Unlimiteds Wanted Back

[Lowell]

Since things hae been kind of dead around here lately how about some fun and speculation:

Of the existing but recently absent (or long absent) Unlimited racers which would be your top seven (in order) that you'd like to see back in the mix in 2005?

Choose from (listed alphabetically) and add notes as needed:

Conquest One
Critical Mass
F2G #57
Frost Bite (aka Mr. Awesome)
Furias
Leeward Air Ranch Special
Miss Merced
Strega
White Lightning
(write in...)

My list:
1) Leeward Air Ranch Special (but redone up in the later Miss Candace #69 colors with white wings, the old polished aluminum fuselage, and red striped tail and for an added touch wearing a new/old name "Galloping Ghost")
2) Strega (with a new owner like Tom Cruise financing a full comeback)
3) F2G #57 (with a full race motor)
4) Critical Mass (Ken, it's your turn now)
5) Furias (with new airframe mods very similar to #232)
6) Miss Merced (smaller canopy mandatory though)
7) Frost Bite (wth maybe a Thunder Mustang wing)

[wolfee]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

my list for a full unlimited gold race on Sunday

1. Rear Bear
2. Super Cousair with a Sliver bullet sponcer. would look cool!
3. Jeannie, all pollished up with clipped wings, and a new belly scoop
4. Strega, with flames!
5. Tsunami, with all the buggs worked out of her.
6. RB51 with a red fuse, pollished silver wings with the Reb barron pizza sponcer script in red and white
7. Critical Mass with new paint job
8. (alt)White Lighting

and Old Yeller with with a racing canopy, a strong racing engine, and MR, RA Bob Hoover to start the race.

this race with no maydays, no cut pylons.

[First time Juke]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

1.Rare Bear
2.Strega
3.Dago Red
4.Precious Metal
5.Critical Mass
6.September Props
7.Check Mate

shadow race:

1.Vendetta
2.Pond Racer
3.Tsunami
4.Miss Asley II
5.HH-1
6.Suntin Else
7.Gee Bee

[Unregistered]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Cobra II
Paul Mantz's NX1202, NX1204
Conquest 1
Stilleto
All the "super Corsairs"
Tucker's Special P-63
Clay Lacy's DC-7
P-39 Mr. Mennen

And at least one entry for the Jet:
Greenamyer (sp?) and his F-104...not much on the turns, but those straight legs would be something to behold!!!

[Rigby]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

First of all this reply might be posted twice as I forgot to login the first time.
My choices are:

Cobra II
Paul Mantz's NX1202 and NX1204
Clay Lacy's DC-7
Conquest 1
Stilleto
Mr. Mennen P-39
Chris Tuckers clipped wing P-63
All the original F2G Corsairs
Jeannie
Baby Gorilla
And one for the Jet races:
Greenamyer (sp?) and his F-104. Probably not real good on the turns, but I would love to see him on the straights!!!!

[matt]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

1.strega
2.stiletto
3.tsunami
4.merlin engined precious metal (in '76 scheme)
5.baby go-rilla
6.the cleveland f2g's
7.super corsair

[paintboy]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Lowell,

You may get your wish on some of the racers you listed as there is a good possiblity Furias and Miss Merced will be back for the 05 races. If you have $300,000.00 laying around you could see The Leeward Air Ranch Special back as well. That was the dollar figure Jimmy Leeward provided me when I asked the question about the racers return. We got one racer (Rare Bear) back into the mix by making it the peoples racer. Perhaps the same could be done with Leewards racer. Perhaps we will see the long awaited debut of Matt Jacksons racer "American Spirit". Matt says he now has the funds to finish the racer and is looking forward to the 05 races. Only time will tell!!

Dave

[Section3guy]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

well
white lightin...(because i allwasy wanted to see it fly but never got to)
miss merced
strega
and the #57 super corsear (ive never seen a corsar fly in a race eather)

[Unregistered]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Just curious...and forgive my naivity, but why isn't the #57 Corsair racing? When I first saw her at Oshkosh, I kinda assumed it was already an active racer. It wasn't until Reno that it dawned on me she wasn't there.

