'BUCK SHOTS'

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

Hey, glad you guys liked seeing all these ole' big-iron vee-motor Gold thoroughbred racin' hosses pictured back together again. Seeing them as a herd makes it easy to appreciate just how strikingly-beautiful & exotic-looking a super-modified Unlimited can be (&-'FAST!' too). As 'seasoned' race fans, w/alot of years under our belts, we've been very-fortunate to have been on hand to witness & enjoy these awesome speed-machines during their competitive heydays.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

" FAN-tastic! " ~

Sun. 9/18/88-Reno NCAR: Lefty Gardner's Reno '76 UNL Gold Trophy-winning North American P-51D Mustang racer- #25-"Thunderbird" (N6168C) gets a ground-test runup of its' Rolls-Royce V-12 Merlin engine, while spotted facing towards the ascending hot Nevada desert sun.

"Propeller Aesthetics"- knowing how one's camera shutter-speed settings will dictate the prop-arc capture, is fundamental technique in aviation photography when shooting prop-driven aircraft, both on the ground and while in flight. Desired effects & degree of-'blade fan blur' (-all the way up-to~'full-disc'), is a matter of personal tastes.

One thing's a 'given': stopping a moving prop using fast shutter-speeds (which gives you-'stick blades') is a definate- "no-no"!

Unless, of course, the airplane is at or near- 'direct-profile' in your photo-capture composition, when 'freezing' a prop isn't so noticeable....

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Silver Centaurs!" ~

Sun. 9/20/87-Reno NCAR-UNL Silver Race: Vintage archive photo capture of the back end of start of Sunday's 8-lap Silver final start over Lemmon Valley, has Dean Cutshall's P-51D Mustang #91-'E2S' (a.k.a.-'Cutter's Capers') battling f/position against a 'fiercesome-foursome' of all Centaurus-engined Hawker Sea Furies: C.J. Stephens is flying Lloyd Hamilton's #16-"Baby Gorilla" & holding-down the inside track, w/Dennis Sanders in #924 leading Wally McDonnell's #106-"Notso Furias" & Bob Guilford in Dale Clarke's #40-"Nuthin' Special" racing w/Cutshall on the outside.

John Putnam-flying Wiley Sanders' P-51D #69-"Georgia Mae" won this Silver event @ 402.323-av/mph, w/Skip Holm flying the Levolor R-3350-powered Super Sea Fury #88-"Blind Man's Bluff" finishing 2nd @ 367.329-mph after a dogfight w/Howard Pardue's 3rd-place F8F-1 Bearcat (366.366). Cutshall/#91 came-in 4th @ 354.982 in a close duel w/Stephens/#16 in 5th place @ 354.896, followed in turn by~ Sanders/#924 (333.254), McDonnell/#106 (327.741), Guilford/#40 (308.489)-who all only flew 7-laps. Guido Zuccoli was tail-end Charlie in his Merlin-powered Fiat G-59 #59-"Ciao Bella" (281.000) & completed 6-laps.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Phoenix Furies"~

Sat. 3/19/94-Phoenix 500 Air Races: A trio of 'Big Roundy' radial-engined Hawker Sea Furies rest together in their pit stalls f/the night on the ramp during the inaugural-running of the Williams Gateway Airport event. Pictured proudly-sporting their roundels are~ Lloyd Hamilton's #16-"Baby Gorilla" (N588) and the Sanders Family's- #8-"Dreadnought" (NX20SF) & #924 (N924G).

DBD

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

Bucky, I don't know if we can ever thank you enough for what you bring to this site with your photography... but I'll try...

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

[Big_Jim]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

Bucky told me that he designed the paint job to be a "gold-producing machine".

I like this picture because of how the gold bubbles and swirls...like it's liquid gold coming out of the exhaust.

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

For the sake of clarity~ Brad's referring to my design concept explanation relating specifically to the prop-engine pkg. portion of the scheme.

A~'Gold Mill',-as in ancient medieval Alchemy.

DBD

'P.S.' ~ Hey, thanks Wayne. Nice to be appreciated by 'Ye Webmeister'. Okay, now send me an aafo hat (black), man.

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Fast & Beautiful!" ~ NXT Sport Racers

Even though Jeff Lavelle's recent amazing Sport Gold Trophy race win @ Reno '12 (393.552-av/mph!) flying his relatively-stock airframe Glasair III #39 blew everybody's mind, Jon Sharp's Race #3X-"Nemesis NXT" (N333XT) still holds the Sport/Super-Sport Class Qualifying (412.554-MPH) & Race (407.061-av/mph) Speed Records set back at Reno 2009 NCAR.

