Critical Mass Restoration Update

[Ken Dwelle]

Up to the minute status report and photos here: www.seafury10.com

The center section has arrived from Sanders and we are making great gains. Sanders has been full time on the fuselage since September.

Ken

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Another famous racer becomes history as it returns to stock form. That's both good and bad news.

Good, if not truly wonderful for the Dwelle family and vintage warbird fans everywhere.


But why bad?

I wonder how long before homebuilt unlimiteds become a true necessity as warbird airframes become more scarce and valuable, and become lost to the Air Races forever as competitive racers.

Even one-up P-51 racers built from scraps and resto-parts could become more valuable in a stock form than their racer versions, and could face the same fate someday. You never know ( Famous museum-bound race aircraft not included, of course).


Looking at it this way, perhaps the super sport class WILL be the future of the unlimited races, at least unless someone starts building larger homebuilts, ala Tsunami, Pond Racer, etc...

..But due to great costs, time and the dangers of flying new and untried airframes at current unlmited speeds (due to flutter and other difficult to estimate stresses), plus past histories of such stillborn beasts like Shockwave, American Spirit and their like, even that latter part sounds unlikely.

It's hard/expensive enough just to field competitive non-vintage planes like the NXT or Blue Thunder, much less something larger with a race-worthy 3350 or V-1650. There just aren't enough deep pockets in the aviation world to support such a class of one-of-a-kind unlimiteds. The lack of wealthy sponsors doesn't help.


I guess all we can do is...enjoy 'em while you got 'em (Mustangs, Sea Furies, etc). Our grandkids will probably never get the same pleasures when their day rolls around. Already, some may never get to see a Corsair or P-38 on the track as we have.

[wyhdah]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Wow Ken you guys really took the plane down. Looks like a lot of work. How much of the plane will be new? Good luck with it.

Did you guys race this year I didn't see ya'll in the T-6 class?

[spacegrrrl]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Well, certainly the owner of something has the right to do anything they want to with it but this is sad.

A very interesting racer is turned into yet another stock Sea Fury. Why don't people realize racers have a value for being racers that is just as valid as some "stock" warbird.

We've seen famous racers like Stilletto which never had a military history "improved" by losing its racing heritage and being "returned" to a configuration it never had. Or the "Last of Many" Hurricane losing its beautiful civilian paint for a "faux" Battle of Britain scheme when it was never even owned by the military. How does this make these planes any better?

And now it seems September Fury is heading back to "stock" as well. Will the last racing warbird please turn the Reno lights off when they leave.

I wish there was some plan to keep Critical Mass a "racer" even if it wasn't actively being raced. A good example of a racer with a practical side is Dreadnaught.

I guess I have to count myself lucky to have seen things like Lefty's P-38 and a REAL racing Super Corsair. I don't expect we'll ever see anything like those again.

Spacegrrrl

[flyingjibus]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Is it getting a 3350 or a centaraus?

[ignomini]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

As much as I hate to see it, we should allow for the simple fact the Dwelle family probably has more use for a two place warbird than a purpose built racer. What was their alternative? Hope somebody with a nicely restored aircraft pops up and says "hey, wanna trade so I can go racing." What were the odds of that happening?

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Is it getting a 3350 or a centaraus?

Their article says 3350...Click the link in Mr. Dwelle's post for more details...

[Leo]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Any intent to bring it to Reno and run it in the Bronze or Silver?
I know it is going back to a "stock" paint scheme, would be super cool if it came back in a version of it's old CM paint.
Not my airplane or my nickel tho, just fantisizing!
I always DID like the old 232 style paint scheme when Sanders did the smoke routine, just looked good on the type.
Despite "losing" a racer, this is a much more practical configuration for any plane IMHO, and it will be great to see it flying again.

[flyingjibus]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Their article says 3350...Click the link in Mr. Dwelle's post for more details...

too painful.

[Ken from PG]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

[QUOTE=ignomini;76417 Hope somebody with a nicely restored aircraft pops up and says "hey, wanna trade so I can go racing." What were the odds of that happening?[/QUOTE]

If I'm not mistaken, the Dwelle's traded a nicely restored T6 for a beat up Critical Mass. I remember Tom's frustration after Critical Mass dropped off the main gear at Reno. All he could say was, "The plane is jinxed". Remember he already had a serious ground incident with it.

If I had a once a year racer that drained my wallet and wanted to take my life, I would trade it for a weekend thrill that drained my wallet and fly it every chance I got, including the NCAR. Just my opinion...and I think the Dwelle's have right to their's.

P.S. I would like to see Taz on the plane somewhere, though!

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Well, certainly the owner of something has the right to do anything they want to with it but this is sad.

A very interesting racer is turned into yet another stock Sea Fury. Why don't people realize racers have a value for being racers that is just as valid as some "stock" warbird.

We've seen famous racers like Stilletto which never had a military history "improved" by losing its racing heritage and being "returned" to a configuration it never had. Or the "Last of Many" Hurricane losing its beautiful civilian paint for a "faux" Battle of Britain scheme when it was never even owned by the military. How does this make these planes any better?

Spacegrrrl

Last of the Many, yes it never was an active fighter, but on formation of the BBMF, it was presented by Hawker Siddley to the RAF, and i believe like all of the BBMF they are still on charge with the RAF and do not have civil registrations. I think many airshow patrons would rather see the very last Hurricane ever produced in RAF colours than the Midnight blue it was operated in when owned by Hawkers..
I think its sad that CM is going back to stock as it was always a sick looking racer, but alas im not in the dwelle's position.. a Sea Fury is still a Sea Fury no matter what, just a shame that the Centauras isnt being put under the hood...

