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| Stead in
July.... If I were a kid again this would surely be the
equivalent of having a second Christmas. For those
afflicted with "September Syndrome", this event
was like a dream come true. Air Racing at Reno.....twice
in one year? Well almost, there were race crews and race
pilots and for sure there were race airplanes, but there
would be no racing this weekend. Training for the
September main event was the mission here. But as I
said.... there were AIRPLANES!!!
In its current
configuration, "Riff Raff" is powered by an essentially "stock" R3350 26WD
radial engine. "Riff Raff" Crew Chief, Jim Skinner,
tells us they are going to run a conservative race We're used to seeing the ramp at Stead in September totally filled with fast airplanes and throngs of race fans, this visit in July for the first annual Pylon Training Seminar was quite different. The event is a testament to the Reno Air Race Association and their commitment to safe and exciting racing. Flight operations were open to the public and were well worth the trip to Reno to experience....If you are like many air race fans, gauging your year from September to September... There just may be a new month to put on your schedule. The stage is set....Air Racing is entering a new era.... More airplanes, more racing..... Stay Tuned! story and photos by: Wayne Sagar Special thanks to Gary Williams for background research.
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Feeling much like a kid let loose
in a candy store I set out across the ramp, so many
airplanes so little time. In our last article we talked
of the new 
Wally McDonnell, former owner of
the massive Hawker, filled us in on a few details of the
history of "Riff Raff": Built in 1960 (FAA registration information
indicates 1960 as the year of mfg., though we have
received information that it may well have been built in
1957) as a
fixed-wing model "Fury", this airplane
originally flew in the Iraqi Air Force. Brought to
America 20 years ago, it passed through several owners
before coming under McDonnell's care. Wally wanted a
"Sea Fury" with hydraulically controlled
folding wings and he set about to achieve this with
"Riff Raff". In the fixed wing variant
of the Fury the wings are bolted into the flying position
but are still manually foldable by removing the locking
bolts. The conversion entails adding hydraulics and
cylinders to the folding wing bracketry that is included,
but unused, in this version. After watching several
fold/unfold cycles with this beautiful airplane, we have
to agree with Wally that the effort was well worth it...
program..... but..... "We
have a few secrets up our sleeves" said a grinning
Skinner...... However they run the airplane, full out or
in "test" mode, this is one good looking
airplane and a welcome addition to the race field of the
Worlds Fastest MotorSport!