trivia

[Shawn Aro]

can you named all the owl racers i start off with fang

[wingman]

Re: trivia

lil'Quickie/Aloha/Alley Cat, Pogo, #7 Wise Owl. I think there was one (#74 Lucy P) raced by a Jeff Sawyer in which he later was killed.

Neal

[Shawn Aro]

Re: trivia

i think it was number 22 not sure the named

[Ken from PG]

Re: trivia

Shawn and Neal,
You guys have a bucket full of knowledge, especially in the details department. Could you share more? Love hearing how the history of the racing community becomes intertwined.

Ken

[Shawn Aro]

Re: trivia

back during the dayes Sylivia Sweeney did a story George Owl and his races in the NAG newsletter that were i get my trivia form

[RandyGoss75]

Re: trivia

lil'Quickie/Aloha/Alley Cat, Pogo, #7 Wise Owl. I think there was one (#74 Lucy P) raced by a Jeff Sawyer in which he later was killed.

Neal

Errol Johnstad was killed in the #74 airplane, "Harvey's Wallbanger"

[Tosg]

Re: trivia

George Owl was an accomplished aeronautical engineer who worked primarily for North American Aviation. He was heavily involved with the design configuration of the XB-70, along with many other aircraft. His involvement with air racing started shortly after graduating from Parks college, when he and some other Parks alumni designed and built a Goodyear class racer (IF-1) for competition. This a/c, #87 PAR special (Parks Alumni Racer) was a pusher type, with a "Y" tail, main wheels buried in the fuselage, and a long prop extension shaft. The aircraft raced in the fifties, but was not competitive due to problems with the extension shaft. During this time frame he also designed a high wing sport racer #19 "Midget Monocoupe" that was entered in a late 1960's race back east, but not allowed to compete. George returned to air racing in the late 1960's, when he designed and supervised the construction of #87 "Pogo" for John and Joan Alford. George went on to design several more successful racers, and was the F-1 technical director for the old PRPA for many years. He passed away in the early 1980's. A list of his racing aircraft is as follows:

1950's #87 "PAR Spl." - broken up for parts.

1950's-? #19 "Midget Monocoupe" - unknown.

1969-present #87 "Pogo" - last raced by Kathy Gray, still in existance.

1970 #2 (Great Britain) " Ricochet" - crashed fatally on a ferry flight home from it's first competition when a prop blade failed and pulled the engine from the mounts.

1972-1982 #11 "Fang", "Hell's Angel" - built for Bernie and Jim Stevenson, later owned by Ray Cote and Norton Thomas. Destroyed in a forced landing at Oroville, CA during a practice flight for a possible speed record attempt, severely injuring pilot Dennis Vest. Aircraft threw a prop blade when accelerating and descending into the speed trap, was set down at high speed on a golf course, coming to rest in a tree. Dennis recovered from his injuries and has returned to racing, finishing third in the Biplane Gold this year.

1972-1974 #22 "Yellow Peril" - built by Ralph Wise. Crashed fatally at Upland, CA on a test flight with a new owner.

1972-present #71, #1, #4 "Lil' Quickie", "Aloha", "Alley Cat" - Multi time Reno F-1 champion with Vince DeLuca (builder/pilot) in 1976 and Ray Cote in later years. Heavily damaged in mid-air collision at Reno 2007, flown by Jason Somes.

1978-1987 #74 "Exorcist Jr.", "Lucy P", "Harvey's Wallbanger" - built but not raced in the early 1970's. First raced at Reno in 1978 with Don DeWalt, who was killed that year in the T-6 mid-air. Re-appeared in 1985 extensively modified by Jeff Sawyer. Sold to a group that included former Reno airshow announcer Harvey Denton, crashed fatally during practice at Reno 1987 with Errol Johnstad.

1979-present #7 "Wise Owl" - The last design of George Owl. Built by Ralph Wise, later owned and flown by Kirk Hanna. Last reported in a museum in the Pacific Northwest.

Note: Jeff Sawyer was killed on the first flight of his new racer (not an Owl design) shortly before Reno 1987.

[Arch Adamisin]

Re: trivia

I was just wondering if there were any good photos or drawings of the Mini Monocoupe? I have the Hirsch books and there is one small photo, but I was hoping there might be others out there.

Arch

[dxlyj]

Re: trivia

I was just wondering if there were any good photos or drawings of the Mini Monocoupe? I have the Hirsch books and there is one small photo, but I was hoping there might be others out there.

Arch

Don Berliner posted in the www.1F1AirRacing forum 3/5/05:

Richard,

I think I can help you some. I have a lot of color photos of the Midget Monocoupe, taken by Bob Pauley.

Moreover, I was at a race in Florida in the 1960's when Chuck Andrews tested the airplane and rejected it firmly! He didn't want anyone to fly it, let alone race it.

In that period it belonged to Henry Watts, who raced Sport Biplanes. I'll have to do some checking to see if I have anything on its present whereabouts.

Don Berliner
Society of Air Racing Historians
rofuf@konsulting.com