FORMULA FORUM JULY/AUGUST 2007 THE IF1 JOURNAL

Transcription

1 FORMULA FORUM JULY/AUGUST 2007 THE IF1 JOURNAL

2 FORMULA FORUM IF1 INC. DISCLAIMER CONTRIBUTIONS MEMBERSHIP RULES COVER PHOTO Formula Forum 2007 International Formula One Pylon Air Racing, Inc. All rights reserved. Formula Forum is the official publication of International Formula One Pylon Air Racing, Inc., A Texas Non- Profit Corporation. Member of the Air Racing Council of the United States. Website: if1airracing.com Articles appearing herein may be edited and are the opinion of the authors and not necessarily the opinion of IF1, Inc.. Contributions should be sent to the Editor, Bill Rogers at 926 Rawhide Place, Newbury Park, CA Phone/FAX: 805/ , text to milward@ roadrunner.com. Text on CD in WP, Word or as.rtf. Photos/.jpgs remain property of Formula Forum. Membership in IF1 is open to pilots, owners, crews, and technical people active in Formula One Air Racing. Members $60, Non-voting Associate Members $35. Applications are available from the Secretary or on line. For IF1 Technical and Procedure rules check on line at Smokey Young s new ride at PRS, new number, new color, new name - Sly Dog for the ex-budde, ex-drew, ex-wagner machine. Neal Nurmi Photo EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BIRCH ENTRIKEN President P.O.Box 3760 Truckee, CA / bentriken@earthlink.net CLODAGH STOKES Vice President 537 Hill St. Prescott, AZ clodagh@cableone.net JOHN HOUSLEY Secretary/Treasurer 1020 Chesterfield Forest Dr. Chesterfield, MO / F1race43@att.net DIRECTORS SMOKEY YOUNG Promotions Director Peyton Drive, C136 Chino Hills, CA fliestoofast@aol.com Webmaster - Ray Debs raydebs@aol.com VOLUME XVIII NUMBER 4 BOB BEMENT Operations Director 7320 Old Stage Trail Kelsey, CA rbement@wildblue.net TOM DeHART Technical Director 5220 Walton Dr. Klamath Falls, OR grandmaofgolds@aol.com KIRK MURPHY Pilot Committee 6140 Christa Lynn Pl. Prescott, AZ murphyk79@aol.com GARY HUBLER Technical Committee 5011 Hubler Lane Caldwell, ID / ghubler@starband.net ED DUTREAUX Procedure Committee 840 Jefferson Court San Mateo, CA edutro@rcn.com CONTENTS 3. Presidents Page Birch Entriken 5. Pilot s Notes Kirk Murphy 7. PRS in Pictures Neal Nurmi 9. Midgets - The Origins 2 Don Berliner 10. Cleveland Finalists via Al Wimer 12. Midgets Cont. 15. Promotions Smokey Young 16. Tech Tips Tom DeHart 16. Vice President s Page Clodagh Stokes 17. Sec./Tres. Input John Housley 18. Odds and 19. For Sale 2 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

