anyone know who bought Miss Merced

[rampmouse]

Darryl Greenameyer's project has migrated north for finishing up and may make it this year to reno. don't know where, maybe someone else knows.
I saw it about 6 weeks ago, on the gear with wings attached, it will be a screamer when they get it done.

[Race5]

Is it still owned by Daryl, or is it at a new home?

[Unregistered]

Darryl Greenamyer's racer is in Laguna Hills, CA. It will be in Andy Chiavetta's new facility in a few weeks. Don't expect it to race before 2005.

Darryl will have his #33 Legacy, with an improved engine, at Reno for 2004.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Originally posted by Race 29
That's why I love this web site! So much info has been passed around almost instantly. Wayne, you have no idea of your value to all of us!

My pleasure Race Two Niner... Version 3.0 of this board software is in almost release version as of now... Wait'll that hits!

It does the images in clickable thumbnail version so that the pages load MUCH faster.. click on the thumb, get the full version. I'll be able to set the thumb size and a bunch options!

One of the advantages of "renting" the board software, rather than outright purchase, I get to upgrade continually. Not that upgrades are fun or not scary! (entire database has to be backed up and HOPE that nothing goes wrong) but it lets us keep up with the "latest greatest" version. This new 3.0 is looking really really good!

Keep up the posting! I'm one of the more entertained of us out there by all of this good stuff!

Wayne

[GWB]

One of the advantages of "renting" the board software, rather than outright purchase, I get to upgrade continually

...and it is sooooooooo much better than the clunky one of just a few years ago!!! Keep up the good work, Wayne!!

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced

That's why I love this web site! So much info has been passed around almost instantly. Wayne, you have no idea of your value to all of us!

Ha! (just re-read this one) err... should I put up a "donate" button so ya's can show me



Wayne

[rwflyboy]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced

yep you ought to put a donate if you wish, cause....

"WE WANT MORE"
"WE WANT MORE"
"WE WANT MORE"
You got the idea of the chant by the masses and it takes a lot of time to manage this beast.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced

yep you ought to put a donate if you wish, cause....

"WE WANT MORE"
"WE WANT MORE"
"WE WANT MORE"
You got the idea of the chant by the masses and it takes a lot of time to manage this beast.

Arrr... that it does!

I might just do that at some point.. but then, that takes time also..

I do appreciate the support!

Wayne

[AAFO_WSagar]

UpdateRe: anyone know who bought Miss Merced

yep you ought to put a donate if you wish, cause....

"WE WANT MORE"
"WE WANT MORE"
"WE WANT MORE"
You got the idea of the chant by the masses and it takes a lot of time to manage this beast.

Well Randy, with much hair pulling and the very generous and extremely talented graphic help from Mark Kallio, I've not only put up "the button" I've given a bit of a "sneak peek" at some things to come (as time allows!) a new look for the site...

Just a peek for now... thass all ya get..... I had to fiddle with Mark's graphic a bit for it to comply with paypal's specs (tiny bit smaller) I don't know about you but, IMHO, the guy (Mr. Kallio) is a first rate artist BIG TIME!!!

Thanks for the "suggestion" ...



Wayne

[rwflyboy]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced

Okay ...since my big mouth got you to put it up there...I had to drop $20.00 In the hat in hopes that others will follow. We at www.unlimitedair.com have received excellent exposure from www.aafo.com and have enjoyed the years of and that we see here....I know Rhino checks up from time to time to see what's going on in here. (even if I have to send him the link to find which postings he ought to check)
Thanks Wayne for an awesome "Bar" to hang out in on the net and man I am glad Marky Mark (K.) has decided to pop in on the backside of the site as well as pull one up to the front side as well...enough bar slang....

Take care, and cheers again for the awesome board......

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced

Okay ...since my big mouth got you to put it up there...I had to drop $20.00 In the hat in hopes that others will follow. We at www.unlimitedair.com have received excellent exposure from www.aafo.com and have enjoyed the years of and that we see here....I know Rhino checks up from time to time to see what's going on in here. (even if I have to send him the link to find which postings he ought to check)
Thanks Wayne for an awesome "Bar" to hang out in on the net and man I am glad Marky Mark (K.) has decided to pop in on the backside of the site as well as pull one up to the front side as well...enough bar slang....

Take care, and cheers again for the awesome board......

Thanks Randy! Tough decision to "pass the hat" and hopefully, that decision will not be taken in bad taste by the visitors to the site.

We took a chance in the first couple of years with this site to attend a lot of events to produce a lot of material, and produce we did. However, the expenses of that gambol, mostly done on err.. time payment, finally caught up to us and we were left with little choice. As most have noted, we have not been doing as much with this site over the last 12 months or so.. Largely due to having to spend lot of our time working on other projects in order to fund this one.

That process will continue but, hopefully, we will be able to get more "stuff" coming in on aafo and keep the content fresh and timely..

It's an ongoing process and we'll be asking for help in other ways soon, hopefully..

A lot of you are able to attend your local shows, we hope to be able to offer some sort of "incentives" to get reports in from some of you on those events. If it all works out, it should be good for everyone concerned..

If you are planning on attending any shows this year, big or small, have a decent digital camera and want further details, PM me and I'll let you in on my ideas..