[Race5]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Race 57 was a racer back in the Cleveland era. It's current owners probably think it is too risky to race such a rare and valuable aircraft. It would be cool to see her at Reno again and being run around the pylons even if it was just a demo. Or maybe it should be invited to Nellis......hint hint hint.....lol

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Tyson, I talked with Bob Odegaard (forgive me if I mispelled his name) several years ago at Oshkosh and at that time, once he finished a more trustworthy engine for the airplane, he said he did intend to race at least in the bronze.

The engine that was in the airplane then did go south before the end of Oshkosh and he has since replaced it. Whether his intentions are still to bring it to Reno and race it are unknown to me at this time.

It is a very rare bird, indeed, and some critics would really bash Bob, I'm sure, if he did actually race it.

As far as an invite to Nellis, I'm sure that if he were interested, he'd be welcomed with open arms. He's one of the midwest flyers though and it's going to be tough to get them out to Vegas in the nasty weather that can plague that route at that time of year.

BTW... nice photo!

Wayne

[Lowell]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Tyson, That is a great photo. Thanks for posting it!

If any of us see Bob O we need to all re-encourage him to bring #57 to pylon school and then a week at Stead in September. Maybe if he hears it from enough of us??? After all the F2G's biggest claim to fame historically was around the pylons. That's where the mighty F2G belongs. I think the "too rare to race" critics are wrong, but I guess we couldn't really blame Bob for just running her gently in the Bronze the first time or two out. If someone would then sponsor all expenses for a full blown race motor...


It WILL be good to see probably all three Sea Furies from my list back next year.

I knew I should have capitalized the word "EXISTING" in the post as several wrote in racers now gone. I thought about a second post asking what one extinct Unlimited racer (no pilots or owners need be mentioned) would readers most like to see recreated for racing. Though there would likely be many faster possibilities, and I can easily name a dozen I'd love to see again, I would almost have to go with the Crazy Horse #90 P-63 N9009 which was lost about a week before Reno in 1972. With a trick paint scheme I would have a hard time imagining a cooler looking racer.

[Pylon1_Mark]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Well, although I've been taking a self-imposed back seat to working on what's going to be happening with the AAFO/Pylon1.com merger... I thought I'd share a sneak peek at what you can be looking forward to in the future. To the best of my knowledge, this photos has never appeared on the net or in any publication of note, and are not likely to be duplicated elsewhere. So I give you a shot for the record books - and something that basically says it all in a nutshell.

The Red Baron - history in the making
Chino, Jume 4,1975 - right hand static shot of the RB-51 under construction of the retrofit Griffon engine with counter-rotating props & various structural modifications required (Rick McClain in the cockpit).
Photo Credit... Copyright © 1975 Dick Philips Colletion via D.Dawson



In time, you will play witness to the most complete historical photo archive of this famous racer ever produced... along with captions that describe the events that took place at that time. My main purpose here at AAFO will be to bring back the historical archives of days gone by in a manner befitting the subject. To do less is a disservice to both the race fans, and the men involved in the creation of these rare and historically significant "Racers of the Past"

Hopfully this post will wet your whistle on things to come

Also... I would like to ask that if anyone who shares this passion of bringing the sport of air racing to it's next level, to contact me personally in order to complete what will become "the" airracing archive - bar none. Photo submissions as well as technical background on these historic birds is and will be most appreciated. Thanks again for your consideration.

[Unregistered]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

Impressive pics of Corsair 57 and Red Baron...certainly great candidates as well.

What is the story on Strega ?

[tex-fan]

Re: Unlimiteds Wanted Back

It's trully amazing to me that any of the RARE aircraft owners take them out to Reno at all. Just think Howard Pardue's bearcraft is a 2 million dollar plane. Michael Brown's tigercat at least 1 million. Thomas Camp's wildcat is upwards of 2 million, and any of the mustangs are over a million each. So looking at it from a poor boys point of veiw, I feel we are very lucky that those guys with money fly them at all, let alone race them. So this fan would just like to thank them all for letting the rest of see them outside a measum setting. Keep them flying guys, we love you for it!