Dago Red

[Idaho_cowpony]

Re: Dago Red

I always thought the TF canopy looked so good on a racer..














.

[grampi]

Re: Dago Red

To this day I still don't understand why the fastest unlimited ever was taken out of racing...makes no sense...

[Big_Jim]

Re: Dago Red

To this day I still don't understand why the fastest unlimited ever was taken out of racing...makes no sense...

Come on....this again? Really?

How many times do you post the same question and expect a different answer?

The Costo's were the 'owners' in 2008. Frank Taylor (one of the original owners and builders in 1982, and owner through 1985) and a group of investors 'bought' Dago from the Costo's on installment in 2009. Frank and company stripped and disassembled Dago and computer scanned it with the intent of optimally 'smoothing' the airframe when they put it back together.

Unfortunately, while it was disassembled in Frank Taylor's hangar at Chino in 2009, the bank whom the Costo family had financed the plane through revealed that the Costo's had defaulted on their loan. That bank repossessed the airframe from Taylor for non-payment from the Costo's. Taylor didn't have enough money on hand to pay off the balance to the bank...so he and his partners got screwed.

Okay? At what point in this story do you see where the plane was purposely 'taken out of racing'? Taylor had it disassembled to modify and improve it to make it go faster. The bank didn't give a rats ass if it was an Unlimited racer or a bucket of turds...they just saw it as collateral for the money they were owed by the Costo's.

All the bank wanted was to get their money...and put the plane up for sale 'as is'. The current owner (a former member of the crew) bought the plane from the bank. But just because you have enough money to buy it in it's disassembled condition doesn't mean you have the money at the moment to put it back together. And given the current health of the Reno Air Races, there is a question as to whether or not they will continue, the owner is taking a wait and see attitude as to what he's going to do with the airframe. Putting it back as a racer is one. Converting it to a TF-51 is another. Both cost money...money he probably doesn't have at the moment, but the bottom line is...the airframe is still in its racing configuration.

If you want to blame someone for 'taking it out of racing' blame the bank.

But this subject has been documented dozens of times on AAFO over the last five years. Nothing has changed.

[GRNDP51]

Re: Dago Red

but the bottom line is...the airframe is still in its racing configuration.

This is what I was getting at in the above post.. It's still a race plane at heart sitting in 50 different pieces or not, it hasn't been converted from the way it was.

[ChrisMX105]

Re: Dago Red

One Word;

Skip

He has had that effect on multiple aircraft.

A good friend described his flying abilities in the realm of mutant. I would say that is an understatement.

[ChrisMX105]

Re: Dago Red

Big Jim.........

Are you trying to imply that Bill Murray is going to invest in the Dago Project and rename it something like "Groundhog"??

[knot4u]

Re: Dago Red

I'd work for Bill Murray, he's funny.

[N22252]

Re: Dago Red

Big Jim.........

Are you trying to imply that Bill Murray is going to invest in the Dago Project and rename it something like "Groundhog"??

If the Groundhog looks out of its hole and sees Tiger's shadow, it will have six more laps in second place
If the Groundhog looks out of it's hole and doesn't see Tiger anywhere, it might win

[gp70442]

Re: Dago Red

If the Groundhog looks out of its hole and sees Tiger's shadow, it will have six more laps in second place
If the Groundhog looks out of it's hole and doesn't see Tiger anywhere, it might win

Wait, I need popcorn ............

[Race5]

Re: Dago Red

If a groundhog looks up and sees Tiger, he must have good long range vision.....

[Reever]

Re: Dago Red

Is that the same groundhog that Bill Murray blew up in Caddyshack?

[eldon2101]

Re: Dago Red

Maybe Skip can fly Strega for 2015 and rename it flying dago groundhog and paint some kelp on it...... any rumors on who is Strega this year?

[tow-3]

Re: Dago Red

Is that the same groundhog that Bill Murray blew up in Caddyshack?

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.607991194296257190&pid=15.1&w=204&h=116&p=0

" i said gopher, the brown furry rodent.."

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Dago Red

https://sp.yimg.com/ib/th?id=HN.6079...=204&h=116&p=0

" i said gopher, the brown furry rodent.."

God, I love this! Caddyshack HAS to be one of the best comedy movies of all time! Stellar performances from veterans and rookies alike, a timeless classic!

Am I going to get pranged for helping drag this thread

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Dago Red

Maybe Skip can fly Strega for 2015 and rename it flying dago groundhog and paint some kelp on it...... any rumors on who is Strega this year?

All due respect to Skip, I'd still love to see the Hinton/Whiteside matchup!

Don't think Will's thinking along that track in the least, but it would still be a priceless dream race!

Dragging it further off topic... I think we might see some pretty spectacular things with WILL WHITESIDE this year in Sport....