Wayne

[Eric Woelbing]

Re: EXCELLENT NEWS!!!

Glad to hear that we may see Miss Merced on the pylons again.....Hope the paint stays the same too.

I don't think I will be taking Miss Merced to Reno this year after all.
But to all that were wanting to know, Yes ! Miss Merced is staying in her curent paint. Race # 87 . And no , There is nothing wrong with her. She is flying great ! If all goes well around here we should be at Reno 2005.
Look for Miss Merced at a air show near you. Or request to see her .

[bassasasin]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced, Signal Sea Fury

Miss Merced ? I knew it as Mike Carrol's Signal Sea Fury (perhaps because it hangared near Signal Hill, Long Beach) plane back in 67-68..
Hangared in my ol Air Scouts hangout (later named Jacobson Aviation) for the Boy Scouts on the west end of Long Beach Airport where I learned to fly. Also next door to the Pregnant Guppy hangar often used to transport the ol Saturn rocket parts. Previously I believe it was mostly red painted. Mike had it repainted mostly yellow with no blue cowling flames at the time. It also had the 5 blade prop that turned counter clockwise, if I remember.
I also watched Mike buy it in in Long Beach. He took off one Saturday I believe and flew out over me at the Long Beach college towards the Long Beach marina. Moments later Ed Wiemer flew over with the mustang. The story was he took off in another plane, P39 that ran out of gas. The mechanic allowed him to go out to run it up the engine testing of the new overhaul install. The plane was not topped off and instead of the run up he cleared for take off and made it about 5 miles somewhere off the end of the runway in what was then open wetlands. Ed Wiemer another racer hangered in the same hangar took off chasing him with his checkerboard Mustang but failed to catch up or help. Or was it Ed that bought it. Its been a long time.

I saw a photo posted here of the Signal Sea Fury parked at Long Beach in 64' (before the yellow paint job), on this net but cant find it now. Could anyone help with that.

Bassasasin@aol.com

[speeddemon]

Cobra III

The "Signal" in Signal Sea Fury was for Signal Trucking Lines, which was owned and operated by Mike's family.

The P-39 in question (as has been discussed a few times here on the board) was the old Cobra II, re-worked and re-named Cobra III. The common story given, and reported in most of the av rags at the time, was that the airplane went out of control, into a flat spin, and that when Mike jettisoned the cockpit door to get out, he hit the empennage and it knocked him out.

BellCobraIV might be able to back me up on this, due to his EXTENSIVE amount of hangar flying over the years (and due to the fact that a close, mutual friend of ours related 'his' version of the story to me).

As it was told to me by my friend, who was a witness to the flight that day, Mike did not lose control of the aircraft. The "Cobra" series of aircraft has the drive shaft for the prop running under the pilots seat, and at certain power settings, thrashes and vibrates the cockpit to death, just due to the location and physics...but that it settles out as the plane gets to cruising speeds.

Cobra III had been modified to take the same type of big, 4-bladed 'paddle-prop' that it ran with as Cobra II. In the book COBRA!, by Birch Matthews, it has an interview with Tex Johnston, who in addition to racing Cobra II at Cleveland, was also a Bell test pilot and knew the flight characteristics of a P-39. He stated that the big 4-blade put off a lot more vibration and made a lot more noise than the standard 3-blade of a stock P-39--which aparently was bad enough to start with.

Now, Mike Carroll had never flown a P-39 before in his life. The flight that Cobra III accidented on was the first post-restoration flight, so Mike had nothing to compare it to. Mike was a good stick, but in all fairness, he was not a high-time pilot with lots of high performance aircraft experience. When you get to be a Bob Hoover and/or Skip Holm, you can pretty much jump into any 'unfamiliar' airframe and be ready for anything. I don't feel Mike Carroll was anywhere near that level of experience. (NTSB report says: 200 total hours, 0 in type)

E.D. Weiner WAS flying chase in his Mustang, but from the first-hand account I was told, E.D. said he didn't know WHAT happened, that Mike had just reported a problem and jumped out.

My friend speculated that while still at take-off power, that big prop gave Mike a real scare with all the massive vibration...and that once he got the airplane 'clean' on takeoff, he couldn't figure out what the problem was, panicked, and jumped out.

After that, Mike did hit the horizontal stabilizer, and was either killed outright, or was knocked out and fell to his death without opening his chute.

Take the story for what it is worth. I put a lot of faith in the words this friend of mine told me...as he pretty much spoke of the truth. I tend to believe this version more than the flat spin explanation (owing to the fact that the only person to view the incident was E.D. Weiner, and he said Mike bailed out under 'controlled' circumstances.)

The NTSB report states that the aircraft went out of control at low altitude, but that was after the pilot departed the aircraft. The final conclusion of the report was "Attempted Operation beyond Experience/Ability Level of pilot"

Just my .02

John Slack.....you got comments to add to this story?


Brad

[Victor Archer]

Re: anyone know who bought Miss Merced, Signal Sea Fury

I saw a photo posted here of the Signal Sea Fury parked at Long Beach in 64' (before the yellow paint job), on this net but cant find it now. Could anyone help with that.

Bassasasin@aol.com

Is this the photo your looking for?
My Dad took this photo just after it arived from Canada.