and designer.
Stender has been pushing the speed limit his entire life. Growing up in Big Bend, Wis., he spent his early career racing snowmobiles and motorcycles. Later, he moved up to racing cars. After watching a jet car race in 1995, however, he started driving and designing jet-powered vehicles.
His creations, including a jet-powered outhouse on wheels and a Dodge Ram that tops 400 mph, led Stender to appear in shows and publications such as FHM, Popular Science and Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Currently, he and his Indiana-based Indy Boys INC. design team hope to break the land speed record by transforming a Russian Cold War-era jet into a car that will reach 800 mph.
Still, for all of Stender’s creations, the School Time stands out in many ways. It boasts 42,000 horsepower but only seats four. Built in 2008 from the remains of an old Indiana school bus, Stender followed National Hot Rod Association specifications as he installed the J-79 jet engine made by General Electric and had red flames painted on the vehicle’s nose and sides.
He then hit the road.
“I relate it to driving a barn,” Stender said. “You’ve really got to drive it.”
While the bus has raced planes, it specializes in displays that light up the night. It also helps Stender inspire others.
“Jets are hot, drugs are not!” Stender, who spent his childhood building bikes and small engines, likes to tell young people while touring with the bus. It is that message, along with a fiery performance, that he plans to bring to the Dayton air show. “It’s gonna be a neat show,” Stender said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-0611 or eturan@coxohio.com.
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