Name that Bearcat

[Victor Archer]

Sorry Randy had to to it one more time.
Part of my regular job is image editing color correction and retouching. These photos are great! I love seeing this stuff!

[RandyGoss75]

#22 and #38

It is Gary Levitz in his P-38, long before the black paint-
and Gene Akers in the #22 Corsair, which was earlier painted metalic green and raced as "Lancer Two".

[speeddemon]

Yup....nice shot there, RG! 1971 U.S. Cup race at Brown Field.
Did YOU take that? You had to have been what....8 years old????

I think that was the last race for Gene Akers in that Corsair (the former Lancer Two). If memory serves me right, that plane ended up in the EAA Museum.

I don't ever remember the P-38 in a 'red' paint scheme, though.....

[Leo]

red p-38

Don't remember red either. Seen it in metal, grey (with shark mouths) and finally black.
If I recall she never raced in black either, that being the year the gear retracted and ended her flying days. Was real purty tho.

Leo

[RandyGoss75]

Red P-38

Darryl Greenamyer raced a P-38 done up in the red "Yipee" paint scheme at the Lancaster race I believe. RG

[Unregistered]

Leo,
The gear retract with the Black paint did not end her flying days she went to MCcguires [spelling] collection down in TX. after Gary sold her.
The Able Cat picture taken at Compton was with the DC-7 Propeller and spinner.
Yes those were the same tanks used by Walt Ohlrich on "Miss Priss".
All four of the tanks that sat behind Lyles house in Granada Hills were finally Donated (please come and take them!) to the Confederate Air Force at Camarillo, for their AD-4 project (I don't care if they don't have an AD-4 project, the *^*&**7 tanks are gone!) after sitting in the backyard for twenty seven years.
John Slack

[Leo]

p-38

My bad!
I knew the old "Double Trouble" was there, did'nt know she was flyable (or could be). I had understood the airframe was tweaked and not economical to repair. Of course times were cheaper then and anything is repairable for a price. Glad to hear that someday there's a chance to see her in the air again.

[RandyGoss75]

Racing Bearcat

Another racing Bearcat........

Race #11 in its 1966 color scheme. RG

[RandyGoss75]

Racing Bearcat

and another.............

[MarkB.]

Old Double Trouble

I saw Leo's post above . . .

The Levitz P-38, Double Trouble, still painted black, is part of the McGuire Collection at the Santa Teresa Air Museum in New Mexico just west of El Paso, Texas. The last time I was out there, I spoke with one of the employees about it and he said that at one point many years ago, the aircraft was flyable but that it had not flown in well over ten years. He said it need a complete restoration which was not presently planned.

I hope they change their mind.

[Leo]

Double Trouble

Nice to hear! Knowing the somewhat fluid nature of museums these days, it's nice to know it COULD fly again.
The story I had heard from a crewman at the time it was damaged was the gear was retracted during a ground run, it came down crooked and bent a boom, wing and the tail group out of true. (Somewhere I have pictures of it parked east of the pits) Repairs were said to be costly.
Was the damage less, or was it repaired before being placed in the museum? Anyone out there know?
I've always wondered.

[MarkB.]

Santa T museum

Actually, the McGuires have had a great little museum out there for many years. If you ever get through El Paso, take a little detour and see it. Tiger Moth to A-7 including a rare Su-2 bomber, they have neat, cared-for aircraft in a well-lit clean setting. They have an A-4 and C-141 trainer mock-ups for little people to sit in. It remains the best "small" museum I've ever been to, and I've seen a bunch over the years.

No, I'm not on the staff, it's really that good.

As for the P-38, they way I understood it, the damage Leo listed is present as is some spar damage and some other problems. A complete teardown was going to be needed. Like a couple of Million $ worth. . . .

[RandyGoss75]

Hellcat?......hmmmmmmm

I was high bidder on this item:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2227234057

[Unregistered]

Goss.....Remind me again why we keep talking about Bearcats?????


Your Bro....

[Victor Archer]

Scored on a box of slides, all warbirds taken in the mid '70's