Bear Cave Update

[glider90]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Bear circled high three more laps after the single lap run and just touched down NOW. Wow, just wow.

[glider90]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Steadfast just went up again, pehaps chasing 400?

[planecrazy2]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Be there tommorow night.


Thanks for the late breaking news. Glider90, you're my new hero.

[glider90]

Re: Bear Cave Update

No problem, I am getting them via phone and I know what I am going through!

Luckily Jay is on the field updating me. His timing was just a bit off, official sheets post Bear at a 468.893, no cuts!

Large exhale.

Lets just hope everyone stays healthy til Sunday. I don't care who wins, just so they are all fighting for it.

[Airpirate]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Thanks for the update!

GO BEAR!

[RichH]

Re: Bear Cave Update

They knew right where they needed to be to make the top 5 and push no farther. They did it... and don't have to race until Friday. BRAVO!!

[Inverted]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Great news!!!!!!!!

No mayday right? I wonder why only 1 lap. What prop is on???

[glider90]

Re: Bear Cave Update

No doubt. That is huge. I was very concerned about them trying to race their way up, no room for error at all. Now, they can breath *a little* easier.

How would you like to have the task of John Penney?

"OK John, no big deal, we have been busting tail night and day for...well...several months now, umm none of us have slept for a week, but we think we are ready to make this happen. All you need to do is hop in, shake it down a tad, blow the bugs off, and then drop on the course for the first time in a year. If you could do that at say 450mph or more hopefully, you know, not cut a pylon, and get us in the race...that would be *great* OK? No pressure John, you the man."

Sheeshe.

[Start Carter]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Awesome real-time play-by play. You know, some folks just need deadline pressure to perform!

Kidding aside, I've been lurking with amusement at all the posts regarding Bear preparation in the past few days. Having crewed throughout the history of Critical Mass and collaborating with the Bear gang over all sorts of pain and problems as we cut our teeth (and hands and heads and other bits of anatomy), I learned one thing that is always true; "unlimited" describes the number of problems that will surface once you get the airplane running after a year of mods, let alone when you start adding real power to find all the weak spots in all the systems. There is nothing like working your butt off to exhaustion for days on end, going out on the ramp, stressing out and visualizing if you got absolutely every little bit back together correctly as you watch your pilot climb in, puckering until it fires up and runs, and then just staying stressed out until the damn thing is back on the ground and your pilot safe. For us, that was often just getting from Auburn to Reno! Then it got tougher!

It is hard and stressful and scary. You hope you are as good as you think you are, and then you assume that you are not, just to be safe.

The Bear crew's level of effort is beyond what we could achieve with our family show and some kind help from the likes of Cornell and Mel Gregoire (and Klassen, but he's family). I have had only a taste compared to these guys.

Hats off to the Bear crew (hey Chris!). Have a beer. Then get back to work. Maybe not in that order.

[Lowell]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Pictures!

We need pictures!

Have I missed the first ones on the web yet with the cowl on???

[MRussell]

Re: Bear Cave Update

No doubt. That is huge. I was very concerned about them trying to race their way up, no room for error at all. Now, they can breath *a little* easier.

How would you like to have the task of John Penney?

"OK John, no big deal, we have been busting tail night and day for...well...several months now, umm none of us have slept for a week, but we think we are ready to make this happen. All you need to do is hop in, shake it down a tad, blow the bugs off, and then drop on the course for the first time in a year. If you could do that at say 450mph or more hopefully, you know, not cut a pylon, and get us in the race...that would be *great* OK? No pressure John, you the man."

Sheeshe.

What a plane! What a crew! What a pilot!

(not to mention the psycho Bear fans among us, myself included)

I'm so excited I can't see straight.

When was the last time the damn thing flew? Reno '07 right?

[glider90]

Re: Bear Cave Update

4 bladed prop. No mayday.
I am guessing the only goal was to get in the show at a speed to be able to sit out on Thursday. Mission accomplished, in one lap. That is probably THE ONLY thing that has gone according to plan for that team in the past several weeks. Thankfully it happened when they needed it most.

[Peashooter]

Re: Bear Cave Update

When was the last time the damn thing flew? Reno '07 right?

Yeah, and a dead stick landing on top of winning the whole shootin' match!

[John H]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Just heard via text the Buick (Dreadnought) is out. Darn. Everyone else is in.

[ebutner]

Re: Bear Cave Update

Just heard via text the Buick (Dreadnought) is out. Darn. Everyone else is in.

Why? What happened?