Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

[sledge39]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

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...Bucky or anyone want to try this one ?...

..."race 22"....."race 8"....."race 4"...

...who ?...where ?...when ?...


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[BuckyD]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

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...Bucky or anyone want to try this one ?...

..."race 22"....."race 8"....."race 4"...

...who ?...where ?...when ?...


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OK, Sledge - I'll take a stab at it...

1970 California 1000 - Mojave (66-Lap enduro on a 15-mi.+ race course) 11/15/70

Wally McDonnell & John Lear ahead at right in B-26C Invader- Race #4, with George Perez's # 8 Mustang & Gene Akers' #22 Corsair trailing. (You've got some real dandy shots there, Sledge! Sure enjoy seeing them - Thank You V. Much! ) DBD

[sledge39]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

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...Yep !...you get 100% for identification one more time Bucky....
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[johnnyrace]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Here are a couple from 06...I know the distant one is poor quality...but a little different photo than others....I have much better shots....just have to browse through the thousands of images I have over the years to find them....

[BuckyD]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Thanks, Johnny. We'll look forward to seeing what you come up with after you dig into your gold mine of good shots.

Going back three more years from your posted pics, here's another dogfight shot, showing 'life-in-the-fast-lane', during the start of the '03 Reno NCAR 8-lap Unlimited Gold at Reno.

Sun. 9/14/03 - Outer 4 Pylon - Lap-1:

Skip Holm in #4 Dago Red fights-off John Penney in #77 Rare Bear, by flying tight on the inside, with Tom Dwelle in #10 Critical Mass running in 3rd below Dago. Sherm Smoot's in 4th, flying Yak #86 Czech Mate up high, while Gary Hubler holds-down 5th in #15 Furias (at center). Stewart Dawson's off to the right w/#105 Spirit of Texas in 6th & Hoot Gibson flies the red & white Sea Fury #99 Riff Raff low in 7th (bottom-center). Matt Jackson in #5 Voodoo (the only other P-51 in the race besides Dago) is seen at left, but was a DNF on the next lap. Randy Bailey in #911 September Pops (missing in this pic) flew 7 laps to finish in 8-th place in a very-fast Gold, won by Dago Red at 487.938-av/mph. The rest of the field finished in the same order as noted here. DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

The Reno '91 NCAR Unlimited Gold was one of the greatest air racing dogfights in the history of the sport, and the action highlights of that event will live on in the memories of air race fans & as an often revisted topic of hangar flying sessions for many more years to come.

Here's some of the excitement going on in the middle of the pack during that super event, during Lap-1 along the Valley of Speed:

Dennis Sanders in the R-4360 Wasp Major-powered Super Sea Fury- Race #8 Dreadnought, greases the fenceline while running in 5th-place, as Bill Rheinschild's P-51D #45 Risky Business duels w/Bob Yancey's R-2800-modified Super Yak II- #101 Perestroika (racing today as #86 Czech Mate), at upper right.

Howard Pardue in his R-3350 Sea Fury #66 is at far left- turning Outer 6 Pylon, w/ Del Williams bringing up the rear flying Bill Speer's Mustang #55 Pegasus (today's #5 Voodoo). #8 finished 5th @ 426.597-av/mph, and #101 squeezed ahead to place 4th @ 428.293. #66 was out on Lap-7 after a pylon cut, and #55 pulled out on Lap-3, in last.

(Oft-heard photographer's lament: "Damn those powerlines!" ) DBD

[paintboy]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Bucky,

You have us all at a severe disadvantage with your archived library of spectacular images from past years. NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!! Love to see them as we do not get to see enough of your craft, and I know you are holding back some stunning images from years past. See you in two weeks my friend.

Dave

[BuckyD]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Thanks, Dave for your kind & generous kudos - coming from such an accomplished professional as yourself, that's v. much appreciated (& means alot to this- 'old airplane photographer').

BTW - "BRAVO!" on your outstanding OLD CROW article out now in the current issue of FLIGHT JOURNAL magazine. You did an admirable job on that piece, which was obviously a labor of love- conveying an excellent historical perspective throughout- (& you had to score a big hit w/the 'first-persons', as well as the readership). Again, great coverage & great shots. Everyone needs to pickup a copy for their libraries.

'Mutual-Admiration Society' signing-out now, w/a BIG -

See ya soon at Stead Field! KEEP YOUR AIRSPEED UP IN THE TURNS! DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Another Unlimited Class 'Dogfight' going on down the fast W. Chute (a.k.a. - 'Valley of Speed') -

Sat. 9/19/98 - UNL HT-3C - Pace Lap:

Approaching Outer 7 Pylon, we see Ike Enns' red-nosed P-51D #50 Miracle Maker in the lead, with a hot duel going down between Jimmy Leeward's Mustang- Race #9 Cloud Dancer & Robert 'Hoot' Gibson pressing, flying Mike Keenum's Sea Fury- #99 Riff Raff. Following in hot pursuit is Howard Pardue's F8F-1 Bearcat #14, w/David Price's #204 dash-2 Bearcat behind him (Bill Anders' #106 Wampus Cat F8F-2 also flew in this heat - 3 Bearcats in the race!).

Gibson won @ 376.580-mph, over Ike Enns' 2nd-place finish @ 370.962-mph. Leeward was 3rd @367.454 & Pardue got 4th-place @ 356.774-mph after cutting Outer 3 on the Pace Lap.

DBD

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Ron Buda had some nice stuff of this

[ShermB]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Does anyone know where, or even if, Ron Burda is these days. Knew him and his brother way back when in Portland, OR. Before the airplane days.
Betty

[BuckyD]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

Sat. 9/13/86 - Reno NCAR - UNL Heat-3B - Pace Lap:

Here we see quite the makings for some super fantastic Unlimited air racing dogfight action from this truly eclectic mix of warbird racers shown turning old Outer 6 Pylon to dive onto the fast W. Chute ('V-O-S') at the start of this heat-

John Penney in F8F-2 Bearcat- Race #77 Rare Bear, obviously has the lead well in hand. We'll ID the rest of the visible field of racers starting from L-R in the picture:

That's-Tom Kelley in P-51D #19 Lou IV, then Howard Pardue in his F8F-1 #14, Ron Hevle's next- flying Wiley Sander's P-51D- #96 Jeannie Too, Lefty Gardner's P-51D #25 Thunderbird's up high, JP in Rare Bear's at center, w/Bob Yancey's F4U-4 Corsair- #101 Ole' Blue's turning tight for the inside track, and Dale Clark in Hawker Sea Fury #40 Nuthin' Special is bringing up the rear. Skip Holm in P-51D #39 Healer's somewhere out there also.

Here's their finishing order in av/mph for the 6-lapper: #77 @ 406.870, #19 @ 377.870, #96 @ 367.682, #25 @ 367.316, #40 @ 349.441, #39 @ 346.595, #101 - DNF, & #14 - DQ. GREAT RACE, Guys!

DBD

[Shawn Aro]

Re: Dogfights Over The Desert!!!

what i herd was he retired form the Mercurly news and moved to Utah ? Shawn