What happened to Rare Bear?

[AlisoBob II]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

I don't remember 232's motor being that oily as compared to the bear... In fact, it was a pretty clean running 3350.

Michael

Thats my point.... you could eat off the underside of 232......

[Arctic Cat]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

Back in the 90's I remember seeing a board in the Bear pits that explained that the oil control rings had been modified and there was very little or no tension on them, hence the high consumption of oil. It was also stated that this mod was worth 800 H.P.

[Leo]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

Bear and John flew a slow quali, fast races, finished second in the gold with an intact engine. Nothing wrong and a success in my book.

[Plane Nuts]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

I spoke with Anderson Airmotive at Reno, which is where the Bear's engine was purchased. They said it was basically a stock Skyraider engine that was built for FiFi. I think it is safe to assume the slow nose case was installed.

[440_Magnum]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

Hope we can all keep this discussion going on at a good "intellectual" level but I'm going to disagree.

I think racing has ALWAYS made the components that are raced better. It can take decades of normal wear to find what really needs to be fixed to make something better.

I have no problem with you seeing it differently. But actually I think we're talking about two different things. Racing breaks things and learning why things broke lets you improve them next go around. Works for airplanes and for cars. Even something as "low tech" as NASCAR still tells Detroit engineers about hard mechanical parts and how to make them better, even though they could care less about what NASCAR learns about carburetors.

What I was talking about is different- once a part of a given design has been subjected to extreme stress, its questionable until is very carefully measured and tested, sometimes by rather exotic methods. Yes, you can find almost any kind of damage if you throw enough money at tearing it down and diagnosing. But if you're going to X-ray or sonic test parts to find hidden damage, that means you're tearing down so far that for all intents and purposes, its rebuilding the engine. What I understood you to be implying was that by racing an assembled engine you're "proving" that assembled engine so that it should be even better if you remove it from the racer and then install it for its "normal" use. That's where I disagree. The kinds of stresses that unlimited racing puts on parts really mean that a seasonal tear-down, inspection, and reassembly before continued use is a good idea.

[split-s]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

The most insightful commentary I heard was the observation that, when taxiing, Bear "sounded like a top-fuel dragster".

Perhaps I missed the post, but anyone figure why 77 sounded like it was burning nitro-methane?

$

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

That's where I disagree. The kinds of stresses that unlimited racing puts on parts really mean that a seasonal tear-down, inspection, and reassembly before continued use is a good idea.

We're on the same page Magnum.. I'm talking on the assumption that the engine *would* be torn down/inspected/rebuilt before being used on FiFi... again, assuming that, indeed, the engine was a loaner and would be returned.

[440_Magnum]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

The most insightful commentary I heard was the observation that, when taxiing, Bear "sounded like a top-fuel dragster".

Perhaps I missed the post, but anyone figure why 77 sounded like it was burning nitro-methane?

$

The Bearcat has a substantially different exhaust plumbing than any of the other 3350-powered airplanes at Reno, which are all pretty similar to each other (Pardue's being the most different from the other Furies, but nowhere near as different as the Bearcat).

ALL 3350s (and IMO other Wright radials like the R2600) sound a lot "blattier" at idle- like a big V8 with a cam having tons of overlap- than radials like 2800s and 4360s The Bear's unique exhaust system probably amplified that effect relative to Riff Raff or Argonaut.

As for anything "wrong" with the Bear, I agree with Randy H. Rare Bear was FAST on Sunday, even if they took it easier early in the week. Strega was faster. Neither one broke. Therefore, the outcome shouldn't be a surprise.

[440_Magnum]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

We're on the same page Magnum.. I'm talking on the assumption that the engine *would* be torn down/inspected/rebuilt before being used on FiFi... again, assuming that, indeed, the engine was a loaner and would be returned.

OK, I just mis-read you then.

I know John Slack has said that at one point in the late 80s or early 90s Rare Bear had an engine that performed superbly for many years in a row, so a team that's intimately familiar with the engine and knows *EXACTLY* how hard they pushed it might be perfectly comfortable using it over and over, especially in a racing situation with a pilot as skilled as Lyle Shelton.

