Shoestring racers

[Tosg]

Re: Shoestring racers

Wonderful pictures of Shoestring. In particular, the photo in Post 44 (scan 14) is very interesting. This appears to be just prior to or right after an early test flight (possibly the first flight), I believe at Van Nuys. In the cockpit is Herman "Fish" Salmon, Lockheed Test Pilot and post war air racer. Standing behind the cockpit in the dark shirt is Bob Downey, who raced Shoestring for its first outing at Cleveland in 1949. Leaning on the wing is Vince Ast, one of the builders of Shoestring who also raced it later on. Holding the canopy is one of the all-time greats, Tony LeVier. I'm not sure who is leaning into the cockpit or the identity of any others in the photo, perhaps AirRick can elaborate.

[Apteryx]

Re: Shoestring racers

Wonderful pictures of Shoestring. In particular, the photo in Post 44 (scan 14) is very interesting. This appears to be just prior to or right after an early test flight (possibly the first flight), I believe at Van Nuys. In the cockpit is Herman "Fish" Salmon, Lockheed Test Pilot and post war air racer. Standing behind the cockpit in the dark shirt is Bob Downey, who raced Shoestring for its first outing at Cleveland in 1949. Leaning on the wing is Vince Ast, one of the builders of Shoestring who also raced it later on. Holding the canopy is one of the all-time greats, Tony LeVier. I'm not sure who is leaning into the cockpit or the identity of any others in the photo, perhaps AirRick can elaborate.

Might be Rodney Kreimendahl, believe he was involved in the airplane at the time.

[stuntflyr]

Re: Shoestring racers

Look at those three 10-12 year old boys at the wingtip, best looks of satisfaction and excitement ever. Do we still have that excitement for aviation in our nations youth?
Chris...

[AiRick]

Re: Shoestring racers

perhaps AirRick can elaborate.

You did as well as I can. Just my uncle Carl "Bud" Ast and my grandfather . Yes that was the first test flight. My Dad used to joke that "Fish" Salmon had done the test flight of the smallest aircraft and the largest " Lockheed Constellation" Somewhere there is a photo of the Shoestring under a Connie. I always wondered who he kids were in the photo , they would be in there 70's now. Here are a few other photos...

[Tosg]

Re: Shoestring racers

Shown in photo #1 is Bob Downey and Carl Ast. In photo #3 is John Paul Jones, who raced Shoestring at Detroit (and won) in the early 1950's and later raced at Reno in the 1970's, flying #21 Stinger.

[N22252]

Re: Shoestring racers

Look at those three 10-12 year old boys at the wingtip, best looks of satisfaction and excitement ever. Do we still have that excitement for aviation in our nations youth?
Chris...

Yes, but without a mentor, they never find their way on to an airport.

[bkreimen]

Re: Shoestring racers

Photo 14 leaning over the engine cowl is Carl Ast, one of the principal owners of Shoestring and fabricator of all metal hardware and engine work. At the wing tip is my older brother Steve Kreimendahl and I think myself at the far left, but not sure. I do have the orginal pencil on vellum general arrangement drawing of Shoestring. My father wanted to be a part of the Cosmic Wind team at Lockheed but was too late. So he started his own group to build Shoestring and everyone involved put in a dollar a week towards the construction. Eventually most dropped out. When Carl and my dad registered the airplane to race they were given the number 16. All the guys said the airplane should be named Sweet Sixteen. My mother suggested the name Shoestring, because that is how it was built on a shoestring budget, and the guys like it. I want to thank whoever posted these photos that I have never seen in my life. The first photos of my dad, Rod Kreimendahl, and Carl Ast were taken in the garage at our North Hollywood, CA house. All other photos of the airplane under construction were taken at Van Nuys airport in a hangar that was on the old east west runway, no longer in existence. My brother and I spent many weekend days at Van Nuys airport and in those days the National Guard squadreon flew P-51. I can remember sitting out in front of the hangar watching a returning flight of P-51 snake down the taxiway. Great fun.

[bkreimen]

Re: Shoestring racers

AiRick, are you Carl Ast's son? If so I drove with your father to the 1965 Reno Air Races. Bryan Kreimendahl

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Shoestring racers

Photo 14 leaning over the engine cowl is Carl Ast, one of the principal owners of Shoestring and fabricator of all metal hardware and engine work. At the wing tip is my older brother Steve Kreimendahl and I think myself at the far left, but not sure. I do have the original pencil on vellum general arrangement drawing of Shoestring. My father wanted to be a part of the Cosmic Wind team at Lockheed but was too late. So he started his own group to build Shoestring and everyone involved put in a dollar a week towards the construction.