Both Jon & NXT Race #3X are retired, but race fans remain stoked they've been able to still enjoy some great NXT race presence in the class coming from other examples of these slick beauties.

Many of us have been rooting for Kevin Eldredge & #42-"Relentless" (N42XT) to win Gold also, w/his consistent showings out on the racecourse, especially since he came very-close to breaking the 400-mph competition mark back at Reno '09 as well.

Dan Wright debuted his canary yellow NXT #7-"Wright Flyer 101 (N777XT) in 2006,-making it into that year's Sport Gold final.

And then last year at the abbreviated Reno 2011 event, we saw French pilot-Christophe Delbos race his #100-"Big Frog" (F-WNXT), to make it a total of four NXTs that have thus-far turned the pylons in competition.

Hopefully, we'll see Relentless win a title in the near future, w/more NXT entries appearing in the Sport Class ranks.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

*Sabre Jet Sunrise* ~

Ben Hall's beautifully-restored North American F-86A Sabre jet fighter (N68388 (Ser.#48-0178) was a real hit @ the Reno '80 National Championship Air Races!

Here's a link to her story: http://sabre-pilots.org/classics/v121hall.htm

DBD

[Leo]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

There was a great article in an Air Classics Quarterly Review back then about the trials and tribulations he went through to get that thing flying. Quite the cool aircraft!

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Furias Sky!" ~

Sat. 9/7/12-7:35pm-Reno NCAR-Arrivals: Chuck Greenhill's Hawker Super Sea Fury #15-"Furias" (NX4434P) faces up into a spectacular blazing sunset sky over Stead Field, Nevada.

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Remembrance" ~ Pearl Harbor ~ December 7, 1941

1- "Up & At 'Em!"~ Acrylic painting on canvas by Alaskan aviation artist-historian Don 'Bucky' Dawson, depicts 12/7/41 Pearl Harbor Attack air combat action over Wheeler Field, Oahu w/Curtiss P-40B fighters of Lts. George S. Welch ('White 160') & Kenneth M. Taylor ('White 155')-47th PS/15th PG engaging Japanese Aichi Type 99 "Val" dive bombers fm the IJN Carrier KAGA. Illustration was commissioned by the Alaska Air Guard Officer's Assn. for a special 1991-50th Anniversary PHA Commemorative ltd. edition print to honor AKANG retired B/Gen. Kenneth M. Taylor, Sr.

2- "American Air Heroes"~ U.S. Army Signal Corps photo taken 1/9/42 at Wheeler Field, Oahu of P-40B pilots~ Lts. Welch & Taylor-47th PS/15th PG, during awards ceremonies for their Distinguished Service Cross medals (-second only to the Medal of Honor) earned by their daring & courageous air combat actions over Oahu, Hawaii, during the 12/7/41 Pearl Harbor Attack.

3- "Remembering Pearl Harbor"~ PHA Veterans & guests on-hand @ Wheeler Field, Oahu watch USAF F-15s perform a ceremonial 'Missing Man Formation' @ 7:51am-12/7/91 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the December 7, 1941 surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by Imperial Japanese Naval carrier strike forces.

http://www.aafo.com/hangartalk/showthread.php?t=7865

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"12-Cylinder Marvel!"~

In keeping w/today's milestone 12-12-12 calendar date, here's an appropriate vintage photo-salute to Rolls-Royce's famous WW2 aircraft engine: The legendary liquid-cooled V-1650 12-cylinder inline powerplant known as the~ "Merlin". This is the motor which powered both the Supermarine Spitfires & Hawker Hurricanes that saved England during the 'Battle of Britain' & also made North American's immortal P-51D Mustang the dominant long-range pursuit fighter it was. Race-prepared Merlins have made it possible f/Unlimited Class Gold P-51s, like Strega, Dago Red & Voodoo, to achieve amazing 500+mph record speeds that far-exceed the Mustang's originally-designed max-performance generated during military combat operations in WW2 & Korea. (Of course, I had to include a pic of the Merlin's bodacious big brother Vee-motor~ The Griffon! This one's currently running Thom Richard's contra-prop 'Mixmaster Mustang'~ Race #38-"Precious Metal".)

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

"Racer Number #12"............