But if I were the one responsible for putting it on FiFi's wing as priceless as she is and with the intent that she would tour the nation and get very far from home base at times, I'd want it to be as thoroughly inspected as humanly possible.

[flyingsailor]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

We're on the same page Magnum.. I'm talking on the assumption that the engine *would* be torn down/inspected/rebuilt before being used on FiFi... again, assuming that, indeed, the engine was a loaner and would be returned.

Wayne
As part of the 29/24 squadron, I asked our crew chief, and the engine was bought from Ray Anderson by Mr. Lewis.

You are correct IF we were to reacquire the engine I suspect it would undergo a very in-depth inspection before it was bolted onto the wing!

Chris

[Rampman]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

Bruce & Gary - great info, keep it coming. The technical aspects of air racing are unlike any other motorsport. Great stuff.

I think the bear performed pretty damn good this year, but it's hard to beat a plane like Strega that's fast and fully sorted. Right now they have the whole package. Next year with a hotter engine I think the Bear will be hard to beat.

["Bear" Driver]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

First, let me say thanks for all of the good wishes and support from all you Bear fans. It means a lot.

Lots of speculation regarding what our engine configuration was before the races, and even now. I told several people that this was a stock engine. That is basically correct. This engine, originally meant for Fifi, was bought from Anderson Airmotive. We put a slow nose case on the front and that was it. Stock blower, not a Cornell conversion.

We had lots and lots of hurdles pop up leading up to race week that kept us from getting airborne earlier this year. Our first flight since last year’s dead stick on Sunday 2008 was Monday of this race week. It was a very short test flight around the pattern looking at the first performance of our newly engineered and installed boil-off oil cooling system. We had a total of three test flights before going out to qualify at 402 mph on Tuesday without ADI. The ADI was held in reserve for the boil-off, if that system failed. Weren’t able to fly on Wednesday to re-qualify due to more system re-configuration. Next flight was Thursday’s race with no ADI. Started at the bottom of the Gold on Friday and finished 6th, still with no ADI. Fourth on Saturday at 471 with some system malfunctions that prevented asking for full power, and 479 on Sunday with the power limitations of what I consider to be basically a stock engine.

We are racers (The “Rare Bear” Air Racing Team), and finishing second place…well…sucks! However with all things considered we all were satisfied with the Bear’s speed. With the horsepower we were limited to, we were quite impressed with the result, which is a good indication of the effect of the drag reduction efforts put into the bird over the last few years by Mr. Dave Cornell and crew. We expect to see some eye opening speeds when the Cornell race engine is finally installed.

Race week at Reno this year was a full week of flight testing starting on Monday morning and lasting right through the last lap of the Gold race on Sunday. We came out of Sunday with a healthy airframe and an engine with clean screens. So this next year will be used to tune our racing system so we can run hard and fast next year.

I want to give thanks and credit to all of our members and crew of the "Rare Bear" Air Racing Team. It was only through their herculean efforts that we were able to do what we did this last week. They wouldn't have been able to do what they did without the leadership of Crew Chief, Dave Cornell and the unwavering commitment of Mr. Rod Lewis, owner of the "Bear"

In closing, on behalf of the “Rare Bear” Air Racing Team, I would like to give a heartfelt congratulations to Stevo, “Tiger”, and everyone on the “Strega” Racing Team. They are a class act and they earned a very well deserved Unlimited Gold Championship this last Sunday. (Stand by for next year, boys!)

John Penney, Team Member
“Rare Bear” Air Racing Team

[BJH]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

Thanks John for comming on here to give us the real scoop.

Next year is going to be Awesome. Can't wait!

[jhall@jetav.com]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

That boil off system was very cool, we were up early for an F1 Heat when RB landed after a morning test flight trailing a plume of steam, awesome sight!

[jarrodeu]

Re: What happened to Rare Bear?

Thank you for clearing things up!

What was the horsepower output this year compared to a race engine?

Jarrod