Mystery Mustang

[Race5]

Re: Mystery Mustang

I sure hope that canopy was worth some speed, cause that is the ugliest thing I have ever seen bolted to a Mustang.

[speeddemon]

Re: Mystery Mustang

I sure hope that canopy was worth some speed, cause that is the ugliest thing I have ever seen bolted to a Mustang.

Nope...it didn't work AT ALL! Loening only used it at that one race, and then went to a stock bubble. Good thing too...because in my humble opinion Boise Bitch/Salmon River/Chance III was one of the best looking paint jobs ever on a super-stock Mustang.

[RandyGoss75]

Re: Mystery Mustang

Just found the article I was thinking of.....

Mike Loening had that canopy on N351D "Chance I" but bellied it into a field in Alababma:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=22769&key=0

There is a picture of the cut down canopy and the airplane sitting on its belly in the July/Aug. 2001 Warbirds International.

I think Loening also raced N711UP as race #0 before he raced N5482V

[Ptown]

Re: Mystery Mustang

Uh huh....and Mike DuPont was a Biplane racer at the time...who happened to be Loening's brother-in-law. Loening was married to the former Elaine DuPont....and Elaine Loening raced a Myers 200 in the Womens Stock class in the late 60's.

Talk about a family affair.

To expand this "family affair" even further, Elaine ended up marrying Nick Jones who raced the F1 Cassut "Mother Holiday". All the extended group needed was someone in the family to race a T-6 and all the classes would have been represented. Mike did race in F1s after his accident with Miss Salmon River in 1971, but I don't know if he ever raced a T-6.

[SpinB]

Re: Mystery Mustang

Black....of course.

(in my best Jackie Gleason)......just like the sheriff!......
(Whatsa shniztengrubben?)

[Skyracer]

Re: Mystery Mustang

About Mike Dupont's biplane. I saw some photos several years ago of a set of cantilever wings on a Pitts, sans struts, and was told it was "Dupont's racing biplane" by a mechanic who claimed to have been involved in building them. Struts were added for racing to meet class rules but were otherwise not needed. As I recall, the top wing was pylon mounted.

Anyone know anything about this? Pictures?