Unlimited Air Racing

[Bladecutter]

Can't get off this thing today. The current record holder in Gold unlimited is VooDoo, highly modified F-51....472 mph Now in 1934 the Macchi Mc.72 Schneider Cup Amphib...set a low altitude record...440MPH!! in 34 w/o windtunnels, CAD and all the other horseshat....32mph difference....i find that fairly stunningNOW! in 1970, Clay Lacy entered into the California Unlimited air race, a 15 mile course with 15 pylons to negotiate, low altitude, with a Douglas DC-7 airliner! Dubbed Super Snoopy. pitted in a field of unlimited warbird racers, the Snoop finished 6th!!! Reported to have been the lowest of any in field, turned tighter than the A-26, the right seat's full time job was spotting right wing tip off pylons. The AVERAGE speed of Snoop was 325 mph...the Winning Hawker Sea Fury avg'd 344. They prepared a 1049 Constellation to run with the next year to add to the show. but sanctioning commitee pulled a Bill France and banned the airliners from running again....what could have beenthe DC-7 consumed 4100 gals of av-gas & 80 gals SAE 70 Pennzoil....so it is possible to wrestle big blocks around corners!
See what i mean abou P-51's looking better on ground with inner gear doors open?

 

[stuka1166]

Those V-12's make a hell of a sound !!!

 

[71airgrabberRR]

Those V-12's make a hell of a sound !!!

Yes they do. You can tell them apart from almost any other aircraft engine just by the sweet sound they make...................

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Here is my all-time favorite. At one time it was owned by a man named Harry Doan who I knew very well.

It's an F2-G Corsair....................

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This is how it looked right after a race back in the day. Check out the exhaust streaks on her. One propeller blade was painted white.

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Here is how I remember seeing it sitting awaiting restoration.

Harry was later killed in an air show flying accident. His wife then sold off his collection.

Fast forward some years and a man named Bob Odegard bought the plane.

Bob restored it to it's former glory......................

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Tragically Bob was also later killed in a flying accident.

 

[Budnicks]

I use to go to the Reno Air Races as a kid/much younger anyway, but haven't been for years now,
I know almost nothing about planes/aircraft either...
I like to look at them...
BUT I had a buddy/old racing partner,
that was into them & he went broke, lost his a$$ a few times...
He now does the Remote/radio control scaled down versions & races,
it seemingly make his wife much happier too...LOL

It's cool as hell to see & hear them old planes thou, I kind of miss it...

 

[71airgrabberRR]

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But he was able to get #57's sister back in the air before it happened.

 

[mmissile]