End of an Era

[steve D]

.
After 27 of shaving the sticks and 26 of those strapped to a Bearcat it has come to an end. Howard has hung up the racing helmet.
My tribute to him from this years races:
Enjoy!

[steve D]

Re: End of an Era

a few more! I've had a great time maintaining this bird and will continue to do so for however long Howie wants to keep her flying!

[spinner]

Re: End of an Era

Thought he was going to hang it up last year. That was the word on the street.

[steve D]

Re: End of an Era

Yep! But decided to give it one last round!! At least he knows when to quit!

[Bob]

Re: End of an Era

Please ask Howard to take good care of my airplane.
It stioll blows me away at how fast that plane is for a 100% box stock plane. I am also totally impressed at Howards ability to not lose speed in the turns. What was his fastest lap this year? I heard 420mph. Thats what wikipedia lists the max speed for the Bearcat at 20kft. Blows me away.

[3dWrightBrother]

Re: End of an Era

Great shots Steve
Hate to hear Howard's hanging it up, but appreciate the opportunity he has given us to watch him round the pylons all these years.
Had a great time talking to you and your dad this year.
Russ

[Stevo]

Re: End of an Era

When Howard doesn't show up next year... then we will know he is retired. Untill then there's always hope he'll change his mind (again).

[steve D]

Re: End of an Era

Bob; yes 420 was the fastest qualifying lap!

Russ; same here my friend

Stevo; Thats right, the fat lady has not sung but come around march-april when paperwork has to be sent in and it doesn't.... well u get the picture

[AirDOGGe]

Re: End of an Era

Stock Bearcats were wicked machines when they came out, and for some time after. Too bad we didn't have them earlier in the war.
Looking up specs, top speed is rated at 421 mph, so Howard's bird is right up there where it should be.

[flyride]

Re: End of an Era

There's a big difference between 420mph at 9000 feet density altitude and 20,000 feet, where most of the fighters had the best performance.

And, you are omitting that 420mph was the average around a closed course.

That "stock" Bearcat was smokin'...

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: End of an Era

Stock Bearcats were wicked machines when they came out, and for some time after. Too bad we didn't have them earlier in the war.
Looking up specs, top speed is rated at 421 mph, so Howard's bird is right up there where it should be.

In reality, we were caught so far out at the beginning of WWII, it's a miracle of, then, "modern" production that we were able to pull out of where we found ourselves!

There are some fictionalized accounts of where we might have wound up, one of which, was done by the creator of "Extreme Air Racing".. a "what if" thing, where the Germans were not quite as devastated as they were, were able to continue with their advanced design programs, had been able to create the machines they had in the works..

Do any of us realize how much we owe to the visionaries during that time who came forward, took the risks and fought the fight?

English as a second language would, very likely, be part of our Germanic daily life, had they not done what they did, when they did it!

[mgbf4u]

Re: End of an Era

I got the last Big Iron hat Howard had and my last signed T-shirt.
God Bless Howard.

[David E. Wells]

Re: End of an Era

[QUOTE=AAFO_WSagar;74885]


Do any of us realize how much we owe to the visionaries during that time who came forward, took the risks and fought the fight?

QUOTE]

You also have to realize that it was '30's air racers like Tony LeVier, Bob Hall, Gordon Israel and others that were instrumental in the development of those planes...D.

[440_Magnum]

Re: End of an Era

In reality, we were caught so far out at the beginning of WWII, it's a miracle of, then, "modern" production that we were able to pull out of where we found ourselves!

Yes and no. Yes, "Air Biscuit" was the best the Navy had in 1941, and "Sneak Attack" (and an earlier version of White Lightnin') were the best the Army Air Forces had. But for all they lacked in some of the advancements of the Zero and BF-109, they were still superior in other ways. Longer range (P-38) than the BF-109, and better armor and self-sealing fuel tanks (all USAAF and USN) than the Japanese airplanes.

I'm in the middle of a book on the 8th air force ('Masters of the Air') that makes several good points. What hamstrung us early war was a mistaken belief that certain things were "simply impossible, or at least utterly impractical," when they actually weren't beyond the technology of the time. A classic example of something that was thought "impossible" was a fighter aircraft that could simultaneously do three things: 1) fly as far and high as a B-17, 2) cruise as fast as a B-24, and 3) still have fuel and payload to fight with when it got to the end of its mission. Ironically, the Germans also thought such an aircraft was either impossible or impractical until they saw Mustangs over the Rhineland. Also, "wrong thinking with the right hardware" occurred a lot and is so clear in hindsight you have to wonder what preconceptions caused it to happen. An example is using the early Mustang for ground attack and the P-47 for air superiority, when both were far better suited to the opposite jobs.

[440_Magnum]

Re: End of an Era

Thanks for the great sight of your immaculate airplanes rounding the pylons, Mr. Pardue! Enjoy your retirement.