Precious Metal -- Countdown to Vegas -- Part 2

[AAFO_Crewman]

As these photos are going to be seen by family and friends of Ron Buccarelli and Dave Berry, I'll be presenting 14 photos in two threads of 7 photos each.

Today's work session involved Ron Buccarelli and Dave Berry, and a third volunteer who preferred not to be photographed or identified. Mike Gallagher was called away on business but hopes to join the group later as the aircraft comes closer to flight status.

This first shot shows Dave Berry shortly after 7:00 a.m. this morning after the installation of the second propeller blade. Dave was readying a torque wrench for some work related to finalizing installation of the forward blades.

That's sunrise flowing into the hangar, which is still partially in shadow. Dave and Ron have been up and working since 5 a.m. Contrast what you see in this photo with the last photo in the second thread, which will follow the seven photos in this thread:

[AAFO_Crewman]

Las Vegas Countdown

Shortly before 9:00 a.m., pilot Ron Buccarelli installs a replacement cam into the left bank of the Rolls Royce Griffon Mk. 57 engine. This new cam only had twenty minutes of operation on it -- most of that in Sunday's Silver Race -- and was inspected and transferred to the replacement engine, whose left bank cam needed replacing:

[AAFO_Crewman]

Las Vegas Countdown

The incentive to appear before a crowd of 400,000 people at the two-day Aviation Nation Air Show at Nellis AFB, October 5-6, 2002, is a strong one for this crew and others. Thus, one week after the Reno National Championship Air Races, the crew was back at work, even if only two could work this day, Monday, September 23, 2002.

The work today involved the installation of the propeller, spinner, adjusting of the timing, adjusting of the magnetos, installation of lines and accessories, installation of the carburetor, movement of that troublesome fitting that nearly prevented installation of the engine yesterday, to be finished off with the installation of the valve covers on the left and right side.

A pre-oiler was obtained from the Rare Bear Air Racing Team, who came over and paid a visit to Precious Metal later in the afternoon, and pre-oiling is scheduled for tomorrow, along with the filling of fluids and bleeding of any air that might be in the system prior to initial start-up and ground runs.

Here, Dave Berry works on the final installation of hardware and torquing of the nuts holding the cam to the engine, while Ron Buccarelli searches for tools needed to install lines to the engine:

[AAFO_Crewman]

Las Vegas Countdown

The old Rolls Royce Griffon is seen in the foreground as Dave and Ron attend to Precious Metal in the background. Further back is Critical Mass, the Hawker Super Sea Fury which has been highly favored to win the Unlimited Gold over the past two years, after finishing second in 2000.

Her (Critical Mass') assault on the Reno National Championships in 2001 were cut short by the events of 9/11. Adding to that misery, was the sudden retraction of the landing gear as the aircraft was taxiing after qualifications just prior to the Air Races themselves. That event put the aircraft out of the races for 2002.

Both aircraft were scheduled to be in Las Vegas by October 4, 2002; only one, however, stands to make that air show at this point in time, and that's provided that Precious Metal's replacement Rolls Royce Griffon engine is started, broken in, and test flown to the pilot's satisfaction, by the start of October:

[AAFO_Crewman]

Las Vegas Countdown

Though the entire crew is expected to return for ground runs and flight test within a week, today's work was accomplished by two individuals: Dave Berry, one of two Crew Chiefs assigned to Precious Metal (the other being Dave Vorsas), and pilot/owner Ron Buccarelli, a former US Navy F-14 driver and GIB (Guy In Back), who now operates Placid Lakes Airport and Lake Air Inc., in Florida. Ron's family was on hand to see him race in the Unlimited Silver on Sunday, and attended the awards banquet with him later that evening.

Both men are making a huge personal sacrifice by being in Reno-Stead this week, to get their aircraft back into the air on short notice. On one hand, there are the hours of labor that take them away from family and work. Instead of being home with his wife and daughter by the poolside, Ron insists on getting the aircraft to Las Vegas, for the first Air Racing activity there since 1965.

Both Ron and "Little Dave," as Dave Berry is known, have opted to pass up the opportunity to be at Midland, Texas, for their swearing-in ceremony as Colonels in the Commemorative Air Force, placing the needs of Air Racing, its crews, families, and fans, before their own needs or personal desires.

"Little Dave" takes it in great humor, noting that he's missing "Sushi Night" (Mondays, in Ft. Lauderdale) and the opportunity to lie on a beach in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, adding to his tan, and watching many a "fine young thing" wearing a thong bikini and walking by. While away, he must also constantly arrange for friends to visit and care for his "companion" -- a cat that goes by the name of "Smokey." Plus, he loses time off work...so that he can volunteer his service to the Team.