[Pick]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

It is the Dwelles' airplane and I can't fault them for doing what they feel is best for them and for their airplane. I'm glad to see it will be flying again either way!

My only suggestion would be to explore the viability of a "convertible" configuration. Critical Mass/Blind Man's Bluff was essentially flown from the back seat of the two-seat configuration, right? IF it was mine, I'd be tempted to explore the possibility of making it a convertible along the same lines as a 2-hole Pitts or Revolution (Spacewalker) with a cover for the front pit and a single-place canopy for the rear pit......it's the same thought as a sport plane, albeit on a much larger and obviously more difficult and expensive scale.

It would be a compromise, and as such it wouldn't be perfect for either configuration that way..........so it's probably a moot point.........but I thought I'd throw it out there.

On another note, I had the pleasure of sitting in Indy and listening to Chuck Buckman tell first-person stories about building the airplane as Blind Man's Bluff so it was interesting to me to follow Larry's narratives and now to follow the Dwelles' rebuild.

[split-s]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

MORE PRECIOUS THAN (UNLIMITED) GOLD: When a race pilot reckons the antique value of his kite versus the risks and rewards of Unlimited-class racing, it can’t be all that surprising if the trend is toward either restorations or puttering around the course in the Bronze or Silver races -- at least until P-51s are allowed to race the T-6s. (This actually may explain why Mustangs seem to be accumulating in the slower fields.)
The rub here is over the perceived need to make stock museum-pieces of a/c that have acquired more fame as racers than they ever might have as war-wearies, with such storied names as “Stiletto”, “Critical Mass” and “White Lightning” relegated to relatively anonymous warbird displays – as if these mounts wouldn’t bring a tear to the eye of the true believer exhibited in their race-paint. For certain, in whatever museum NCAR alumni might some day be gathered, hearts would leap just as they do at Wright-Pat’ or the Smithsonian.
And where sandbagging the Silver and Bronze is concerned, airframe failure is still less likely to result from pulling a measly 2.5-G turn than from a collision, but hey, it’s your plane, mister!

Rare Air '07

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

I guess I started something that grew bigger than I thought it would.

I just want to make clear that I am fully behind the Dwelle family's choice to convert CM back to stock, which is the best choice for them. I wish more power to them and all the best.

I just find it sad to see so many unique racers from our past disappear forever, as there are so few replacments these days.

Will/can anyone try to make another Super-Corsair, or ultra-modified Sea Fury? Are the days of new tricked-out 'Stangs and other warbirds appearing every year gone with the 80's and 90's (with a rare exception now and then like the soon-to-be Ghost ).

I truly miss the days when we would show up to find a new and unique bird in the flock (Dago, Strega, Dreadnaught, Super Corsair, Tsumani, Stiletto, Miss Ashley, etc...)

These days it seems that we just hope to see Dago, Strega or Rare Bear attend. Hopes of seeing fresh hardware are no longer the case. It's almost like the creativity of the unlimited class has stagnated into seeing the same thing year after year.

I guess it was inevitable with racing/development/support costs rising, attendance remaining about the same, a lack of true Sports coverage, and the general public's unawareness of how exciting real Pylon racing can be.

I'm just glad I was able to start attending in 1981 while the excitment and creativity level was still high, carried over from the 70's (which I sadly missed). New unlimiteds and very unique "RACING BIPLANES" (Cobra, Amsoil Racer, etc) gave the sport a life that could not be explained easily. When was the last time a true one-of-a kind racer appeared? Been awhile, eh?

Fortunately, we have the Super Sport class assuming some of those roles today, though since the excitement of Thunder Mustangs and NXTs came to be, even that class seems to have settled into a groove, and I know of no new airframes or ideas coming to be. Where are the other John Sharps of the world? Is the NXT the last of the truly new?


NOTE THAT I see the same thing happening in the auto racing world. Cars like NASCAR, NHRA and The WORLD OF OUTLAWS are all built from store-bought parts these days rather than fabbed from acquired bits and homemade frames, and cars are so similar as to be considered clones of each other. SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW has become alien to these sports and so many more. New ideas are almost extinct, as is the hope of seeing something fresh and exciting.


I hope creativity can return to all motorsports, but I see no light at the end of this tunnel.

[Ken Dwelle]

Re: Critical Mass Restoration Update

Interesting to read this thread. Some of you I agree with, some of you I don't. Space Girl and FlyingJbuss, we aren't ever going to agree on this but it's been three years now, it's going to happen, you should work at getting over it. This is supposed to be fun and after 16 years with the airplane we weren't having any fun. It was time to come up with a new plan. To answer someone elses question, we tried for 3 years to sell or trade C-Mass. There was no interest.

It's inevitable that unlimited air racing has a limited number of years left but I feel more optimistic than I have in a long time about the top end of the Gold. Dago, Strega, Bear, Dreadnought, Galloping Ghost, Czeck Mate, Fury, Spirit of Texas, Riff Raff, Vodoo and don't forget Furias which I think is going to surprise a lot of folks. 11 airplanes capable of 430+ and every one of them appear to have sound programs. When was the last time you saw that? Plus there are a couple of really exciting unknowns in Sept Fury and the Cornell Racer.

You'd have to be in a coma not to be pumped about a field like that. Lighten up a little and enjoy the great things that ARE happening and quit worrying about what WAS.

Rant over.