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  • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

    "Magnificent 'MIXMASTER' Mustang!"

    #09-"World Jet" / #38-"Precious Metal"


    Air racing has always been a real gearhead's paradise. 'The World's-Fastest Motorsport' showcases an amazing bounty of aviation design history & machine engineering accomplishment- all created to make high-performance aircraft go as fast as possible during closed-course competition. State-of-the-art technology is often enhanced thru innovation, adaptation & sometimes plain simple gizmo creativity too. And just when you think you've seen it all-something new & crazy-wild pops up.

    Such was the case w/the appearance of one of the nifty'est exotic mods ever to appear in the modern-era Unlimited Class- the Rolls-Royce Griffon-engine w/contra-rotating propeller setup f/the North American P-51D Mustang, as first adapted f/air racing in '75 on Ed Browning's legendary #5 Red Baron (N7715C). The RB-51 won two NCAR UNL Gold Championships ('77 & '78) & for a time held the World's Absolute Speed Record for piston-engined propeller-driven aircraft ('79-'89)

    Watching the wicked-looking visual spectacle of this mechanical marvel of WW2-era propellor technology doin' it's mezmerizing 'monkey motion'- two opposite-rotating props on a single shaft, is truly a joy to behold (-made even more exciting by the Griffon engine's distinctive growl while running @ power). Just the sight of a static mixmaster sitting posed on the ramp or in its' pit stall, stops people right in their tracks- "TWO propellers-you've got to be kidding!"

    After the RB-51's loss @ Reno '79, I figured we race fans would never see another Griffon 'Mixmaster' Mustang. Then to everyone's surprise, along came Don Whittington's beautifully-crafted, polished bare metal #09-"World Jet"- a new mixmaster P-51 racer project, created in just 9 months, in time to make it's Reno '88 debut. Whittington qualified #09 5th-fastest @ an impressive 453.078-mph, but WJ was plagued by engine gremlins for that entire meet, culminating w/a forced belly-landing onto Lemon Valley's dry lake bed at the start Sunday's Gold final.

    A 6-year rebuild returned WJ to racing competition in fine form for the '95 Phoenix 500 Air Races. The mixmaster was re-registered N6WJ, and raced henceforth as- Race #38-"Precious Metal" (adopting the name of Don Whittington's original D-model racer-a different airplane altogether) & Don won Sunday's PHX '95 UNL Silver & then opted to bump-up into the Gold f/a 4th-place finish.

    That September, the Whittington team came back to Reno w/their Precious Metal mixmaster sporting neon green wings & the World Jet sponsor name & Old Glory U.S. flag banner still adorning the fuselage. Whittington qualified #38 in 9th-place @ 380.951-mph. Cooling problems & motor issues kept the PM mixmaster fm showing its' capabilites, but Don again repeated his prev. Sunday Silver win & bump into Gold f/a 4th-place finish at Reno '95.

    During N6WJ's hiatus following Reno '95, another Griffon Mixmaster Mustang entered the Unlimited scene at Reno '97- the stunningly-beautiful Levitz-Rogers' custom-built Lear-winged Race #38-"Miss Ashley II". Gary Levitz piloted this incredible racer the three consecutive years it raced, until his tragic untimely end at Reno '99, when MAII suffered structural failure of its' horizontal tail during Sat's HT-3A. This mixmaster showed real potential during its' brief tenure & always as a 400+mph Gold contender.

    Six years later, Ron Buccarelli bought N6WJ fm Whittington & was on hand to race at the 9/11-cancelled Reno '01. Buccarelli did race #38 @ '02'-'03-'04,'06 & '07 before retiring fm air racing & his mixmaster has been hangared in Florida ever since. Ron's Fastest-Q was 410.755 @ Reno '07 (12th-fastest) & his fastest race was Reno '04's Silver 4th-place finish @ 407.937-av/mph but he never made it into the Gold-bracket racing ranks w/the racer.

    Here's a photo gallery (no captions-just photos) of mostly circa-Reno '88, PHX500 & Reno '95 shots (w/a few Buccarelli-era pics spliced-in) celebrating Don Whittington's magnificent mixmaster Mustang racer. A '79 Miami/Homestead pic of the RB-51 & one of Miss Ashley II cap-off the presentation f/good measure.

    I'm hoping sometime in the future we'll see N6WJ return to Reno. Another Griffon mixmaster flying today is James Smith's exquisite Supermarine MK47 Seafire N47SF based in Kalispell, MT. that was expertly-restored back to airworthy by Ezell Aviation some years back. Now wouldn't that be sweet if she'd take to the pylons one day? (-How 'bout a 2-plane- 'Mixmaster Air Racing Team' in company w/N6WJ...?!)

    DBD
    Attached Files
    Last edited by BuckyD; 08-01-2010, 08:10 PM.

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    • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

      I would have to say that the "mix-masters" look like they are going 500 mph sitting still! I wish there were more of them around. Also, does anyone know the reason that Ron and Precious Metal retired? I don't remember if the real reason was discussed on her or not.

      Bucky, thanks for this pics, made my day!
      "CHARLIE DON'T SURF!!!"

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      • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

        something i would like to say about the 3 mix master mustangs is.
        1 the red Barron RB-51d i never got to see because it crashed when i was one year old but i know Steve Hinton very well.

        2 the miss Ashley 2 i got to see the first time i went to reno and only get 4 pictures of it and was the last person to get garys levitz autograph in i did see the crash changed me for ever.

