American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Dusty, I sincerely hope you do not mind that the editor gremlin hidden within me added some paragraph breaks in your post. I can see by the formatting you did, where you intended them to be, but the message board software did not interpret it correctly..

Howd I do??



BY EDIT: I'd like to add, Dusty, I can not tell you how much I appreciate what you bring to the sport! Your participation here is priceless! I've always wanted this place to be a pilot/owner/participant/fanatic lounge..Kind of tough sometimes but I hope we've achieved this...

That you donate $$ to keep this place alive is beyond priceless!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[Dusty]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

SPOT ON SIR, SPOT ON.....

[ZacYates]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

STILL WISH YOU GUYS WOULD COME TO THE PITS AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES. JUST LOOK FOR SOME FAT OLD RED-HEADED GUY THAT LOOKS CONFUSED

When I finally get there you'll know it's me because I'll be the fat young red-headed guy looking around in awe!

[cragdweller]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

What about Furias? Wasn't it also being rebuilt?

[RAD2LTR]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

What about Furias? Wasn't it also being rebuilt?

That was the rumor, but last I heard nothing had been done aside from pulling the prop, cowling, and some other moderately simple stuff.

In other recent Sea Fury news, I saw some pics of September Fury at Sanders. It looks like something is being done with it, but I'm not sure what. The new owner should have a R4360 installed, then rename it "Faster than Furias"

Will

[John H]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

232 was sold to Germany , Sanders is going through it . No more racing .

[RAD2LTR]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

232 was sold to Germany , Sanders is going through it . No more racing .

Yes, that was my understanding, however I thought I had heard a rumor that it would make one last Reno, and then get shipped off to Germany. I don't know. Oddly enough its owner is listed as being in Snellville Georgia. Perhaps it was sold since it was sold by Rod? Who knows. My comment was mostly meant as a joke.

Will

[GRNDP51]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Yes, that was my understanding, however I thought I had heard a rumor that it would make one last Reno, and then get shipped off to Germany. I don't know. Oddly enough its owner is listed as being in Snellville Georgia. Perhaps it was sold since it was sold by Rod? Who knows. My comment was mostly meant as a joke.

Will

The owner Plane Fun Inc Trustee has something to do with aircraft moving from the states out of the country, if that makes sense. They hold the registration until it transfers over or something like that. They aren't the "true" owner, the company is just based in GA.

[CubersWrist]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Went through my hard drive and found some pictures of "Gumbo"
It's a case of too much displacement for Sport and not enough weight for unlimited.
Sadly the owner/designer passed away and last I heard the engines and props had been sold to recover some cash. Not sure what became of the airframe.

[RichH]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Dave's original design had it using an F-100 nose gear assembly. The last time I saw it in person a few years ago they had the fuselage up on a jig and the nose gear roughly in place. It really did not look they were going to have the room to swing it as intended. There also appeared to be a lot of interference with things like fluid tanks and the supercharger section.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Last I heard the nose gear was exactly the issue that had stalled the progress on it. They couldn't figure out what to do about the nose gear.

Thanks for the pics.

Will

[Race5]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Last I heard the nose gear was exactly the issue that had stalled the progress on it. They couldn't figure out what to do about the nose gear.

Thanks for the pics.

Will

I'm sure they could figure it out. Rod's willingness to spend the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ to do so was most likely the deciding factor.

[ZacYates]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

Great pics Rich, thanks a lot for sharing them!

[GeeBeeZ1931]

Re: American Spirit, Shockwave, Lear Solution, Tsunami

HI GUYS..... LONG TIME NO VOICE....I COME TO THIS SIGHT EVERY DAY, AND I MEAN EVERY DAY. I LOVE THE BANTERING WHEN IT'S DONE NICELY AND WITH DUE RESPECT. WE ALL HAVE OUR OPINIONS, AND HOPEFULLY, LOVE THE SPORT.

MY FIRST AIR RACE WAS IN FULTON, NY WITH MY UNCLE, BILL FALCK, IN 1958. THIS WAS AFTER THE HANGAR FIRE WHERE RIVETS WAS BURNED TO A CRISP, AND I MEAN TO A CRISP. I BUCKED RIVETS WHILE HELPING WILLIE RESTORE RIVETS WHEN I WAS 7 YRS OLD. A STORY FOR ANOTHER DAY, BUT I JUST WRITE THIS HISTORY TO SHOW HOW MANY YEARS I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH AIR RACING.

