Before it was Rare Bear

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

The way I read both Leif's and BCV's posts is that there is nothing meant toward either person. Leif left the team after being named in a lawsuit by the current owner, because he was a part of the team. It had nothing to do with BCV (who very clearly indicated that his statement was NOT a slight toward Leif.) I think we are good. That said, it would be interesting to hear the whole deal with the lawsuit, but not in this thread since this is about the very early days of RB. (Just trying to keep the thread on topic.)

Will

Racers, whom both of the parties in this post are, generally have pretty thick skins, speak fairly bluntly, with little tolerance for BS...

Sometimes, some members take offense when they feel they are the target of the "gruffness" of the breed.. I tried to explain that to the last person who left the forum, to no avail.

Nothing to see here.... next..

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Wayne, that was how I read it as well.

Leif, I didn't think you guys had any beef. I didn't know it was Matt that filed the lawsuit. I would hope that silliness would be dropped in short order. Was that the really great engine that was run at the 3K or was it someone else who nuked that?

This is an amazing thread and excellent to read. Please, keep rolling with it!

Will

[knot4u]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Wayne, that was how I read it as well.

Leif, I didn't think you guys had any beef. I didn't know it was Matt that filed the lawsuit. I would hope that silliness would be dropped in short order. Was that the really great engine that was run at the 3K or was it someone else who nuked that?

This is an amazing thread and excellent to read. Please, keep rolling with it!

Will

That was not the 3K engine that also set a new race record in the Sunday Gold later that summer. I think that engine ate itself the next year, if I'm wrong I hope John can correct me. They painted the stripes green for the new sponsor, green paint has always been considered bad luck in motorsports. Is it true? I have no idea. That happened the year before I started helping out on the airplane, I think the first time I saw it it looked like someone had been sanding the green off and a lot of the orange was peeking through. It really wasn't much to look at. At that particular time there was nothing from the firewall forward, no outer wing panels, no flight controls on the tail but it did have the canopy on it (it also had the prerequisite oil puddle/stain underneath it). Maybe I thought the canopy was intriguing, I don't know. During my time with it I think we went through 4 engines, some failed for material issues and there are questions about a couple of the others.

[knot4u]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

The way I read both Leif's and BCV's posts is that there is nothing meant toward either person. Leif left the team after being named in a lawsuit by the current owner, because he was a part of the team. It had nothing to do with BCV (who very clearly indicated that his statement was NOT a slight toward Leif.) I think we are good. That said, it would be interesting to hear the whole deal with the lawsuit, but not in this thread since this is about the very early days of RB. (Just trying to keep the thread on topic.)

Will

No offense, but my name is Lief. I do remember one funny thing that happened out on the ramp once. There was a time that we were a pretty well oiled machine and sometimes we'd get the airplane out on the ramp early and then just relax in the shade the wings provided. I don't remember if it was a Saturday or a Sunday, but as we were just lounging around a few bees or yellowjackets decided to see what we were up to, I'm not a fan of flying insects with stingers and I started jumping around trying to swat them away. And then I turned around and saw a huge crowd of people looking at me as if I must've lost my mind, they must of thought I was either doing some weird new dance step or some sort of shaman dance to scare the evil away. To say I might've been a bit embarrassed would be an understatement, but we continued on.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

No offense, but my name is Lief. I do remember one funny thing that happened out on the ramp once. There was a time that we were a pretty well oiled machine and sometimes we'd get the airplane out on the ramp early and then just relax in the shade the wings provided. I don't remember if it was a Saturday or a Sunday, but as we were just lounging around a few bees or yellowjackets decided to see what we were up to, I'm not a fan of flying insects with stingers and I started jumping around trying to swat them away. And then I turned around and saw a huge crowd of people looking at me as if I must've lost my mind, they must of thought I was either doing some weird new dance step or some sort of shaman dance to scare the evil away. To say I might've been a bit embarrassed would be an understatement, but we continued on.

Yes, I'm very sorry I didn't catch that. (Repeatedly.) Oddly enough, my spell check says the correct way to spell your name is wrong.(I before E, except after C, clearly spell check is dumb. )

Hahah, what is it about aircraft engine oil and yellowjackets/wasps? Its like they are drawn to it. You weren't the first person and won't be the last to do a variation of the dance. I've seen it done at airshows where people are sitting under the wing of something trying to do exactly what you were doing.

Will

[knot4u]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Yes, I'm very sorry I didn't catch that. (Repeatedly.) Oddly enough, my spell check says the correct way to spell your name is wrong.(I before E, except after C, clearly spell check is dumb. )

Hahah, what is it about aircraft engine oil and yellowjackets/wasps? Its like they are drawn to it. You weren't the first person and won't be the last to do a variation of the dance. I've seen it done at airshows where people are sitting under the wing of something trying to do exactly what you were doing.

Will

Your spell check is correct. My dad was nervous when he filled out my birth certificate and his brain went back to elementary school temporarily. I honestly don't care, you can call me Leif, or you can call me Lief as long as you call me (that's what I used to tell the ladies). They're pronounced differently and I prefer to think my name honors my Swedish heritage with an American twist.