For Ron, on the other hand, the time away from his beautiful wife and cherished daughter is a hard experience. There was no way to avoid overhearing him talking on his cell-phone today, to his two-year old daughter Tess, remarking to her how he's "got to be in Reno right now, but I'd rather be home swimming underwater in the pool with you."

Perhaps it is wrong of this reporter to share this very personal moment with you, but I will have to take the flack on that. I think that it is important that you know the tremendous nature of the sacrifice made by this one pilot.

This is a man whom is very oriented to family and friends; he's made commitments to his wife and child regarding his pursuit of Air Racing, and they to him; he's made commitments to his team in regards to his pursuit this year of a Reno National Championship and World's Speed Record Run at Sebring, Florida, in the November time frame -- and again -- they to him; and of course he has business commitments that make the time he can spend with family and friends "quality time," as it applies to all aspects of living their daily lives.

To make Aviation Nation 2002 at Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, Nevada, he now puts his new-found sport ahead of his own needs and personal desires, forfeiting the comraderie he would gain at the Midland event, because if Air Racing is to progress from the "World's Fastest Motorsport," to a "World Class Motorsport," Ron knows that this is the type of sacrifice and commitment that are needed from it's participants.

There will be 400,000 people at Aviation Nation, the second largest gathering behind EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to witness an Unlimited Class demonstration race. A good performance this first time out is critical to Unlimited Air Racing.

Reno 2002 was Ron's first race -- and may very well be his last, due to commitments he has made. Ron was a rookie up until a week ago. Now, he's a veteran, but with only one race under his belt, and a mere two-and-a-half years devoted to pursuing this sport, he sets his life aside momentarily for the benefit of others who love this sport and want to see it grow...though he may never get another opportunity to race again.

Consider the aforementioned statement also, when you see the last photo in the second thread, which is to follow shortly. Ron's racing career, technically speaking, is over. When you see the last photo of the second thread, consider the sacrifice he's making for all of you:

[AAFO_Crewman]

Las Vegas Countdown

Two men hard at work, focused completely on what they are doing, which is intended to keep one of the two alive. It is late afternoon at Reno-Stead as Dave and Ron attack the minute details of the installation of a Rolls Royce Griffon motor into the exotic racing plane, Precious Metal, Race 38.

Precious Metal is receiving a considerable amount of attention. In this month's issue of Aviation History, there is an advertisement for the upcoming Aviation World's Fair, to be held in Newport News, Virginia, in the Spring of 2003 -- Aviation's Centennial Year. She has recently been featured in a number of Japanese publications, and was slated to be featured in Air Classics just prior to her engine problems occurring. Michael O'Leary and the Air Classics B-25 Mitchell, Pacific Princess, will be on hand at Nellis AFB for Aviation Nation on October 5-6, near Las Vegas, NV, for a second photo opportunity with the most unusual racing plane currently in existance in Air Racing. We should add that Precious Metal is already featured in a beautiful softbound manuscript about the Rolls Royce Griffon-powered racers of the last half of the 20th Centruy, including the Ed Browning-owned, Red Baron RB-51, and the Levitz-Rogers Air Racing Team's "Miss Ashley II."

Finally, Precious Metal is receiving considerable attention from the Japanese model making community, who are producing kits of the aircraft in 1/72 and 1/48 scale at present, with the Japanese apparently entertaining plans to create Precious Metal both in larger scale, and as an Radio Ccontrol (RC) Model.

Today (Monday, September 23, 2002), she receives the attention of two men whom are devoted to her legacy, and that of Air Racing, here in the dawn of the 21st Century:

[AAFO_Crewman]

Las Vegas Countdown

Night has fallen and the work on Precious Metal continues. The crew and I watch a blue-colored moon rise into the skies over the Eastern hangars at Reno-Stead, but Ron and Dave watch the moonrise from precarious positions on two maintenance ladders set on either side of the replacement Griffon engine as it rests on its mounts.

Little Dave must catch a midnight flight from Reno, that will take him cross-country over an 18 hour period, due to layovers at different airports in Denver, Salt Lake, New Orleans, and ending in Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport. The hours he needs to work on the plane, plus the required reporting time into work on Tuesday, make such a horrendous flying schedule necessary for a man who will devote much of those eighteen hours in the air, to the simple pleasure of sleep

After this image, look for thread two, Precious Metal -- Las Vegas Coundown -- Part 2, Thread II: