Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

[Shawn Aro]

Enjoy Shawn

[ShermB]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Shawn,
Really neat old stuff you are posting.
Some of us haven't been to Reno as long as you, and those other 2 geeks, who know all, and have seen all, so how about telling us something about the pictures, like who and when?
Betty

[gp70442]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Well somebody's Datsun (210 ?) got ate by a prop. Then Hoover tried to run over a truck. The truck won looks like. Don't know the year on either one. Good pics though.!

[Race5]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Well somebody's Datsun (210 ?) got ate by a prop. Then Hoover tried to run over a truck. The truck won looks like. Don't know the year on either one. Good pics though.!

The Datsun got eaten by a Whittington. I am not sure if PM (the original) hit it, or if it was another of the various birds they raced.

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

the Datson was 1977 taken by my dad after the gold race Prescious metal ran right in to it belong to jerry Duty who was the air race director at that time and Bob Hover about 1991 my dad was at the right time to get this all the best shawn try to get more soon

[speeddemon]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Yeah, but I think the Whittington vs. Duty collision was shared responsibility. What the hell was Jerky Doody parking his car out on a "hot ramp" when the racers were taxiing back in from the race for? And Don always had a habit of taxiing in a bit 'hot' as well. Too bad...because that destroyed the 'hot prop'...the one everyone wanted. It had been used on Joe DeBona's #90 Thunderbird in 1949 in winning the Bendix race.

But the best part of the whole thing is the 'leopard print' wing covers that were made by Kathy Levitz. There were matching covers for the prop and spinner too. Good stuff, Maynard.

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Yeah, but I think the Whittington vs. Duty collision was shared responsibility. What the hell was Jerky Doody parking his car out on a "hot ramp" when the racers were taxiing back in from the race for? And Don always had a habit of taxiing in a bit 'hot' as well. Too bad...because that destroyed the 'hot prop'...the one everyone wanted. It had been used on Joe DeBona's #90 Thunderbird in 1949 in winning the Bendix race.

But the best part of the whole thing is the 'leopard print' wing covers that were made by Kathy Levitz. There were matching covers for the prop and spinner too. Good stuff, Maynard.

C'mon Brad you don't what Jerry Duty was doing parked on the ramp?, You? How can you not be privvy to the ultimate golden moment of irony? Jerry Duty was the biggest %$^%#&#$$# that ever represented the Reno air races and that is saying a lot.

When Lyle and Bob Love as the Unlimited representatives of the PRPA went to Reno and met with Jerry in 1973 and early 1974 regarding prize money and other safety issue the meeting started going nowhere. Lyle and Bob told Jerry that the unlimiteds were going to stand down for Reno 1974 and not show. Jerry told Lyle and Bob that "Reno would find lots of guys with stock unlimiteds that would pay 600 dollars each to race for a bucket full of Sh*t, If the reno races just put the words winner on it." Well Jerry "Doody" was right and how did 1974 Reno turn out? Lyle Shelton finished the race first but was disqualified for "failing to pull up during a mayday" When a half lap into the mayday Bob Love called to Lyle and asked him if he heard the mayday, Lyle had not and at that point only halfway into the lap he pulled up to the required 500 feet. What about Bob Love? Bob had the engine fail on the last turn of the last lap, he crossed the finish line as he was climbing out then declared his mayday. Bob was penalized one lap for crossing the finish too high, Fred Hallet said he was above 1500 feet. BS! So Jerry Duty drives over to Ken Bernstine as he is getting out of his plane and tells him if he will protest the rules infractions, the race commitee will award him the race. Ken said this later with remorse at having done so. BUT! And this is the clincher! Lyle and Bob had lapped every other racer including Ken Berstine in third place. So give them their one lap penalties and you have Lyle and Bob still in first and second place, but not by the time Jerry Duty was done. Without explanation behind locked doors the contest commitee deemed Bob in last place, and Lyle ahead of him. Bob Love was done and Lyle never accepted the trophy for next to last place in the 1974 Gold unlimited race. Reno mailed it was returned, in 1992 when I was at Race headquarters the secretary there said she had something for my dad and would I please take it to him, I said sure, as she was handing it to me I recognized the old style wooden box that the early "trophies" came in. I stopped her. I can't take that.

So that had nothing to do with why Jerry Duty was parked on the ramp, but it shows what a great guy he was. Jerry was parked on the ramp because he was yelling at someone else that was parked on the ramp!

[speeddemon]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

WHAT????

RARA would DO something like that?????

:-)

Thanks John.....put a smile on my face. Ahhhh...the good old days!

[Hauler Driver]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

John.... You have the best stories to tell. They brighten up my day and make this site so enjoyable.

Thanks,

Don

[ignomini]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Man, I love these history lessons. Keep 'em coming

[Leo]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Air Progress' coverage that year was written as a comedy.
I remember it included the description of Lefty's latest race ploy, laying a smoke screen and disquising it as just another engine failure in Tipsy Miss...
Any of us around in those days remember Jerry. I think he and his chased me out of more areas and chewed me out more than anyone has since!

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Hey John Wide would of sports filmed that Race my dad said that the protest lastest for weeks all the Best Shawn

[Jim58]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

I gotta put up my .02.... MR BCIV....Mr. Speed You two guys put up the best and most interesting posts.... never a dull moment.

I feel like I should be paying for the entertainment.

Could I offer you a Beer?

Thanks.....Jim

[speeddemon]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

Air Progress' coverage that year was written as a comedy.
I remember it included the description of Lefty's latest race ploy, laying a smoke screen and disquising it as just another engine failure in Tipsy Miss...
Any of us around in those days remember Jerry. I think he and his chased me out of more areas and chewed me out more than anyone has since!

I think that was the article that David Esler wrote...where he compared the '74 races to Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Slaughterhouse Five", wasn't it?

[speeddemon]

Re: Air Racing classics moments by Shawn

I gotta put up my .02.... MR BCIV....Mr. Speed You two guys put up the best and most interesting posts.... never a dull moment.

I feel like I should be paying for the entertainment.

Could I offer you a Beer?

Thanks.....Jim

No thanks on the beer...but you CAN make a donation in my name to the Randy Goss Hospital for the Air Racing Insane in Sacramento, California.