Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

[ebutner]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

Enjoy. You're meeting a true racing legend. Soak it up.
Cheers

Oh we will! Looking forward to meeting him for a while now. Sorry you can't make it this year. I'll gladly shake your hand and raise a beer next year though. Thnanks for the insight you put in here.

Eric

[Flyer57]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

I don't want to get off the BMB track here so I'll just say. I posted the info on the F1 results on the BBQ thread.
Bluffman had a great time. He said he felt like a VIP.
I can't wait to read more when he gets back to his 'puter.

[Double ugly]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

I accompanied Larry to Reno and can attest to the fact that he was in Heaven. We couldn't get very far in the pits without someone stopping us and jawing about the good old days. The start of the Party/BBQ left a little to be desired, but Wayne came through in fine fashion. It was a blast. We met some wonderful people even some Canadians like Linda and "her boys" (my favorite people). The fact that Dancing Queen, our IF-1 entry, came in second in the Silver at 12 MPH over last years results (because of Larry and Gordon's masaging) was encouraging next year we need to find another 10 MPH. We now have "Invictious" in our hanger that finished 2nd in the gold race last year. I wonder how Larry will get 12 MPH more out of it to win the Gold next year. He will, I'm sure, but probably won't tell how he did it. Stay tuned anyway. God I love that guy. Thanks for a wonderful time, Wayne and all.
John

[dineega]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

The pleasure was all ours. I'm sure I speak for all present when I say it was an honor and a thrill to meet Larry and Bob.
Here's to next year's party!!
Rachel

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

Finnaly back home OK and I want to thank all of you that made it possible for me to attend this years Air Races. It brought back a lot of memories of the Cleveland Air Races. Special thanks to Betty Sherman,Wayne Sagar & Griffon Girl. What a Gold Unlimited Race. Wow. Thanks again to all that made my day.

[ebutner]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

Finnaly back home OK and I want to thank all of you that made it possible for me to attend this years Air Races. It brought back a lot of memories of the Cleveland Air Races. Special thanks to Betty Sherman,Wayne Sagar & Griffon Girl. What a Gold Unlimited Race. Wow. Thanks again to all that made my day.

I'm glad your home safe. It was nice to meet you. We all enjoyed having you and Larry at the races and the BBQ. Some new friendships formed, others strengthened. My buddy Bob, Lochkeed Bob and me.

Eric

[bluffman]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

My latest caper.

Larry

[Apteryx]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

My latest caper.

Larry

I love ya man!

Details?

[bluffman]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

I am posting on another thread for this caper. Mig/Griffon

I will continue checking this thread just in case some of you can't find the other thread.

Larry

[dadrussell]

Re: September Pops Update

Ken, How is your rebuild of your Sea Fury coming along? I was sure sorry to hear about your dad losing some fingers in some kind of explosion. I have been out of touch for a while, in and out of assisted living facilities, nursing homes, etc. Am back to the real world now, and my brother got me connected to this AAFO site. I have been very surprised at all the things posted about Blind Mans Bluff/ Critical Mass. There sure seems to be a lot of interest in "our bird". For sure she looked the part of a racer.
Tell Tom I said hello, and good luck with your rebuild. I am building a 1/7 scale model of BMB, very detailed. Scale retracts, flaps, etc. It is an R/C model and will fly at some point, although I have had several people wanting to buy it, even though it isn't finished yet. It is almost ready for paint. (Maybe a Critical Mass version later?) Larry

Hey Larry:
It was a pleasure meeting you at Reno this year... thanks for sharing such great stories. By the way, got any pics of that RC model you're building? Love to see it...

[Flyer57]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

I was surfing around one night looking for some more pylon shots of BMB and below is one thing I found.
I couldn't believe the write up this guy did.
He obviously didn't have a clue of what he was talking about, Just babbling about what he thought he knew. To his credit I didn't read any of the other stories about the other Sea Furies that were at Reno that year. I was so PO'd at what he said about BMB and the effort we had put in on an experimental power plant and fuel system, not to mention a totally radical design.
Just so everyone knows, the "perfectly good R-3350s" we were destroying (in his words) were so over plentiful at that time because almost no one was using them and, by the way, none were destroyed. (Cylinders were getting cooked but that happens to one or two of those every year.) Larry donated those engines and some likely have been used by others who like to change jugs. We had spares and it takes less time to change an engine than a jug so that was our course of action.
Then he mentions JoAnn her "Dismal performance" trying to qualify as an Unlimited Race Pilot. I'm not going to say it was a Good Ol' Boy network because I have not actual proof. Suffice it to she flew airliners and was one of the top airshow pilots of that time. She was qualified to fly BMB.
Somehow she didn't make whatever cut was there to make that field.
So What.
The guy either doesn't know who he is talking about or he doesn't have spell check on names but Skip Helm may have been there flying some "sick airplane and doing "everything in his power to make a very sick airplane perform but he never flew BMB. Skip Holm raved about BMB.
It was never sick, and in any racing category experimental engine systems cause engine failures. Look at NASCAR for crying out loud. When they bring a new "Engine Package" to a race they blow up all the time. The Crew Chief gets interviewed and he says what we said. " We'll go back and fix the problem."
That was exactly our plan and it was beginning to happen when Corporate things happened and we lost our chance. What's the problem?