FOR YEARS, AND I MEAN YEARS, I TRIED TO GET RENO TO DO A ROOKIE GROUND SCHOOL THAT WASN'T DURING THE SUMMER WHEN CROP DUSTERS MADE THEIR LIVING AND TOOK CARE OF THEIR FARMER'S CROPS. I WROTE LETTERS AND RECEIVED NEGATIVES UNTIL SHERM CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF HAVING THE ROOKIE SCHOOL EARLY AND DO THE FLYING PART THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE RACING STARTED. HE DID THIS FOR ME AND TWO OTHER ROOKIES THAT SAME TIME IN THE SPRING OF 2015. I WILL ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL FOR SHERM, OUR FEARLESS LEADER, FOR ACCOMPLISHING THAT NOT SMALL FEAT, AND FOR DENNIS SANDERS WHO FLEW WITH SHERM IN DREADNAUGHT TO WATCH ME.

ANYWAY, AS YOU MIGHT RECALL, WE CAME TO RNO IN '15 AND LEARNED A BUNCH, TO SAY THE LEAST. I KIND OF STUMBLED MY WAY AROUND THE COURSE WITH GENERATOR PROBLEMS, RADIO PROBLEMS, AND CARBURETOR ISSUES. THANKS TO THE SANDERS CREW, CHUCK CABE, PETE LAW, AND MY CREW, WE WERE ABLE TO OVERCOME SOME THINGS AND FINISH IN FRONT OF A COUPLE MUSTANGS IN THE SILVER. WHEW........WHAT A RIDE.

FOR THE 2016 RACES; WELL, IF IT HADN'T BEEN FOR NELSON AND CHAD EZELL, AND JEFF ABBOTT, I WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN THERE AND MAYBE WOULD HAVE BUSTED MY GRASS ON THE WAY IF JEFF HADN'T DISCOVERED THE SUPERCHARGER IMPELLER LOOKING LIKE SOMEONE THREW ROCKS IN IT AT 25000 RPM. TOO LONG A STORY TO WRITE HERE, BUT THIS ALONG WITH SAM DAVIS LETTING ME HAVE ONE OF HIS BIG SPINNERS AND US BUILDING A GRAPHITE AFTERBODY TO MATCH THE SPINNER DOWN TO THE DIAMETER OF THE POWER CASE.......THE LITTLE YAK STARTED TO MOVE. THE SPINNER/AFTERBODY FAIRING ( MY FIRST CRACK AT GRAPHITE) PUT 20 MPH ON AND THE ADI SYSTEM THAT JEFF ABBOTT BUILT PUT THE OTHER 35 MPH ON IT. SO, AS I'VE TOLD OTHERS, I JUST DROVE IT AROUND AND THE REAL CREDITS GO TO THE CREW AND OTHER COMPETITORS HELPING.......MY RACING FAMILY.

SO, WHAT ABOUT 2022 AND SOMEONE SAYING THERE'S NO ONE "HANGING IT OUT" ANYMORE? WUFFF.........
WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE COULD HAVE AS MANY AS FOUR NEW YAKS RACING THIS YEAR IN ADDITION TO MINE IF I CAN GET IT DONE. NOW, THREE OF THESE MACHINES COULD HIT THE 400 MARK, WHICH IS MY GOAL FOR LYLIA. FOR THE 2016 RACE, WE HAD ALL THEM" LEEVERS" FORWARD AND FLEW EVERY HEAT RACE AND SILVER THE SAME WAY. I, PERSONALLY, THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS HANGING IT OUT AND LEAVING NOTHING IN THE BIN. I CAN TELL YOU FOR SURE, THE SAME WILL HAPPEN THIS YEAR AND THE OLD GIRL WILL SOUND A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND IT BETTER GO A LITTLE FASTER FOR ALL THE WORK THAT'S GOING IN IT.

IN MY OPINION, MAYBE THE YAKS ARE THE ONES THAT COULD SUPPLY THE MOST COMPETITIVE RACING WITH ENGINES THAT "ONLY" COST $75K TO OVERHAUL. SO, MAYBE THERE WON'T BE ANY 480'S OUT THERE WITH TWO MACHINES SUPPLYING THE EXCITEMENT, BUT I'M BETTING THE 400 AND OVER CLUB WILL DARN SURE OFFER SOME FUN RACING FOR THE FANS AND IT WON'T BE A PARADE. HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL THERE AND LOOKING FORWARD, AS ALWAYS, TO THE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOWING THEIR WARES AND SHOWING US WHAT OUR MACHINES LOOK LIKE AT SPEED....

VERY SINCERELY, DUSTY

YAHOO! This is GREAT to hear and thank you so much for words from an actual racer. Looks like I'll be back at Reno in 22.