24 Years-Ago Today~"FLY-FASTEST!"/Lyle Shelton & Team Rare Bear
"FLY-FASTEST!”~ *August 21, 1989* 
24 years-ago today on this date & happening 25-years after the maiden-flight of Grumman Aircraft’s first XF8F-1 Bearcat prototype, legendary race-pilot~Lyle Shelton & Team Rare Bear set a new~ "World's Absolute Propeller-Driven Piston Aircraft 3-Km Speed Record", flying his super-modified F8F-2~Race #77-Rare Bear (N777L) @ Las Vegas, New Mexico, by notching a blistering official-speed of 528.329-av/mph for 4-successive runs thru the traps. Lyle & his team raised the bar high & this record still stands today! "FLY-FAST!"
Photos (L-R):
1. "World’s-Fastest!"~ Sun. 9/10/89-Reno NCAR-Arrival Days: Vintage archive photo-capture of legendary late & great Unlimited Class Gold Champion race pilot~Lyle Shelton & his super-modified Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat- #77-'Rare Bear' (N777L) arriving @ Stead Field f/competition as defending national champ & new-holder of The World's-Absolute Propellor-Driven Piston Aircraft 3-Km Speed Record.
2. "King of Speed!"~ Sun. 9/17/89-Reno NCAR-UNL Gold Race: The late & great Lyle Shelton-Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee/multi-Unlimited Gold Champion race pilot-owner of Race #77-'Rare Bear', after Team Rare Bear's decisive Reno '89 UNL Gold Trophy Race victory.
3. "Winning-Team!"~ Sun. 9/17/89-Reno NCAR-UNL Gold Race: Team Rare Bear owner/pilot~ Lyle Shelton & primary-sponsor~Jack DeBoer/Residence Inns-Wichita Air Services join together w/their dedicated crew for the cameras, in-celebration of the monumental successful-year of setting a new world speed-record & making a 'clean-sweep' of the UNL Class Gold Trophy competition @ Reno '89, notching back-to-back wins.
DBD
24 years-ago today on this date & happening 25-years after the maiden-flight of Grumman Aircraft’s first XF8F-1 Bearcat prototype, legendary race-pilot~Lyle Shelton & Team Rare Bear set a new~ "World's Absolute Propeller-Driven Piston Aircraft 3-Km Speed Record", flying his super-modified F8F-2~Race #77-Rare Bear (N777L) @ Las Vegas, New Mexico, by notching a blistering official-speed of 528.329-av/mph for 4-successive runs thru the traps. Lyle & his team raised the bar high & this record still stands today! "FLY-FAST!"
Photos (L-R):
1. "World’s-Fastest!"~ Sun. 9/10/89-Reno NCAR-Arrival Days: Vintage archive photo-capture of legendary late & great Unlimited Class Gold Champion race pilot~Lyle Shelton & his super-modified Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat- #77-'Rare Bear' (N777L) arriving @ Stead Field f/competition as defending national champ & new-holder of The World's-Absolute Propellor-Driven Piston Aircraft 3-Km Speed Record.
2. "King of Speed!"~ Sun. 9/17/89-Reno NCAR-UNL Gold Race: The late & great Lyle Shelton-Aviation Hall of Fame Inductee/multi-Unlimited Gold Champion race pilot-owner of Race #77-'Rare Bear', after Team Rare Bear's decisive Reno '89 UNL Gold Trophy Race victory.
3. "Winning-Team!"~ Sun. 9/17/89-Reno NCAR-UNL Gold Race: Team Rare Bear owner/pilot~ Lyle Shelton & primary-sponsor~Jack DeBoer/Residence Inns-Wichita Air Services join together w/their dedicated crew for the cameras, in-celebration of the monumental successful-year of setting a new world speed-record & making a 'clean-sweep' of the UNL Class Gold Trophy competition @ Reno '89, notching back-to-back wins.
DBD
Attached Files