Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

[Randy Haskin]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

It's a great chance to see these rare UNMODIFIED warbirds

Are we still talking about Polar Bear?

[BUD_XXX]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

My 2 cents...

The oldest, most stock, oil burning, dented up, un-painted, hacked together piece of aluminum, is wayyyy better a plane than I am ever going to hope to have, and hell yeah, I wanna see em in the show!

How many years ago was Rare Bear a wreck?

How many Lives have some of these birds had?

How many Combat missions are on some of these airframes?

Oh how the worm turns, for some of these planes, these guys...these fans!

It's ALL good stuff! I never heard anybody complain when a B-25 or a B-26 rounded the course...or an AD!

And maybe we better ask ourselves...what's going to be flying these races in 10...20 years. How many of us will even be here?

No sir. I ain't complaining!

[SCEPTER]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

Are we still talking about Polar Bear?

The fact that race 25 is a hybrid A-D Mustang does not bother me a bit. It's still cool to watch turning the sticks.

[t-dub]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

The fact that race 25 is a hybrid A-D Mustang does not bother me a bit. It's still cool to watch turning the sticks.

What's hybrid about it? Besides a modified oil cooler system, what else has been done, and what's "D" model on it? Just curious...........

[Ken from PG]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

The machine flies...the pilot races. There's some fierce competitors in there. I can't wait to see the Bronze action!

[J.SMITH]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

While I agree with the idea of getting the camera ready and that it will be a treat to see these airplanes in the air, I just can't say that I think that this is a great thing for the Bronze Class.

There have been criticisms in the past about anything that wasn't pure racing. I've read many posts about how acts like the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels mess up the races and the Red Bull races didn't belong. A P51A, 2 P40's, a Corsair, a Wildcat, and a Trojan would make a good air show at Chino or the CAF, but the use of the word "race" to describe this event may be generous. I remember when Pardue was racing for a Bronze win in his Bearcat. I can't see this as a good sign for the races. Cool planes, but actually racing....I just don't know.

I've been reading this post for a few days now and people need to understand Reno. I've been going for over 25 years and I Love the stockers. With out them it would not be Reno. 50% of Reno for me is renewing the friendships that I have made over the years. The flyer's and the people in the stands that I only see once a year. Reno is Reno, it's the best. The Guy's and Gal's in the pits are awesome and I love Re-connecting with them each year. And the year I show up and their is no Sea Biscuit will be a sad year. The years of Lefty in the stock P-38 or Robert Guilford in Blue Max or Robert Yancy in Old Blue are over and I'm glad to say I was there. I have seen a lot of racing in the Bronze class over the years and once you get to know the crews of these planes you will under stand that they are here to race. See you at the WarLock party.

PS. and the stock AT-6's are not there to race ether, and I have a bridge to sale you

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

Thanks for piping in Dave! I know i speak for many others as well when i say THANK YOU for bringing yourself and the planes to Reno, so that we all can enjoy those magnificent machines, and the pilots that fly them! I understand the significance of what a rare sight it really is, and it is greatly appreciated!

i totally agree T-Dub, i will always remember Dave taking the time to show me around the wildcats office the year the CAF brought it to NZ for Warbirds Over Wanaka. It's pilots like Dave who take the time to tell us what goes on behind the scenes that us fans enjoy most simply because they stop and answer questions for us.

[Randy Haskin]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

What's hybrid about it? Besides a modified oil cooler system, what else has been done, and what's "D" model on it? Just curious...........

It is more D model than A model, from what I have been told by people who are more experts than I on that airplane. It was rebuilt using the fuselage and other parts of 44-73483 (a D model that coincidentally was the first "Cavalier 2000" and later crash landed in a swamp).

I just had to chuckle a bit at the idea that Polar Bear is a "stock" anything.

Don't get me wrong -- a beautiful aircraft and one that I'm glad is flying. But it is nowhere near a 'stock' A model Mustang.

I have been hoping that Gerry Beck's 'homebuilt' A model enterprise would take off, and that Polar Bear could someday get a rebuild into it's 'real' body...but, I am not the owner, nor do I have the $ to do that!

[SCEPTER]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

If you compare these two Mustangs.......http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51...es/43-6251.php

http://www.mustangsmustangs.com/p-51...es/43-6006.php

They are not the same.

If I owned Polar Bear I would install twin turbos and boil-off, clip the wings and show them Merlin Mustangs a thing or two in the gold race.

[Gary Osif]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

Lessee......

Does anyone recall last year....

About three or four laps of this(were they pacin' or racin'?...WHO CARES!) is great to see any time.

Freebird

[t-dub]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

It is more D model than A model, from what I have been told by people who are more experts than I on that airplane. It was rebuilt using the fuselage and other parts of 44-73483 (a D model that coincidentally was the first "Cavalier 2000" and later crash landed in a swamp).

I just had to chuckle a bit at the idea that Polar Bear is a "stock" anything.

Don't get me wrong -- a beautiful aircraft and one that I'm glad is flying. But it is nowhere near a 'stock' A model Mustang.

I have been hoping that Gerry Beck's 'homebuilt' A model enterprise would take off, and that Polar Bear could someday get a rebuild into it's 'real' body...but, I am not the owner, nor do I have the $ to do that!

Thanks for the input Randy! Wow, if they DID use a "D" fuselage, then there was some MAJOR rework that had to be done! The cowling is WAY different, plus the turtledeck, canopy area, and even the engine mount, including the mount points etc. That leaves very little that actually are "D" parts that aren't heavily modified! I guess the "basic" structure (stringers, ribs, etc.) were probably a starting point, and then modified and custom handmade parts were added from there? I know that "Polar Bear" was crashed on a mountain in Alaska in 1944, and wasn't recovered until 1977, then began an extensive 8 yr. rebuild, so there probably wasn't much of anything to start with..........Interesting!

[MRE]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

Jerry's Mustang is a nice piece. One of the few original items are the landing gear,the cowling is original A-36,it has a D model wing along with the D model doghouse\scoop.

[allison111]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

The bronze class is always great to watch and this year is extra special because when was the last time we got to hear the sound of 3 allisons flying against each other. Especially since at least 2 of them are not on a P-38. Although a P-38 included would just make it that much better.

[Chad Veich]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

I know that "Polar Bear" was crashed on a mountain in Alaska in 1944, and wasn't recovered until 1977, then began an extensive 8 yr. rebuild, so there probably wasn't much of anything to start with..........Interesting!

I've often wondered why they went to the expense of recovering anything other than the data plate! As I recall from an article in Warbirds, the basic fuselage, wing, and tail are all D model components, everything firewall forward came from "somebody converting an A model to a B model", and the canopy was NOS.

It's a beautiful airplane as Randy stated, and I would enjoy very much watching it fly, but it does not represent anything that ever came off of the NAA production line. If some of Beck's A model kit components could be acquired I imagine "Polar Bear" could be morphed into two Mustangs, an A and a D!

[JCP]

Re: Dave Morss and "Polar Bear"

The firewall forward didn't come from our A-36. Just the cowlings. The engine mount and Propeller went to the Planes of Fame and is on their P-51A.

JC