Some old Reno pics

[wingman]

I loved the name "Iron Mistress", but I thought the airplane looked a lot better as "Fat Cat".

[Jan]

Here's a cool shot. This is from a race in 1979 won by Steve in the RB. He's joined here by wife Karen - luv the T-shirt she's wearing. Most of you can probably figure out where this was. I know Neal can. He was there and this may have been one of his photos. He shot some really fine stuff there. Sorry about the light reflection... copied this real quick.

[wingman]

Almost certainly mine (though I don't recognize it 45 years later), and it is a cool shot. I remember talking to Karen about 2007 or so and she was still muttering about how "The guys made me wear that shirt...".

A whole bunch of "Chino Kids" -- only Jim Maloney missing.

[Jan]

Yep, I figured that was your photo. I also have copies of the next two you posted. Cool stuff and there's more obviously. Did you post the shot of Sumthin' Else just to the outside of Ciuchetton from this race already? That's a fantastic photo.

[Big_Jim]

I loved the name "Iron Mistress", but I thought the airplane looked a lot better as "Fat Cat".

For whatever its worth, the nose art logo on "Fat Cat" was a variation on the USAF squadron logo that Clay flew in...344th Troop Carrier Squadron.

[wingman]

I liked it as nose art. This was in 1983 -- the last year the airplane raced.

[wingman]

Yep, I figured that was your photo. I also have copies of the next two you posted. Cool stuff and there's more obviously. Did you post the shot of Sumthin' Else just to the outside of Ciuchetton from this race already? That's a fantastic photo.

Boy, that question got the wheels turning! I haven't thought about that shot for years. I can't find a scan of the shot anywhere, and I haven't run across a print either. It was used on the contents page of the Reno program in 1980 so I scanned that. Bill Fant -- a long time AAFO member, was the editor of the program that year and made the decision to use it.

I love the picture. The funny thing is that I did not know I had it till a couple of weeks after the race. I was shooting John Crocker and for once had a nice sharp shot. When I examined the contact sheets this is what I found. Putman had flown right into my shot! I grew to like the shot...

I think it was actually taken at Miami -- the airplanes are going in the correct tirection.

[wingman]

Almost certainly mine (though I don't recognize it 45 years later), and it is a cool shot. I remember talking to Karen about 2007 or so and she was still muttering about how "The guys made me wear that shirt...".

A whole bunch of "Chino Kids" -- only Jim Maloney missing.

Interesting to note that Karen is wearing two watches. A wristwatch is not something you want in the cockpit of a raceplane, so pilots will very often give theirs to the wife to hang on to til after the race.

[Jan]

Yes Neal, I think it's a great image that shows Unlimited class air racing beautifully. If, as a fan you go to just one air race in your life where Unlimiteds are racing you may win the jackpot and see a great race... or you might see a parade. That shot captures what Unlimited air racing - and air racing in general - can be at its best.

A fast, tight quarters fight.

That's what those of us who were around for lots of air racing were lucky enough to see a good number of times and that's what we think of when we think of the excitement it can generate. Add in the sounds of two Merlins being pushed from your memory and you have a photo that speaks in many ways.

Since you're the only one so far to offer a thought on which race this was and where, I'll confirm it. This was at Homestead, Florida in 1979. Dad ran the race for the Whittingtons.

And by the way... I do have a print of that shot and negatives. The print looks better than this here. Again, I just copied it real quick w/my phone and it has light reflections. The negative looks good too.

[Jan]

Let's stay at Homestead in 1979 and eavesdrop on some of the other race pilots. This may also be a photo of yours Neal.

And the photo of Crocker and Putman above has a caption on the back of the 8x10 print. Dad, or likely Mom, typed it out. It also has a written note from Dad that says -

"Great shot from Nurmi. Use it!" I imagine it was a note to himself to use the image somewhere.

Now back to the other pilots...

[Big_Jim]

Let's stay at Homestead in 1979 and eavesdrop on some of the other race pilots. This may also be a photo of yours Neal.

And the photo of Crocker and Putman above has a caption on the back of the 8x10 print. Dad, or likely Mom, typed it out. It also has a written note from Dad that says -

"Great shot from Nurmi. Use it!" I imagine it was a note to himself to use the image somewhere.

Now back to the other pilots...

Scott Smith in the checkerboard flightsuit on the left and Max Hoffman in the white flightsuit on the right. Don't recognize the other three.

[wingman]

I don't recognize any of them and I was there! There was a division between the Western guys and the Eastern group who did not come out to Reno, and I did not meet many of the eastern guys. I didn't know Hoffman or Smith even though they did come to Reno. I would like to have met Max Hoffman -- he has always sounded like a very interesting man.

I think this is Max Hoffman at Reno 1976 when he was in the CAF "Tora Tora Tora" performance. By all accounts the man just loved to fly.

[wingman]

This was Mojave 1979. In the background is Gary Meermans in his newly painted Race 97. Forty five years and multiple championshops later she still flies (fast) as Tom Dwelle's
"Tinkertoy".

[wingman]

There were a couple of places where we could work pretty close to the airplanes.

[wingman]

It's kind of hard to imagine Dan Martin as a rookie, but he was one at Mojave 1978. Bone stock, gorgeous fresh restoration...