Before it was Rare Bear

[Racer 18]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Photo via Bill Kientz
" Early 70?s. In 1974 he would become Lyle Shelton?s crew chief on Rare Bear. "

My recollection of Reno 1969 Able Cat crew pictured as follows:

Bottom left to right. George (Navy Los Alamitos)?, Randy Difani (grunt), Dennis Buehn (Navy Crew Chief), George (Navy Los Alamitos)?, Pete Behena (AA A&P, Photographer).

Top left to right: Bill Kientz (TWA PIlot, electrical expert), Bill Hickle (China Lake?), Lyle Shelton (TWA Pilot/Navy Reserve, Expert Air Racer), Cliff Putnam (TWA Pilot, Mechanical Expert & Crew Chief), Harry Smith (AA A&P).

Most repair/restoration work accomplished Hangar F8 Compton, CA. Towed to Santa Ana, CA. First flight to Chino, CA, where yellow zinc chromate painted, approx. one week prior to Reno. Took 5th place 1969 Reno Gold Unlimited. Great fun and extraordinary experience. We stayed at the Mapes Hotel, downtown Reno. Possibly John can add details.

Randy Difani (T6 Racer #18 "Thunderbolt" ret.)

PS Recall Lyle returning from reserve duty overflying Compton in an A4 Skyhawk, with drop tanks, prior to landing at Los Alamitos.

[Lon Moer]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Photo via Bill Kientz
" Early 70?s. In 1974 he would become Lyle Shelton?s crew chief on Rare Bear. "

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Yea... this ain't Facebook... LOL

Love it you guys!

One of the things I've missed here is the exchange of some of you... excuse me, "old timers"

Used to be a lot of banter among crew/pilot.. I think it all sort of felt "inside" and sheltered here (ads but none shoved up your keyster... that I'm aware of!) but it still came off as pretty private..

So anyway, you two were around BEFORE IT WAS RARE BEAR so your cross talk is extremely entertaining..

Neal, John I know how memories fade, these chats run some mental dental floss between those forgotten portions...

Again, keep it up please!

[wingman]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I told you my memories of those days are a bit jumbled, and clearly not all quite in order. I guess I must have been listening to Stairway in Mill Valley and not in Ann Arbor -- 1973 and not 1968. It does all seem so long ago. I still don't remember that song.

I agree -- back to Air Racing.

Neal

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I just looked up That Evermore Zeppelin song, and I can see how a person could get sucked in. I don't remember much Zeppelin after Stairway to Heaven. When the Evermore song apparently happened I was otherwise engaged -- chasing nurses, avoiding personnel sergeants carrying orders to faroff places, and wondering about the young guys dying of strange tropical diseases on my watch in the hospital. I don't remember much music or music news during that time. Of course like many Baby Boomers there are other reasons why I don't remember a lot of that time, but better not to go there. The nurses sure were fun, though.

That's my excuse for such ignorance, anyway. I forget that a bunch of you guys are 10 or 15 years younger than I am.

Neal

Neal, Neal, Neal, how ironic you should say that after "Stairway to Heaven" you don't remember much Led Zeppelin, on the actually not named Led Zeppelin IV the fourth track is "Stairway to Heaven" following the third track which is the "Battle of Evermore." The Battle of Evermore was based on J.R.R. Tolkens "Lord of the Rings". Let me tell you if you had to keep up with my daughter and Brad playing music trivia you'd study as well. My daughter when she was twelve shredded a guy once with the facts when he said Yoko broke up the Beatles. Nope afraid not dude, read better history. (Not my comment to you
, That was my comment to the 40+ year old guy that she shredded.)

Now back to Air Racing....I promise.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Be strong grashopper, you can resist the force of the farce....

Truly should have worded that...

Be strong Obi-Wan, you can resist the force of the farce....

