John Crocker

[Big_Jim]

Re: John Crocker

Hi Kiwi -

The answer to your question: "Sumthin Else" (is Miss 'O') = Olivia Crocker, John's wife.

Oh well...day late and a dollar short. Story of my life.

[wingman]

Re: John Crocker

[Big_Jim]

Re: John Crocker

Watch the deadline, there, Sonny....

[Leo]

Re: John Crocker

Beautiful!

[Eric Martin]

Re: John Crocker

Shawn,
Although closely associated to the Cal Warbirds, the B-25 "9G" was owned by Jim Orten, Cecil Harp, and my pops. That thing was my play pen when i would go with my Dad to the airport when I was young. Fischer Price had nothing on that thing.

[Leo]

Re: John Crocker

I remember 9G at a couple of Travis shows. Plain but clean.
Didn't Jim Orten fly the CAF's Sentimental Journey? If he is the same, he brought it up to the ramp crowd one year and then raised the tail and took a bow.
Come to think of it, I have shots of Sumpin Else at Travis, the first time I saw her after Crocker got her.
Thanks for this thread!

[Big_Jim]

Re: John Crocker

Jim Orton was the check pilot for the Arizona Wing of the CAF.

[Airrace7]

Re: John Crocker

He Also raced Section Eight one year at Reno. I don't remember the year but I was there. I remember talking to John and telling him that Doug Driscoll the owner of Section Eight was looking for a race pilot and the next thing I know he was gone looking for Doug and within a few hours John was in the cockpit of that famous P-51 called Section Eight.

Shawn-

Crocker actually raced four different P-51s @ Reno (#9, #2, #6 & #27). Neal has some dandy shots of at least three of them in action (+ the A-26)

Hey Jibus- I LIKE that shot! ('Bout time we saw some more photo offerings from others on this thread!) THX f/posting it!

DBD

[Big_Jim]

Re: John Crocker

within a few hours John was in the cockpit of that famous P-51 called Section Eight.

"Famous"....because it was formerly the Bardahl Special?

[Shawn Aro]

Re: John Crocker

Section eight was also raced by chuck Hall from 1979 to 1981. shawn

[Hawkeye]

Re: John Crocker

He Also raced Section Eight one year at Reno. I don't remember the year but I was there. I remember talking to John and telling him that Doug Driscoll the owner of Section Eight was looking for a race pilot and the next thing I know he was gone looking for Doug and within a few hours John was in the cockpit of that famous P-51 called Section Eight.

"Section Eight" holds a special place in my heart. Before it became Chuck Lyford's Race 8, it was owned and flown by a lady named Joyce Haven who based the Mustang at Concord's Buchannon field from 1956 - 1959. I remember sitting in it when I was 8 years old. My Dad did the maintenance on the Mustang while Mrs. Haven owned and operated the aircraft. When John Crocker got to race "Section Eight" we crewed it along with Tom Camp's "Maniyak" So, I got to work on N2869D almost 40 years after my Dad took care of it. My Dad was still alive and I just had to call him and let him know what I was working on. That was a special time for me. Isn't this sport the greatest!!!!

Hawkeye

[Leo]

Re: John Crocker

I think it was the last year Chuck Hall had it at Reno, he was plagued with engine issues, ignition if I remember right. On one race, he was late starting and headed across the ramp to catch the other racers already running up. As he came even with where I was, the engine went POP and quit. He rolled to a stop, put his shaking head onto the canopy rail and you could almost hear him cursing with dissappointment! Classic pose. Wish I had my slides scanned as it was a great shot.

[BuckyD]

Re: John Crocker

*For the record* -

Yes, indeed- John Crocker raced Doug Driscoll's P-51D Race #27- "Section Eight" (N2869D) at all three of his last air racing competition events:

Reno '94:

Qualified 20th @ 310.858-mph
Thurs. 9/15/94-UNL HT-1B/6th-place @ 281.154-av/mph
Fri. 9/16/94-UNL HT-2C/7th-place @ 287.884-av/mph (f/5-laps)
Sat. 9/17/94-UNL HT3-C/3rd-place @ 296.595-av/mph (Cut P-3/Lap 6)
Sun. 9/18/94-UNL Silver/7th-place @ 295.940-av/mph (f/7-laps)

Phoenix '95:

Qualified 3rd/UNL Stock Division @ 354.175-mph
Sat. 3/25/95-UNL Stk HT-1B/2nd-place @ 267.545-av/mph
Sun. 3/26/95-UNL Stk HT-2B/1st-place @ 301.361-av/mph
Sun. 3/26/95-UNL Stk HT-2A/3rd-place @ 271.234-av/mph

Reno '95:

Qualified 18th @ 333.680-mph
Thur. 9/14/95-UNL HT-1C/3rd-place @ 315.787-av/mph (Cut P-3/Pace Lap)
Fri. 9/15/95-UNL HT-2B/6th-place @ 313.767-av/mph
Sat. 9/16/95-UNL HT-3B/7th-place @ 297.216-av/mph
Sun. 9/17/95-UNL Silver/7th-place @ 287.612-av/mph (f/5-laps)

Here's 3 Reno '95 pics of John Crocker flying #27 "Section Eight" (L-R):
1. Sun. 9/10/95- Crocker taxis-in #27 on arrival at Stead Field
2. Fri. 9/15/95-UNL HT-2B/Lap 2/Outer 4 Pylon
3. Sun. 9/17/95-UNL Silver/Outer 4 Pylon (-John Crocker's final race)

DBD

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: John Crocker

I'm not at all sure how I just wound up reading this thread, but it's wonderful!

I must have missed it when originally posted, an unfortunate byproduct of the way the board messages are delivered to me. I get a copy of every message posted in any forum on the system via email. Because of the volume of messages at times, I sometimes wind up simply "speed reading" while looking for malicious/unsettling/conflict style within posted content. In-turn, this can cause me to skip the actual significance within the content, not really reading *what* the content is during this subjective review process.

I'm missing some good stuff!

[Coyote Chris]

Re: John Crocker

Very very great thread, guys.....oh the memories....