It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

[Victor Archer]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

*sigh*

Sorry Mr. Wayne, I will never tell anyone anything ever again.

[Propellerhead]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Will I dream?

Signed,

Dork, Mark 1 mod 0

Well done!

[SCEPTER]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

I did, I did... But I knew about it in September anyway

Wasn't there a for sale sign on the race trailer on Sat.I thought it was a joke.It said see Lyle.I should have taken a pic of it.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Sorry Mr. Wayne, I will never tell anyone anything ever again.

LOL... wasn't aimed at you or anyone else Vic...

Just blowing off steam from getting spanked over this one...

[John]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

I still remember Tiger and Lyle on the back-side at speed, Lyle's a plane-length behind....and he presses the 'Magic Button'! He blew by Tiger like you read about! I thought I was seeing things!!!!

Would that by chance be the Unlimited final captured on "Reno on Record" 3?, or are you referring to Reno 1989(ROR2)?
I was listening to(ROR3) the other day, and it sounds like a Merlin in the lead after the pace lap...then the Bear the rest of the way.

[BellCobraIV]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Would that by chance be the Unlimited final captured on "Reno on Record" 3?, or are you referring to Reno 1989(ROR2)?
I was listening to(ROR3) the other day, and it sounds like a Merlin in the lead after the pace lap...then the Bear the rest of the way.

I think the incident mentioned is in regards to the 1989 Gold final. The acting crew chief at the time was new to talking on the radio during the race. and he had another guy that was new to timing the splits next to him. Carl Schutte and I had been moved out to the tug with another radio set-up on the crew frequency parked beyond the crowd line, this was because the other trailers had been causing radio interference during the week and we were not sure that it had been straightened out.

During the Race as it proceeded we watched as they were telling Lyle he had a two second and then three second cushion between him and Tiger, By my watch I told Carl I had a one second split at best. Lyle kept the power steady as the crew chief continued to tell him he had a two second split. I told Carl I had less than one second by my watch, we watched as Tiger motored up and went by, instantly Carl broke protocal and said " two seconds Hell, He just shot by you Lyle!" "check your shadow" Lyle responded by going full nuclear, Full throttle and Nitrous valve (not a button) open. It appeared to us as if someone had grabbed the Tige and pulled him backward as the Bear responded with the forces of Hell unleashed under that mighty cowl. Within a half lap it settled back down and we called the splits for the rest of the race from the ramp. Once at the top, once at the bottom.

This was the race where Robert Converse later told me about getting lapped by Lyle and Tiger. He told me that all of the sudden the throbbing in his cockpit got louder and louder and louder. Soon he could not hear his own engine as the throbbing got louder and then "Kazoom", the Bear blasted by, he said he held on as consistent as he could knowing his good friend Tiger was right behind and Robert didn't want to be in the way. Robert said he held on as best as he could then, "whoosh" Tiger rocketed by........But the Bear was a tiny spot in the distance by then. These were the best battles ever for those that missed them I hope the future can give us something to compare. The era of the "Battle of the Sevens". Two teams that had immense respect for each other and reacted well to each others increase in the level of competition.

[John]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Thanks John, I was at Reno 1989, but thought it was an optical illusion that Tiger went by Lyle on the back stretch. I know Sandy S. announced the pass, then the re-pass. That was a great race. Tiger had the Merlin humpin'.

Also, it's nice to see that the Rare Bear will be kept in racing form to keep the fast Seafury's and Mustang's honest. The future is looking bright!

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Thanks to Lyle and the team for all the memorys, it's the end of an era...

Joe, not really... it's the beginning of a new era!

Like John said, wonderful things will happen!

[Bill Marsh]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

First saw the Bear in 77? i think....

Was not impressed with the "thrashing" getting the motor running and panels slapped in place.

Fast forwarding.... it seems more often than not , that was the somewhat Gold Level ordeal ..... i guess it was a money thing or a organizational thing... i dunno

Point #1 .... one hell of a crew over the years.... I always had a bet with my fly buddy ( steak and drinks at the cattlemans steak house driving home that something would happen (bad) and loose this wonderful plane.


Thank GOD , I never collected on that deal Knock / Knock !!!

After decades........ lady luck sure helped !


Point #2 .... Releaved that Lyle, et al.... have survived and the Bear will hopefully rule with a less than the normal hair raising experiences.

As I said..... cheers to a crew who "thrashed" and beat the odds.


BM

[SpinB]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Yes, John's right (again.....), I do remember it being '89. That was the second year of my personal trek to 'mecca'. I was so overwhelmed at the power diving down the chute! The stands vibrated madly, the sound came over in a building wave into the most awsome sound I could ever imagine! And then...that 'slug-fest' between a 'witch and a bear'! I was
out of my mind....."these damn things don't have burners"...but you could have fooled me when Lyle (thank's again, John ;{)...) 'opened the...
'magic' valve.... I said it before, sometimes airracin's worse than a drug habit!
Folks...I KNOW Air Racing is gonna' have a FAN-DamN-tastic Future!!!!!!!

[Jason S.]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Well here’s another batch of video clips for ya.
With all the talk of Rare Bear’s sale and Critical Mass being rebuilt as a Super Stocker, I thought I’d put together a clip that everyone would enjoy. The video was shot in 2003 & has the record breaking heat race where Dago averaged 507mph. I split the video into two parts due to the size (each is about 60megs) so be patient and enjoy. So crank it up, and wet yourselves over the sound of the Bear’s P3 prop thumping by.

http://www.warbirdaeropress.com/JasonVideo/Rare%20Bear_1.wmv

http://www.warbirdaeropress.com/JasonVideo/Rare%20Bear_2.wmv

[MikeS]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Thanks Jason! That video rocked! That was a good fix!

[vodkaandsoda]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Great video Jason!!! After watching that, we have reconfirmed with ourselves that round engines are cool (kinda like a so-so girl you see at the bar), but nothing beats the sex appeal of a spooled up merlin!!! Inlines are the hot, smoking blonde, that has the body, attitude and sexy voice that says @%$# me!!! LOL!!!

Cheers!

Mr. and Mrs. Vodka!

[SCEPTER]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Jason,that video is the shizzz.I liked seeing Skip dive low on the first lap.I bet you were kicking your self for missing the pass.I think that was the only time Skip and Dago had to pass anyone.

here some video from inside Dago...http://www.warbirdaeropress.com/Onli...record_run.mpg

BTW you got to credit John Penny and Rare Bear team for running hard that day as well.Wasn't that the first race Rare Bear ran after 3-4 year lay-off

[BellCobraIV]

Re: It's Official Rare Bear Has New Home

Great video Jason!!! After watching that, we have reconfirmed with ourselves that round engines are cool (kinda like a so-so girl you see at the bar), but nothing beats the sex appeal of a spooled up merlin!!! Inlines are the hot, smoking blonde, that has the body, attitude and sexy voice that says @%$# me!!! LOL!!!

Cheers!

Mr. and Mrs. Vodka!

Yeah, and Round motors are the nasty Redhead that leaves you speechless and in a stupor without the ability to function.