Once again, I'm absolutely in awe of what the Internet makes possible! That people can be found, stories told, it makes history unfold in front of our eyes. Being able to have the historic photos shown, then, get to meet one of the people in those photos, get the background story... again, awesome!

Welcome to the Hangar!

[AiRick]

Re: Shoestring racers

AiRick, are you Carl Ast's son? If so I drove with your father to the 1965 Reno Air Races. Bryan Kreimendahl

So Your Rod's son! No not Carl's son I'm Vincent's son , Carl "Bud" Ast was my uncle. My dad had a lot of nice things to say about your dad. As the story goes my dad and uncle had the maintenance shop in Van Nuys they were taking care of many planes and some big racers. I.E. "Magic Town" for the Bendix and were working on the Cosmic Winds for Lavier. My dad said lots of guys from Lockheed and Northrop were hanging around the airport after work and approached Bud about building a plane after hours .Your father was mentioned as being the right person to design her.I remember my dad saying your mother named her "Shoestring" as they did not even have money to get an engine and thats were Bob Downey was involved.My Dad was co-builder and owner till about '51 , he had gotten out of racing and was flying corporate down in South America then and had heard that his brother and others were flying the Shoestring so he got the airplane out of his name before someone got hurt. I remember him saying that he could not even understand how his brother fit in it as he was larger then him and the plane was built around my Dad. I had asked my Dad why he had not flown the Shoestring in Cleveland , he said that the Cosmic Winds were built and owned by Lockheed test pilots I.E. Lavier and Salmon and Lockheed found out and put a stop to that. They didn't mind them flying the P38's and P-51's but not a midget racer built in a hanger! So they needed pilots for the Cosmic Winds and Downey had started to fly for Lavier but some bad blood came about for some reason. So My Dad flew Ballerina and Bob flew the Shoestring in Cleveland. I still have the trophy for 4th in my office. Send me your e-mail and I will send you some better scan photos and I will give you my original photos of Bud and your Dad over the wing. Did you go into designing as your father? I followed aviation I'm currently on the 757 with Delta... Eric ericdaust@mac.com photos of my father below:

[bkreimen]

Re: Shoestring racers

AiRick, is your dad, Vinnie as I remember him being called, still a live? Was your dad a WWII military pilot? I can be reached via email at: thekreimens@aol.com. I find these old photos, most which I have never seen before, to be absolutely interesting and have a lot of meaning for me. Money was so tight in those years that yes the first flight and race of Shoestring was with a motor Bob Downey bought and therefore he got to race/pilot the airplane. My mother mentioned "bad blood" but never elaborated. When the guy eventually bought their own engine I can remember the guys tied up the fuselage to a phone poll along the side street to our house in North Hollywood to "break -in" the engine. I have always been a fan of Shoestring. When Whitey Anderson asked Carl and Jonesy (John Paul Jones) to race Shoestring in 1965, I was there at age 19. When Whitey sold Shoestring in '66 is when Jonesy and Carl started Stinger, an Art Williams design. After the early '70s I lost contact with Carl. I can remember driving to his house in Big Bear. What ever happened to Carl and his wife?

[AiRick]

Re: Shoestring racers

Bryan, He never liked being called Vinnie, later on he introduced himself as Vince. He got checked out on the P-51's in '45 just as the war ended. I remember Big Bear as a kid, lots of steeps up to the house! Bud and his wife past away many years now. My father past away a little more that 4 years ago. He moved to Reno over 25 years ago , I moved here about 13 years now. I will send a message to your e-mail and burn a disk with all my photos.... I was wondering are you in the photos below? That was when they were getting the Shoestring ready to trailer her out to Cleveland?

[AiRick]

Re: Shoestring racers

Bryan is this you in the far left? Thats my Dad on the wing on the far right next to Bud.

[f1-69]

Re: Shoestring racers

Randy if you are seeing these call me let's get the yellow jacket goinWe can have it ready for 2013

[Big_Jim]

Re: Shoestring racers

Randy if you are seeing these call me let's get the yellow jacket goinWe can have it ready for 2013

I will most certainly drink to that notion. We were going to call it "G-String"...and somewhere I still have the artwork that I designed for the shirts we were going to print up.