Announcement

**wolfee** · 10-07-2002, 10:58 AM

a quote from a movie is in order here.

I feel the need.......the need for speed!

**Unregistered** · 10-07-2002, 11:45 AM

this was no race

I understand that the Nellis show was just a mock race to give the Vegas crowd a feel for air racing. How could it possibly be a race without the REAL contenders? Oh please!

Guess the new crew is working out! Just wait till she gets cranky, and see what they do with that

From what once was

**hattend** · 10-07-2002, 12:16 PM

So you hopped in a time machine and took a picture of the finish of the Sunday Gold Race at Reno 2003?

The Bear is back! YeeHaw! Wish I could have gone to Vegas.

Don Hatten
Rare Bear Fan Sponsor 2002 (and '03 when they ask for cash)

**BellCobraIVUnregistered** · 10-07-2002, 01:15 PM

To Unregistered

Unregistered
The new Bear crew is a very good and capable group of people and they are going about learning their jobs. They are going to have a year to do so. They also will have the benefit of the knowledge of some of the people who have operated the airplane before. There is a good bit of sour grapes boiling up from the old crew, but face it many of them made a stand and were replaced. But the one big thing the new crew doesn't seem to have is a bad attitude, and that might be invaluable as the team moves into the future. BTW, She did get a bit cranky this weekend and they handled the job without you.
John Slack

**Unregistered** · 10-07-2002, 08:24 PM

Re: To Unregistered

Originally posted by BellCobraIVUnregistered
Unregistered
The new Bear crew is a very good and capable group of people and they are going about learning their jobs. They are going to have a year to do so. They also will have the benefit of the knowledge of some of the people who have operated the airplane before. There is a good bit of sour grapes boiling up from the old crew, but face it many of them made a stand and were replaced. But the one big thing the new crew doesn't seem to have is a bad attitude, and that might be invaluable as the team moves into the future. BTW, She did get a bit cranky this weekend and they handled the job without you.
John Slack

cold!

**Unregistered** · 10-07-2002, 09:18 PM

To To Ungregistered

My name is Don Dull
I headed up the Reno chapter of the former crew.
I have the utmost respect for the people that worked with me.
They gave untold hours of their lives without want for any sort of compensation.
Their attitude, dedication and work ethic was beyond question.
We spent the past two years working to better the plane on our own initiative with our own scrounged resources.
We begged, we borrowed, we called in favors, found local sponsors and spent our own money.
Our most fundamental underlying theme is that every thing we did would be 100%.
Unfortunately some of our projects would remain unfinished.

Finally we were forced to make a decision.
We made a choice dictated by our personal integrity and love for the plane.
For us the safety of the plane and John Penney came first, above all else, period.
Because of this it came to a point we could no longer participate in good conscience.
This was our unanimous vote.

I wish the new crew nothing but the best.
They have done huge task and I salute them.
I hope the hangar we strove to set up serves them well.

Sour Grapes? Hardly. Disappointment? Without a doubt.

Would we do it all again?
You bet!

Last time I checked, you were neither one of the ones who put it together without us nor one of those who made a stand.
Oh, yeah, you're John Slack that's right.
Never mind.

**BellCobraIVUnregistered** · 10-07-2002, 11:35 PM

Don Dull

No Don,
You are not one of the ones that I was refering to in my comments made earlier. You made the statement and decision that you would not participate in the program if the engine was not run on the test cell, and you backed up your words with good action, cleaning out the hangar and handing over the keys when the engine arrived without being run. you showed integrity by doing and living with what you said you would do. some unkind and not accurate statements were made regarding you. that is beyond my contol and I have nothing to do with that. You are fine mechanic and tried to do your best for what you were given. You should have known you were not the target of my post as we have talked several times and I supported you not backing down on your convictions.
Oh that's right I am still, John Slack

**gsbloom** · 10-08-2002, 06:33 AM

Re: walking away...

Originally posted by Unregistered
We made a choice dictated by our personal integrity and love for the plane. For us the safety of the plane and John Penney came first, above all else, period. Because of this it came to a point we could no longer participate in good conscience.

Gentlemen,

I read the words of Mr. Dull (Whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting) and I have to say I know them and their sentiment well. Walking away is often the hardest thing you can ever do. I had to do it myself with another team not too long ago.

I joined the team because I love the airplane as it has been a big part of my life since I was a child (I flew in it when I was still a school kid with big dreams and a wild imagination). I left the team because I could no longer, in good conscience, continue. The kinship and respect I felt for the pilot / owner of the airplane was the hardest thing to walk away from. Sometimes you just have to say; "Enough is Enough".

