Jimmy Leeward Air Race Photo Memories
Jimmy Leeward Air Race Photo Memories-
Been a month now, and wanted to wait a bit before I resumed posting more raceplane photos of mine here on the board. So I deem the timing both fitting & appropriate for me to try now to get back into my favorite passion, by resuming w/this simple thread in tribute to the memory of air racer- Jimmy Leeward. Nothing fancy, just random photo selections fm the archives- featuring Jimmy flying his favorite raceplanes, taken over the years I've been an aviation photo-journalist. Hope you all enjoy them & that they bring back good memories of good times at the air races.
"Blue Skies - Jimmy Leeward"
Don 'Bucky' Dawson
Photos (L-R/Top-to-bottom):
1. Mon. 9/9/02- Portrait shot of Jimmy Leeward in the cockpit of his P-51D #9-"Cloud Dancer", w/Jimmy enthusiastically-responding to a greeting fm a good friend on the ramp, before lighting-off his RR Merlin V-12 f/an engine test-run. (This is how I wish to remember Jimmy in my own mind.)
2. Mon. 9/17/07- 3/4-frontal portrait of Race #9-"Cloud Dancer" on the Stead Field ramp looking the part of her given name, is one of my favorite captures of this shiny beautiful Mustang. This was taken on post-race week departures Monday, and that's actually Jimmy's son- Dirk in the cockpit,-conducting a pre-shutdown engine power runup following his taxi-in after making a flight.
3. Thur. 9/14/00- Shot fm Stead Field Tower, Jimmy Leeward & Cloud Dancer takeoff past Home Pylon for the start of UNL Heat-1B, w/his race #9 super-imposed nicely in place of the 'O' in RENO.
4. Sat. 9/16/06- Jimmy & Cloud Dancer come roaring-by Outer 6 Pylon during UNL Heat-3B,-glistening in the bright Nevada desert sunshine against a cobalt blue sky. This was my favorite-of-all racing configurations & color schemes for Cloud Dancer over the years. She just looked sweet & FAST!
5. Sun. 9/17/00- Exciting photo capture of- 'Unlimited Class closed-course pylon racing competition at its' best, showing Jimmy Leeward doing what he loved so dearly. Jimmy & #9-Cloud Dancer battle it out f/position with Brian Sanders' big Hawker Sea Fury #114-Argonaut going by the E. Start/Guide Pylon. Sanders prevailed to finish 5th @ 389.298-av/mph, w/Leeward flying on Brian's heels to come-in 6th @ 388.777 & Jimmy being hotly-pursued in-turn by the late/great air racer-Gary Hubler, who was flying Bill Rheinschild's Hawker #117-Bad Attitude @ 388.365.
6. Mon. 9/9/85- "Jack Rabbit Rouster"- Jimmy bought Wiley Sanders' venerable 2-time UNL Gold national champion Mustang- the venerable #69-Jeannie/NX79111 right after Reno '82 & tried-on a couple new identities f/his new race team stablemate to Cloud Dancer: Race 'X'-Specter at Reno '83 and #44-Leeward Air Ranch Spcl f/Reno '84, before settling-on the yellow-bird #9-LARS. This Cokin 'super-speed' filter special effects shot captures Jimmy's 8th-fastest 426.506-mph UNL qualifying run while flying right down-low along the W. Chute's "Valley Of Speed".
7. Sat. 9/17/83- The Reno-based Skyfire film crew covers the legendary aviator- Robert A. 'Bob' Hoover interviewing racer Jimmy Leeward about his newly-aquired Gold Unlimited Mustang NX79111- Race 'X' Specter and Jimmy's strategies for winning the trophy.
8. Fri. 9/16/11- 'Last Time Around'- Jimmy Leeward & NX79111- Race #177-"Galloping Ghost" are captured running very-fast during Lap-2 of this year's ill-fated UNL Heat-2A while holding-down 3rd-place ahead of Stew Dawson in #77-Rare Bear, just seconds before their tragic accident seconds later after turning Outer 8 to enter the main straightaway.
9. Reno '81- Jimmy Leeward & Cloud Dancer's sunset Stead Field arrival is beautifully-captured in a taxi-in profile on Kodachrome. Jimmy told me he absolutely-loved this picture, noting that the low-angle highlighting on Cloud Dancer reminded him of a fresh wild spring salmon. (He loved fishing as much as I do).