#12-“Slo-Poke”~ Mon. 9/15/97-Reno NCAR-Biplane Departures: Charlie Greer taxis-out his Pitts S-1S racer (N60C) f/departure takeoff after the Reno ’97 event. Greer raced #12 eight consecutive race seasons fm 1993 thru 2000.

#12-"Outrageous"~ Tue. 9/11/12-Reno NCAR-Formula One Qualifying & Practice: Race jockey-Justin Phillipson is captured flying a nice tight courseline heading f/the pylon, piloting this veteran Cassutt (N25VS) @ last September's event. This mighty-slick Formula was successfully-raced by Scotty Crandlemire every year @ Reno fm 2000 thru-'07 & then by Aussie racers-John Kokshoorn (-'08) & Lachie Onslow (-'09 & -'10).

#12-“Thumper”~ Thur. 9/15/05-Reno NCAR-T6 HT1B: John Zayac’s colorful SNJ-5 racer #12 (N12KY) roars on-by heading up-course f/the next pylon during Lap-3 of this prelim heat event. Zayac raced Thumper five years in a row @ Reno 2000 thru 2005. Thomas Martin raced it for Reno ’06.

#12-"El Toro"~ Fri. 9/16/11-Reno NCAR-Sport HT2B: Mark Frederick puts the throttle to his F-1 Rocket (N158CF) Sport Class racer flying-thru~'The Valley of Speed'. Mark raced #12 last year at Reno, after gaining prev. racing experience w/F-1 #84-"Re-Do" @ Reno '03, -'04 & '05.

#12-"Euro Burner"~ Sat. 9/19/09-Reno NCAR-Jet HT2A: Mike Mangold streaks-by the race pylon flying this sleek-looking L-29 Delfin (N129SH) jet racer in 2nd-place. Mike flew #12 in competition @ Reno '08, -'09 & '10 events & now races an L-39 Albatross.

#12-"The Rebel"~ Sat. 9/15/12-Reno NCAR-UNL Silver HT3B: Race pilot/owner~Doug Matthews, enjoys flying his beautiful North American P-51D Mustang (N151CF) in Unlimited Class closed-course pylon competition. Painted-up in WW2-era USAAF 4th Fighter Group markings, Doug has raced The Rebel @ Reno '08, '11 & 2012. He also entered both his Sea Fury & F4U-4 Corsair to race @ Reno '09 & brought the Corsair back f/2010, -'11 & -'12 as well. There's no-doubt Matthews loves to fly & go-racing! ;>)

DBD

[BuckyD]

Re: 'BUCK SHOTS'

“The Magnificent SEVENS!”~

Fri. 9/12/97-Reno NCAR-UNL HT2A: The 2013 New Year marks the 50th-Anniversary of The Reno National Championship Air Races coming-up in September & this vintage archive photo captures the two most-successful Unlimited Class Gold Trophy racers in the history of ‘The World’s-Fastest Motorsport’ & it’s most-famous competitive arch-rival race teams~ Bill ‘Tiger’ Destefani’s P-51D Mustang #7-‘Strega’ (N71FT) & Lyle Shelton’s F8F-2 Bearcat #77-“Rare Bear” (N777L-now owned & raced by Rod Lewis).

Here’s how these two Gold Champion raceplanes match-up statistically in Reno NCAR competition to date: STREGA~ 11-ea. Reno Gold Trophy titles (’87, ’92, ’93, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’08, ’09, ‘10*, ‘11* & ’12) vs. RARE BEAR~ 10-ea. Reno Gold Trophy titles (’73, ’75, ’88, ’89, ‘90’, 91, ‘94*, ’04, ’05, & ’07).

*Note: When considering only Sunday UNL Gold Race final events actually-staged (w/Reno ’10 & ’11 cancelled Gold finals), then the tally would be: RARE BEAR~ 10-ea. vs. STREGA~ 9-ea. (or~ 'Tied' w/each other @ 9-Gold Races apiece, if one discounts Rare Bear’s Reno ’94 ‘Super-Gold Shootout’ win being considered).

Regardless, these two legendary super-modified Unlimited Gold Champion heavy-metal air racing thoroughbreds represent nearly-half of all Reno NCAR UNL Gold Trophy wins. Now THAT’s both impressive & amazing, and quite a tribute to the owners, pilots & crews of both TEAM STREGA & TEAM RARE BEAR over the years~a fact well-celebrated by their respective air race team fans!

DBD