I know how you feel and would have taken the comments personally myself. I had to endure some pretty harsh remarks when I left the team from some of the remaining crew...but since people knew those who said what they did, and knew their reputation for bending the truth, it was really not that damaging to me personally. It just was somewhat hurtful that you give and give and get that kind of treatment when you decide not to give anymore.

John,

I would have thought you would have learned from my mistake not too long ago about making general statements...especially since it was you who corrected me (And you and I both know you were justified in doing so).

How about you guys bury the hatchet...and not in each others heads.

Glenn

**Understanding** · 10-08-2002, 07:55 AM

Mello is right! New crew, old crew, the Bear has gone through lots of people that have worked on her. But the bottom line is that the Bear flys on! Mellowing and smoking a cigar is in line! Obviously there is a bit of tension in the air and its needed to be taken offline and resolved. Can that be done? The Bear lives on and with safety and speed in mind, may she meet those speeds as has been dreamed about for so many years....

Comments about being 'cranky' were only for fun!

Chill babe Chill!

**ecvsteve** · 10-08-2002, 09:02 AM

from a fan.

I want to say something but damn I can't find the words.
I remember a shirt I saw on the tarmac that day.
a pilot without a crew is just a guy in fancy glasses and a cool coat.

So crew, all of ya, past and present, your saving lives while putting him right on the line of destuction, thats got to be one tough job. so I understand the presure that must be there.

My only hope is that when your all face to face, your smiling, because guys and gals your the ones who make it possible.

It's not the number of breaths we take, but the moments that take our breath away. ( George Carlin ) and you my friends, do that a lot, for a bunch of us.

P.S. since I have your attention, how does John ferry Rare bear around the country with no flight instruments? I mean that panel is all engine instruments.

Love ya all,

**matt** · 10-08-2002, 09:16 AM

thanks steve, point taken. george has quite a few good quotes doesn't he?

lol steve there are flight instruments, they're just sparcely populated, hehe.

**ecvsteve** · 10-08-2002, 09:31 AM

wayne, help me.

Wayne weres that pic of rare bears panel?
and sparcly populated, does he use a clipon gps from one of the crews car?
I know Vegas is an easy find from reno at 30000 ft but Oshkosh?

And for a nut, George has more intel than washington.

**matt** · 10-08-2002, 02:31 PM

no, they use two gps systems made for aircraft that are built directly into the panel steve...

**gobojo** · 10-08-2002, 11:45 PM

The air racing was indeed superb. It certainly wasn't all show, during Saturday's race Mike Keenum in Race #99, "Riff Raff", (R3350 powered Sea Fury) had a fuel starvation problem in the fourth lap and pulled up with his engine surging wildly. After declaring a Mayday, he switched tanks and rectified the problem. Curt Brown flying high cover in Bob Button's L-39 "Spirit of America" was immediately on his wing and guided him to a safe recovery.

Just before Mike touched down, Skip Holm in Race #4 "Dago Red" (Highly modified P-51 and 2002 Reno Gold winner) lost all electrical power. A serious problem, as he lost all communications and even more critically, power for the spray bar and cooling pumps. He was the second Mayday in the same race and shut the overheated Merlin down as soon as he touched down.

Sunday's race was one of the most exciting I've ever called. John Penney in race #77 Rare Bear (a clipped wing F-8F with a 4,000 HP R-3350 driving a P-3 Orion prop) was on the course for the first time in 3 years. Rich Perkins brought them down the chute to the home pylon in his L-39 "Firecat" and as he pulled up they were in a tight bunch. The race settled into a 1,2 and 3,4 race with Skip Holm and John Penney battling for the lead with Mike Keenum and Matt Jackson trying to avoid the dreaded last place.

John Penney took the lead in the last lap and seemed to be pulling away from Skip Holm but as they rounded the last turns and approached the home pylon, Skip found some more power and closed the gap rapidly.

They went by the home pylon with the Bear's engine cowling just ahead of Dago Red's spinner. THE BEAR IS BACK!

Matt Jackson in race #5 Voodoo, held off Mike Keenum in Riff Raff securing 3rd place.

It was a great race!

Besides the Bear, the most incredible round sound of the show was the P&W R 1535 Twin Wasp in Jim Wright's replica H-1 Racer.

Gordon Bowman-Jones

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