10. Reno '81- Jimmy Leeward sunset arrival silhouette portrait @ Reno/Stead Field, Nevada. "R.I.P.-JL"... DBD
Been a month now, and wanted to wait a bit before I resumed posting more raceplane photos of mine here on the board. So I deem the timing both fitting & appropriate for me to try now to get back into my favorite passion, by resuming w/this simple thread in tribute to the memory of air racer- Jimmy Leeward. Nothing fancy, just random photo selections fm the archives- featuring Jimmy flying his favorite raceplanes, taken over the years I've been an aviation photo-journalist. Hope you all enjoy them & that they bring back good memories of good times at the air races.
"Blue Skies - Jimmy Leeward"
Don 'Bucky' DawsonPhotos (L-R/Top-to-bottom):
1. Mon. 9/9/02- Portrait shot of Jimmy Leeward in the cockpit of his P-51D #9-"Cloud Dancer", w/Jimmy enthusiastically-responding to a greeting fm a good friend on the ramp, before lighting-off his RR Merlin V-12 f/an engine test-run. (This is how I wish to remember Jimmy in my own mind.)
2. Mon. 9/17/07- 3/4-frontal portrait of Race #9-"Cloud Dancer" on the Stead Field ramp looking the part of her given name, is one of my favorite captures of this shiny beautiful Mustang. This was taken on post-race week departures Monday, and that's actually Jimmy's son- Dirk in the cockpit,-conducting a pre-shutdown engine power runup following his taxi-in after making a flight.
3. Thur. 9/14/00- Shot fm Stead Field Tower, Jimmy Leeward & Cloud Dancer takeoff past Home Pylon for the start of UNL Heat-1B, w/his race #9 super-imposed nicely in place of the 'O' in RENO.
4. Sat. 9/16/06- Jimmy & Cloud Dancer come roaring-by Outer 6 Pylon during UNL Heat-3B,-glistening in the bright Nevada desert sunshine against a cobalt blue sky. This was my favorite-of-all racing configurations & color schemes for Cloud Dancer over the years. She just looked sweet & FAST!
5. Sun. 9/17/00- Exciting photo capture of- 'Unlimited Class closed-course pylon racing competition at its' best, showing Jimmy Leeward doing what he loved so dearly. Jimmy & #9-Cloud Dancer battle it out f/position with Brian Sanders' big Hawker Sea Fury #114-Argonaut going by the E. Start/Guide Pylon. Sanders prevailed to finish 5th @ 389.298-av/mph, w/Leeward flying on Brian's heels to come-in 6th @ 388.777 & Jimmy being hotly-pursued in-turn by the late/great air racer-Gary Hubler, who was flying Bill Rheinschild's Hawker #117-Bad Attitude @ 388.365.
6. Mon. 9/9/85- "Jack Rabbit Rouster"- Jimmy bought Wiley Sanders' venerable 2-time UNL Gold national champion Mustang- the venerable #69-Jeannie/NX79111 right after Reno '82 & tried-on a couple new identities f/his new race team stablemate to Cloud Dancer: Race 'X'-Specter at Reno '83 and #44-Leeward Air Ranch Spcl f/Reno '84, before settling-on the yellow-bird #9-LARS. This Cokin 'super-speed' filter special effects shot captures Jimmy's 8th-fastest 426.506-mph UNL qualifying run while flying right down-low along the W. Chute's "Valley Of Speed".
7. Sat. 9/17/83- The Reno-based Skyfire film crew covers the legendary aviator- Robert A. 'Bob' Hoover interviewing racer Jimmy Leeward about his newly-aquired Gold Unlimited Mustang NX79111- Race 'X' Specter and Jimmy's strategies for winning the trophy.
8. Fri. 9/16/11- 'Last Time Around'- Jimmy Leeward & NX79111- Race #177-"Galloping Ghost" are captured running very-fast during Lap-2 of this year's ill-fated UNL Heat-2A while holding-down 3rd-place ahead of Stew Dawson in #77-Rare Bear, just seconds before their tragic accident seconds later after turning Outer 8 to enter the main straightaway.
9. Reno '81- Jimmy Leeward & Cloud Dancer's sunset Stead Field arrival is beautifully-captured in a taxi-in profile on Kodachrome. Jimmy told me he absolutely-loved this picture, noting that the low-angle highlighting on Cloud Dancer reminded him of a fresh wild spring salmon. (He loved fishing as much as I do).
10. Reno '81- Jimmy Leeward sunset arrival silhouette portrait @ Reno/Stead Field, Nevada. "R.I.P.-JL"... DBD
Attached Files
Comment