Reno 1976

[wingman]

I did love the white airplane...

[CJAM427]

Amazing photos Neal!

Reno '76 has been on my mind a lot lately in researching Sumthin' Else. What a gorgeous airplane, I wish I could have seen it in person.

-Connor

[Lon Moer]

1976 had both a P-39 and a P-63.

My first year at Reno was 1977 and it snowed. I sat in the stands and watched Lefty do aerobatics to entertain while the storm blew through while the rest of my family waited in the car. White airplane against a white background with white snow blowing.

[wingman]

Amazing photos Neal!

Reno '76 has been on my mind a lot lately in researching Sumthin' Else. What a gorgeous airplane, I wish I could have seen it in person.

-Connor

Thank you Connor -- I'm glad you saw this thread. I just last night noticed your Reno thread from last fall which I had completely missed in my general neglect of AAFO. Very nice work there and I'd like to address it separately.

I'm glad you still are thinking about Crocker's Racer -- it is a really interesting and somewhat underappreciated airplane.

Neal

[wingman]

1976 had both a P-39 and a P-63.

My first year at Reno was 1977 and it snowed. I sat in the stands and watched Lefty do aerobatics to entertain while the storm blew through while the rest of my family waited in the car. White airplane against a white background with white snow blowing.

Both Cobras were a special and unexpected treat -- not that I knew enough about the event to have expectations. I think that's the only P-39 that has ever raced at Reno (though it did appear but didn't race with Mira Slovak in the early days). Both were last minute on site fillins when nowhere near enough real racers appeared to have a full schedule.

I got caught out on pylon 2 in shorts and t-shirt in those snow flurries after the Gold Race in 1977. Pylon transportation was supposed to come back for some of us who could not fit into the first run back to HQ. They forgot us. We finally got back after somebody in the tower noticed that there were people wandering down the runway. It was a very cold, very wet, and very windy experience.

There was a lot of very unpleasant weather in Reno in September between the mid 70s and mid 80s!

Neal

[wingman]

1976 had both a P-39 and a P-63.

Remarkably, there was actually a third Cobra in attendance in 1976. This one actually was entered to race, unlike the other two. Lefty qualified #28, but was enlisted to race his P-38, which would have been in the same race. It was raced instead by Gary Levitz.

[Jan]

As Neal remarks, there were undercurrents at the race in 1976. But Eric, Chris and I were elementary school kids so not really tuned in.

The RB was impressive but I'd seen the airplane a lot by then so it wasn't unfamiliar. We kids were more eager to ask Mac if he'd take us out on his houseboat on Lake Eufaula in Alabama as he had earlier that summer. There was a funny incident on the houseboat, famous in Tegler/McClain lore but of little interest to anyone else.

Sumthin' Else was pretty. Crocker was nice. I'll never forget playing DC-10 pilot a couple years later when he called Dad to say he'd be flying through BWI. John was a World Airways DC-10 captain. We hustled over to the airport where he ushered us through the gate after they'd unloaded passengers and we had the run of the cockpit for about an hour while Dad and John shot the breeze.

Meeting Gary Levitz was fun. John Sandberg looked busy. Nice little memories.

Jan

[wingman]

.
Bob Love is listed in #96 "Grey Fox" owned by J. Brassfield, N109DW

He was there, but pretty low profile, I think. Over the preceding 12 years his relationship with Reno had been pretty challenging.

[V1670]

was there in '76. Was there in '72 (first race) anf got to see the P-39 land, taxi and shut-down. That was it. It was so nice to see it FLY and race in '76.




Sumpthin' Else: ALWAYS liked that plane. Always in the hunt, and finally won in '79 (although, I have to wonder since RB was sick). But I'm curious as to the history of the plane. I knew it was the ex-Burnstine "Foxy Lady", but what was the history of the plane PRIOR to Burnstine's ownership?

[Lockheed Bob]

In referance to John Crockers P51 if you can find the N#" Mustangs Mustangs" probably has its history prior to John owning it. I also understand it is under rebuild?