        3 the precious metal flown by Ron buccarelli i got it see it fly every year at reno and the guy is a first act kind of person and gave me full access to the aircraft to get pictures of certain details and always talked to me about it and i to talk to him sometimes and he was ina crash is OK but he is done with air racing and that his chose but #38 just sits in a hanger in Florida

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        • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

          Love the mix-masters Bucky, great selection there man!
          "dont believe ANYTHING you hear and about HALF of what you see"...................J. Mott 1994

          Comment


          • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

            While living in Cleveland,Ohio, as a kid, I got to see the ill fated Fisher P75(GM) fly several times. It had a Allison V3420-19 liquid-cooled engine behind the pilot driving contrarotating props via an extension shaft. Oh yea the engine was coupled. Three crashed with 2 fatals. Sounded good in flight but never proved out.
            Lockheed Bob

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            • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

              "Blind Man's Bluff!"

              Wed. 9/16/87-Reno NCAR Qualifying & Practice- Skip Holm drives Eric Lorentzen's big, bad & bodacious Super Sea Fury- #88-"Blind Man's Bluff" down onto the W. Chute's "Valley of Speed". Holm qualified the radically-modified Hawker 10th-fastest in the Unlimited Class @ 394.103-mph. Despite multiple engine changes during race week, the BMB team under crew chief-Larry Burton, managed to snag 2nd-place in Sunday's Silver final w/their rookie UNL raceplane entry.

              DBD
              Attached Files
              Last edited by BuckyD; 08-03-2010, 09:24 AM.

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              • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                "Awesome Rainbow!"

                DG's Race #97-"Mr. Awesome", basks in the soft light of a sunset rainbow on the Stead Field ramp at Reno '89.

                DBD
                Attached Files
                Last edited by BuckyD; 08-05-2010, 03:49 PM.

                Comment


                • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                  Originally posted by BuckyD View Post
                  "Awesome Rainbow!"

                  DG's Race #97-"Mr. Awesome", basks in the soft light of a sunset rainbow on the Stead Field ramp at Reno '89.

                  DBD
                  Such a cool pic.... the ol mr awesome.. what an over engined beast
                  race fan, photographer with more cameras than a camera store

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                  • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                    "UNSUNG HEROES" - Keep 'Em Flyin'!

                    Thurs. 9/14/89-Reno NCAR- As the sun goes down on Stead Field, the crew of Fighter Rebuilder's Race #1-'Super Corsair' are seen thrashing away working on their massive P&W R-4360 28-cylinder radial engine-the biggest roudy motor in Unlimited Class air racing (w/56-ea. special Champion platinum spark plugs to change!). BTW-The guy at lower right isn't wearing a polka dot shirt either (well, sort of...)

                    DBD
                    Attached Files

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                    • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                      "AMPHIBIAN FAMILY" - Widgeon, Goose, Mallard & Albatross

                      Fri. 7/16/93-Priest Lake, Idaho- All four types of Grumman Aircraft's twin-engined flying boat amphibian designs gather-up in stacked right echelon formation over Priest Lake, for this ultra-rare aviation family portrait (pictured L-R):

                      * Merrill Wien's winsome J4F-1 Widgeon- N1340 (s/n 1228)

                      * Larry Teufel's gorgeous G-21A Goose- N48550 (s/n 1061)

                      * Reid Dennis' magnificent G-73 Mallard- N2945 (s/n J-8)

                      * Dennis Buehn's almighty SA-16A Albatross- N9722B (s/n 137927)

                      Photoplane- Steve Hamilton's sleek Super Widgeon- N111W (s/n1420)

                      "Comin' by Grumman!"

                      DBD
                      Attached Files

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                      • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                        MAN!!! What a flight
                        "dont believe ANYTHING you hear and about HALF of what you see"...................J. Mott 1994

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                        • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                          "Pipe Signature"

                          DBD
                          Attached Files

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                          • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                            Thats a really cool shot. Thanks.

                            Will

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                            • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                              "Leading The Lady".....

                              Fri. 3/18/94-Phoenix 500 Air Races- The large & lovely Lockheed MATS Connie (C-121A N494W) is guided-in towards her display parking slot, upon arrival following UNL Race Heat-1A. After delighting airshow fans for several seasons, on 4/1/05 this Constellation departed the USA for her new home in Korea.

                              Here's a couple links to historian Ralph M. Pettersen's marvelous website devoted to Constellation history, that has some great history on this beautiful bird & her classic big-iron breed:

                              http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-mats_connie_flying.htm

                              http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-mats_connie_korea.htm

                              I got to fly aboard commercial Connie airliners as a kid passenger many times, an experience I'll always recall w/great fondness.

                              DBD
                              Attached Files
                              Last edited by BuckyD; 08-11-2010, 09:17 AM.

                              Comment


                              • Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

                                Originally posted by BuckyD View Post
                                "Leading The Lady".....

                                Fri. 3/18/94-Phoenix 500 Air Races- The large & lovely Lockheed MATS Connie (C-121A N494W) is guided-in towards her display parking slot, upon arrival following UNL Race Heat-1A. After delighting airshow fans for several seasons, on 4/1/05 this Constellation departed the USA for her new home in Korea.

                                Here's a couple links to historian Ralph M. Pettersen's marvelous website devoted to Constellation history, that has some great history on this beautiful bird & her classic big-iron breed:

                                http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-mats_connie_flying.htm

                                http://www.conniesurvivors.com/1-mats_connie_korea.htm

                                I got to fly aboard commercial Connie airliners as a kid passenger many times, an experience I'll always recall w/great fondness.

                                DBD
                                Oh, man.....for just a second there I thought it might be a picture of the Fish Salmon/Allen Paulson "Red Baron" Connie.

                                But still...what a sexy airplane.

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