[wingman]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I just looked up That Evermore Zeppelin song, and I can see how a person could get sucked in. I don't remember much Zeppelin after Stairway to Heaven. When the Evermore song apparently happened I was otherwise engaged -- chasing nurses, avoiding personnel sergeants carrying orders to faroff places, and wondering about the young guys dying of strange tropical diseases on my watch in the hospital. I don't remember much music or music news during that time. Of course like many Baby Boomers there are other reasons why I don't remember a lot of that time, but better not to go there. The nurses sure were fun, though.

That's my excuse for such ignorance, anyway. I forget that a bunch of you guys are 10 or 15 years younger than I am.

Neal

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Maybe this is what I get for never having been on Facebook...

Be strong grashopper, you can resist the force of the farce....

[wingman]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

What? I've never heard of and don't understand those two either. There are clearly whole worlds out there that I just don't comprehend -- I think I'll just crawl back into my Photoshop and clarity filters and curves tools and color wheels and such easy stuff that I can understand.

Maybe this is what I get for never having been on Facebook...

Neal

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I had to Google "May Pang" to even begin to understand the reference. Does that mean I have to give up my membership in the Baby Boomer Trivia association?

Neal

I'm right there with ya', Neal. Had no idea. But then...I was far too heavily involved with wrapping my head around "Battle of Evermore" and "In the Court of King Crimson."

[wingman]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I had to Google "May Pang" to even begin to understand the reference. Does that mean I have to give up my membership in the Baby Boomer Trivia association?

Neal

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

" forces in the universe decided I needed to do things I didn't want to do "

I really dislike those particular forces. I've encountered them a lot the last few years. It only gets worse as you get older.


" John -- what was the timeline of all this? When did Lyle move the kit into the hangar? When was the fuselage more or less complete? When did Putnam get his hands on the engine and when was it actually hung on the airplane? "

I'm still interested in this -- I've never seen such a timeline and I've always been blown away by how quickly this all came together -- broken(literally) stripped shell and trashed run out engine core to on the course at Reno.

Did that first engine come to Lyle with any accessories and such? What did you do for carb, supercharger, fuel pumps and so on. The magnitude of what was done in that year is just amazing.

When did you first meet Mel Gregoire?

Neal

Neal,
Okay I am going to have to try to create that timeline, it will take me a little bit, I may have to make a couple of calls. So in the meantime I'm going to go back to the last couple of pictures I have not commented on yet and fill in that part of the story.

Brad,
It was May Pang's voice saying "John" and then in the second bridge saying "nhoJ" in #9 Dream. Good on ya for that eerie experience.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

and there wasn't any May Pang involved.

That's funny, right there....as while I was reading your comment "#9 Dream" was playing on the radio in the background.

[wingman]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

" forces in the universe decided I needed to do things I didn't want to do "

I really dislike those particular forces. I've encountered them a lot the last few years. It only gets worse as you get older.


" John -- what was the timeline of all this? When did Lyle move the kit into the hangar? When was the fuselage more or less complete? When did Putnam get his hands on the engine and when was it actually hung on the airplane? "

I'm still interested in this -- I've never seen such a timeline and I've always been blown away by how quickly this all came together -- broken(literally) stripped shell and trashed run out engine core to on the course at Reno.

Did that first engine come to Lyle with any accessories and such? What did you do for carb, supercharger, fuel pumps and so on. The magnitude of what was done in that year is just amazing.

When did you first meet Mel Gregoire?

Neal

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

So which weekend was that, John? I just wanted to bring this thing up front again -- there are things I'm curious about

This thread has been fun.

Neal,
It was like the lost weekend, I was dealing with multiple people that I couldn't say "no" to. I had to get introspection into what was actually going on with all of it. In the end I am learning to say "not now" because that is slightly different than no.

I came here and started to go over past history, because it was fun. Then forces in the universe decided I needed to do things I didn't want to do, so this personal enjoyment was the fuse. Once again I could put it on hold. I'm finally learning to say "not now." Eventually I will graduate to prioritizing my projects and being able to do magic for others. So back to our story. It was "The Long Weekend in the sense of getting my head more together and cleaning up loose ends, I didn't have any moving out or arguing with my lovely wife in that aspect. Anyway the weekend is over, and there wasn't any May Pang involved.