Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

[laminar]

Hey Guys

I apologize if this has already been distributed. I found it over the weekend and thought you guys would dig it.

mean speed,
Elliot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ6EwiSIbx4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc6bh...eature=related

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

Wow... good find, I've not seen that in all the year's since 1979 when I went to my first race and witnessed that crash.. The feeling I got sitting here was about the same as then, sick...

Steve is a very talented and lucky man indeed!

Thanks for sharing that link... as I said, in all these years since, I never saw the WW of Sports show.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

Oh my! My first trip was in 1981, so I never so I've never witnesses the unfortunate event, live or recorded, and I never thought I would.

Many thanks. Now that I've see it, I'm glad I wasn't there to see in person. It must have felt just horrible in real time.


It WAS great to see Lloyd Hamilton, John Crocker and Clay Klabo on the track again. They were still racing when my visits started.

[ChadK]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

Great video! It's amazing how horrifying that crash is even though I knew he survived! I remember watching Red Baron at Mojave several times back in the mid 70's when my stepfather helped work on the plane. It's incredible that Steve survived!

Chad

[JET1]

...and I was there...

...that's kind of tough to watch as I remember it like it was yesterday. Also its tough to see some of those faces .. now gone. God sped gentlemen and thanks for all the good times!

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

great to see it, but i agree it was tough to watch.. especially the radio call right before the baron dropped out of sight...

[flyingjibus]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

I'm glad I wasn't there for that.

Really hard to watch, but cool none the less.

[laminar]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

I was really impressed by the lead Crocker carried throughout the race. What a triumphant victory over the Baron and so soon after it had set the world record. You always hear about the crash of the Baron but it seems like the fact that it had just gotten stomped always comes after you hear about the crash. Shows how much of a crowd favorite the Baron was.

I was also tickled to hear the sound of the Baron, you always hear about how awesome the sound was, of course it was better in person than any recorded interpretation but any hints of what the sound would have been like are always appreciated.

Glad you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.

mean speed,
Elliot

[Lockheed Bob]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

I was there & I remember "Hoover":saying to the rescue vehicles no need to rush after flying over the wreckage & seeing the black smoke & scattered parts. I also sent Steve a get-well card to the Reno hospital while recovering.

[Leo]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

It definately had a sound all it's own, quite a bit different than PM.
I think Crocker would have admitted that he was so far ahead because the RB just wasn't running right, and I remember the look on his face when he got out after the race, it was a bitter victory until he knew that Steve was alive.
If you were there this year for Sunday's crash, the crowd reaction was very similiar. Dead silence until the annoncement that he was OK, then wild cheering.

[Big_Jim]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

I was really impressed by the lead Crocker carried throughout the race. What a triumphant victory over the Baron and so soon after it had set the world record. You always hear about the crash of the Baron but it seems like the fact that it had just gotten stomped always comes after you hear about the crash. Shows how much of a crowd favorite the Baron was.

The \'79 Reno race was really the first chance Crocker had been able to \'stretch the legs\' on Sumthin\' Else. His first year in \'76 he was almost over his head and had the lead by default after the competition dropped out...but broke the deadline on every lap. 77 and 78 he never made the field because of engine issues. And in \'79 at Miami and Mojave he was under strict instructions from Jack Sweeney (who had arranged the sponsorship) to \'save it for Reno\', so he never pushed it until they got to Reno that fall.

Also remember that the Griffon in the RB was the same one that had been thrashed pretty hard just three weeks earlier in setting the 3km, and they didn\'t have time to go through it and tear it down (it was also their only \'race\' engine, since they had blown the primary one during the first attempt at Tonopah). There was a lot of thought at the time that the engine already had issues by the time it got to Reno. And also remember that the RB was NOT top qualifier, AND that it got beat on Friday by Jeannie and on Saturday by Sumthin\' Else. It was not a healthy RB that year at Reno.

I talked to Steve many years ago about this and he agreed that they were down on power all week in \'79, and that they were just trying to make it through the week/race because of the Anhaeuser-Busch sponsorship.

[Ron Lewark]

Re: Reno 1979 (the last flight of the Baron)

Brings back a lot of memories from that year. I'll never forget hearing the engine lock up, and see him disappear on the turn back to the field, and then all the smoke. I remember Hoover on the radio saying, better send the coroner out for Steve, or something close to that. We were so happy and relieved to hear he made it.
Ron