I know I'm venting here but it just grates on me when a no-nothing says crap like this and has not clue about what goes on in racing. Any racing.
BMB and our fuel system was a workable system and would have been great in '88'. (no rhyme intended) Larry even had a Major sponsor lined up for '88'. Stuff happens and it wasn't to be.
He mentions the owner quickly selling the airplane because of the "dismal performance" (there's that phrase again).
Eric was ready to go for '88'. The decision to sell has a far more complicated story to it.
He mentions that the plane ended up with Tom Dwelle and he rebuilt it and made it perform much better. He changed the canopy and the hydraulics. I think TJ could elaborate better on that point.
Let's just say this yahoo wrote a bunch of guff and didn't have a clue.
I write this because he made me angry, and people don't like it when I get angry. I start to fight back.
Sorry for the bloviating if this sounds like sour grapes. It is. I do that sometimes. I'm a guy.
Here is his story and below is his e-mail address.

One of the most radical racers to appear on the 1987 Reno ramp was NX85SF, race number 88, a highly modified T Mk. 20S (ex-Cerman registration D-COTE). This aircraft had been obtained in 1984 and was rebuilt as Blind Man's Bluff by Eric Lorentzen (who owned a window-blind company, hence the name). Fitted with an R-3350 designed to run on alcohol, with a cowl from a Douglas A-26, the plane had a set-back cockpit, a vertical tail increased by 14 inches, and cut-down outer wing panels that reduced with span to 34.5 feet. It was originally planned to have an active US Air Force female pilot race the plane, but the US Air Force would not go along with the idea. Instead, airshow pilot Joann Osterud was the replacement, but her dismal performance in pilot qualifications called for yet another replacement pilot. In the meantime, all the alcohol-fuel modifications were doing was destroying perfectly good R-3350s. The replacement pilot was none other than Skip Helm who did everything in his power to make a very sick airplane perform (a conventional R-3350 was installed in place of the modified engine) and qualified the craft at 394 miles per hour. The dismal, not to say costly, performance of this aircraft quickly resulted in the owner selling the plane, and it went through several owners and a belly landing before being purchased by Tom Dwelle, an ex-Skyraider pilot, who rebuilt the craft at his Auburn, California, facility. Back on the ramp at Reno 1993 and renamed Critical Mass, the highly modified racer was enjoying better success. However, in 1995 the racer was heavily damaged when a high-pressure bottle in the fuselage burst, Dwelle losing several fingers in the process. Fortunately, both are on the mend, and Dwelle vows to have the craft back on the air-race circuit.

harry@eagle.ca

[bluffman]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

It's been awhile since I have been on here, still working on the book version. At present I have: 116,094 words, and 495,200 characters.
I still have a ways to go, but am taking 6 days off to go to Indianapolis for the second week end of qualifying, and the "Old Timers" banquet.

Later........... Larry

[wolfee]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

Have fun Larry,

Im sure Indy is just like Reno. Once you experiance it, its in your blood.

[Blugrasscat]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

I hope this will post to this forum...my first attempt did not. I am new to this, but I had to say something regarding the incredible story presented here by Bluffman. I found this site totally by accident due to a discussion with a friend in San Jose, CA who is helping to do some restoration on some old planes. I was relating to him my experiences from the '80's when I worked for Levolor. Just out of curiosity, I googled "Blind Man's Bluff" and here I am!! I am one of the two truck drivers (female) who was involved in transporting much of the stuff to Reno for Blind Man's Bluff and the first air race. Everything that Bluffman has told, especially the parts I was involved in, is just as I remember it and was some of the best times I ever had during my trucking career. I was hoping to maybe get a chance to speak to Larry here to see if he might remember me. I have been glued to my computer screen for the last two days reading the entire thread and finding out about his life story. I agree that it should be in a book and I hope it will be. I'll be in that line to get a copy! I know very little about planes or race cars...only semi trucks!...but this has been a fantastic journey and I've loved it. Brings back a ton of great old memories.

[bluffman]

Re: Critical Mass - Blind Man's Bluff = SPLIT THREAD

Bluegrasscat, Yes, I remember you well. Both of you truckers did a great job getting all of our stuff to Reno, and back. Truth be known, we could not have done it without you! Gee gal, it's been a long time, but thanks for the memories, and thank you also for your interest in the "book".

Larry