Designing a Better Torch
Think of Bombardier Aerospace, and one of the company’s business airplanes—they build Learjet aircraft—might come to mind. But the well-known transportation and aerospace firm also designed the torch for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.The torch, which will twist and turn its way across Canada’s wintry…
Think of Bombardier Aerospace, and one of the company's business airplanes—they build Learjet aircraft—might come to mind. But the well-known transportation and aerospace firm also designed the torch for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
The torch, which will twist and turn its way across Canada’s wintry landscape during a 106-day, 27,900-mile trek—the longest in Olympic history—is built of anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and a composite material. It was developed to withstand extreme temperatures (from -40 Fahrenheit to 104 F), and is guaranteed to operate through rain, sleet, snow, and wind.
A team of more than 50 engineers, industrial designers and others from Bombardier Aerospace and Bombardier Transportation worked on the design; the company also produced the 12,000 torches needed for the relay.
The torch’s fluid lines are meant as a tribute to the Canadian winter landscape. But are we wrong to think the design also contains a hint of airplane propeller?