[ZacYates]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I can only read with admiration, facination and gratitude rather than add anything to the discussion except "This thread is incredible!"

[knot4u]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I was thinking about Greg Shaw today and how so many think he was just a big mean, mustachioed man. What some people don't know is Greg used to build ADI regulators for other airplanes at Reno. I can recall helping him test a bunch of regulators outside of the bearcat hangar one day with a water hose and an air compressor and he finally realized that I understood how they worked based on what he'd taught me, he was all smiles and laughter after that and we had a great time testing and setting up the remainder of the regulators for the rest of the afternoon. I think he liked teaching people, he told a lot of people a lot of things, but if you were ever able to show him that you'd learned what he was laying down it made him happy. Greg Shaw was not what people think, he was a very nice, gentle, compassionate man, unfortunately very few ever got to see that side of him. Or you can believe that Greg was a very stern, serious, and sometimes intimidating man. He was both. I miss him.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I was thinking about Greg Shaw today and how so many think he was just a big mean, mustachioed man. What some people don't know is Greg used to build ADI regulators for other airplanes at Reno. I can recall helping him test a bunch of regulators outside of the bearcat hangar one day with a water hose and an air compressor and he finally realized that I understood how they worked based on what he'd taught me, he was all smiles and laughter after that and we had a great time testing and setting up the remainder of the regulators for the rest of the afternoon. I think he liked teaching people, he told a lot of people a lot of things, but if you were ever able to show him that you'd learned what he was laying down it made him happy. Greg Shaw was not what people think, he was a very nice, gentle, compassionate man, unfortunately very few ever got to see that side of him. Or you can believe that Greg was a very stern, serious, and sometimes intimidating man. He was both. I miss him.

I've found people like Greg tend to be amazing resources, and do enjoy teaching people. When those people show they have retained what they learned, it means a lot to those people. I enjoy learning from people like this. I've had a few mentors like this. I think I would have liked to have met Greg. Sounds like a great person to learn from.

Will

[knot4u]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I've found people like Greg tend to be amazing resources, and do enjoy teaching people. When those people show they have retained what they learned, it means a lot to those people. I enjoy learning from people like this. I've had a few mentors like this. I think I would have liked to have met Greg. Sounds like a great person to learn from.

Will

He was a great person to learn from. I'm sure he met plenty of people, but as I said previously he probably wasn't looking for any new friends. I guess the only way to get to know him was to be a genuine person (he seemed to have a nose for bull****) and just do whatever you could to help, I think it was a trust sort of thing, if he trusted and liked you he'd open up a bit. I can remember Greg having the entire team at his house for a BBQ, the stars of the show were a puppy (mine) and Bill Marr's toddler daughter doing a rehash of the old Coppertone billboards. My dog ended up jumping into the pool and sinking before she figured out how to swim. But it was just a very nice afternoon. Of course I think his wife Pam might've softened some of his rougher edges by then. I don't want to talk much more about it, it makes me sad.

[FlyKidChris]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

I just re-read this entire thread. Still immensely fascinating. Thank you all who had stories to tell and told them!

[BellCobraIV]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

So there has been a LOT of silence from my end for a while. I've been looking for people who I used to crew with "Before it was Rare Bear". I've found some, however recently I found something of my Dad's that has been missing for more than 25 years. There were once upon a time more than 200 banker's boxes of Lyle's items. Some charcoal and occasionally a diamond or two. In one of the boxes I found the missing Day-Timers from 1968 - 1975. I'm hoping at some time in the not so distant future that Brad Haskin and I get the chance to sit down with them and work out a definitive time line for the beginning of the Rare Bear. It was an exciting discovery.

[RAD2LTR]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

So there has been a LOT of silence from my end for a while. I've been looking for people who I used to crew with "Before it was Rare Bear". I've found some, however recently I found something of my Dad's that has been missing for more than 25 years. There were once upon a time more than 200 banker's boxes of Lyle's items. Some charcoal and occasionally a diamond or two. In one of the boxes I found the missing Day-Timers from 1968 - 1975. I'm hoping at some time in the not so distant future that Brad Haskin and I get the chance to sit down with them and work out a definitive time line for the beginning of the Rare Bear. It was an exciting discovery.

That sounds like a very cool find.

Will

[ZacYates]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear

Hear hear, very exciting!

[knot4u]

Re: Before it was Rare Bear


Old photo, if you look closely from left to right are John Slack, Henry Hutchinson, Mike Looney on the right gear, Clark Thompson on the left and Don Dull pulling the GPU, I'm not sure who the girl on the far right is. IMHO that was probably the epitome of what an air racer should look like (doesn't hurt that I'm sitting in the cockpit).
Edit: Upon reflection I'm fairly certain that's Bill Kelly's truck towing the airplane. I don't think Bill ever stopped at an Auto Zone and didn't buy anything to put on his truck. I also know for sure that Bill, Fred Cairo and myself got into some nonsense in Phoenix one night that left me with a hangover, sore abs and sore cheeks from laughing so much. I miss that guy.