3 Presidents Page PRS Report Birch Entriken Bill Rogers photo We concluded another safe and successful Pylon Racing Seminar on June 16th. This was the largest turnout in my experience with 11 participants. RARA kept us fed and watered and made sure the weather was perfect. John Housley reprised his outstanding 8 hour classroom presentation once again, and was assisted by Ed Bowes for the second year. Jason Somes and Ken Gotschall gave course rides in Ken's Pitts S-2, while Gary Davis gave rides in John Hall's RV-8. Pilot Committee Chairman Kirk "take no prisoners" Murphy did pilot evaluations both in the air and on the ground. Jack Suierveld taught a first ever crew class which was so well received that RARA wants to expand on it next year. I floated around, extinguished the usual brush fires, and filled in where necessary. We combined our two morning sessions with the Biplane's sessions to cobble together 1:40 worth of flying for each day. This made for a non-rushed environment, and the mixture of types on the course presented lots of opportunities for passing. I worked the runway each day, with lots of assistance from many willing hands, controlling launch and recovery. This is akin to juggling kittens, and in the course of doing so I gained a profound understanding and respect for the service that our Operations Department provides. I always hand out a form to the guys to fill out. It asks for current contact information as well as a little biography so that we can introduce us to ourselves. Unfortunately, it's a busy week, and the pilots are so juiced up on racing that they find it hard to get enthused about handing in tedious paperwork. This year I'm only batting.545, so I'll have to sketch a few. Of the ones that I did get, space limitations will hardly allow me to do justice to their resumes. Time constraints on site limit my ability to adequately get to know everybody on a face to face basis, yet I am constantly amazed when I finally sit down and read their stories. This was the year of the Canadians, three to be exact. First off is Adrian Cooper, a retired veterinarian and present fire bomber lead pilot, who flew his Cassutt "Miss T'Witchie " down from BC. He purchased the aircraft from it's builder, his crew chief Jack Pomerleau, who himself has a resume suitable for a future feature article in this magazine. Next is Tom Watkins and Larry Mashowski from Calgary, Alberta. They bought the former "Jimi Jam" and are awaiting Transport Canada paperwork to begin flying her. Rounding out the hockey team were our old friends Neal and Birgitta Nurmi, interviewing, shooting, and putting up with my constant demands to see their visas. This was also the year of the Texans, which as you know, is also a foreign country. They actually outnumbered the Canadians but were hampered by not speaking a commonly understood English dialect. Gary Austin flew his Cassutt #64, "Maybee's Baby" all the way from Midland in one day. The aircraft last raced at Cleveland in Gary has crewed Reno in T-6 and Unlimited, won an aerobatic contest with 63 hours total time, and is typed in the Sea Fury, among 42 types flown. He flew flawlessly, got his race license, and accomplished our only real deal mayday when a bug took up residence in his fuel vent line. John Hall is an aircraft broker who at FORMULA FORUM, JULY

4 least had the good sense to make it a two day trip, and bring two airplanes, yet left his racer at home. He and Gary Davis swapped legs in John's beautiful RV-8 and a new unnamed Cassutt. John is the new owner of #99 the former "Cool Runnings" which will be renamed "Bullitt". John did a beautiful job in the Cassutt and got his license, while Gary gave rides in the 8. John brought the RV up from Texas, let us use it, and flew it home...at no charge to IF1. This was incredibly generous, and I take my hat off to John for doing that for us, especially given our recent loss of revenue. Please shake his hand and say thank you when you meet him in September. Jim Jordan is a Las Vegas resident who got the flying bug as a boy, started out as a helicopter mechanic in the Army, later flew for Braniff, and now flies a Falcon 2000 for NetJets. His airplane is nearly ready, and we can only hope he gets it painted at the same place that his friend Roger Keeney got "Mojave Green" painted. Dan Chrapczynski of Cleveland spent 20 years building his Midget Mustang #51, "Horse Power", and it was recently featured on the cover of Sport Aviation. He is a systems engineer who installs computer systems for cardiology departments nationwide. He has flown over 300 kids in the Young Eagles program and plans to bring the Mustang to Reno in We all know Curtis Weinman who was back for his third PRS. He will be flying #82, "Plane Mantis", while webmaster Ray Debs flies "Carbon Slipper". Robert Marshall was also there, and he will be the AP on PM for the Aerophile stable. JP Thibodeau is a veteran Biplane racer with enough parts on hand to build a competitive Formula One by September. JP seems too young to be a Frontier captain, but is anyway. He, not unlike Kirk, has managed to carve a wide swath through aviation at a remarkably young age, and I was only able to scratch the surface of his background in the time available. Let's hope he buys or builds one by race week, because I think he'll be exactly the kind of new talent the class needs. Thanks for your help on the line, JP. Rounding out our field were Bill Garrison of Kansas and Mike Dutton of Texas. Bill is a cropduster, and I suspect Mike is too, but that is as far as I got. I was tempted to just make up some wild ass stuff about them for this article, but it's late, and I need to get some sleep. Suffice to say that cropdusters seem to do fairly well in this sport, so let's hope these guys can put something together for this fall. Steve Temple brought a noticeably faster #87, "Madness", out for a ton of laps. Also on hand was Promotions Director Smokey Young. Smokey purchased one of George Budde's "Okies". Though I'm not sure whether it was the "Streaker" or the "Stroker", I think we should require it to be named "Okie Smokey". Smokey was assisted by friends Nancy and Robert Sobczak, and our little pal, Ed Dutreaux. Our former Sec/Treas Gary Dalleske stopped by for a visit with old friends. Charlie Greer breezed through town and hardly got in any trouble at all. VP Clodagh Stokes was there working the flight line and watching husband Dave Roeloffs enjoy the course in his new Pitts S-1. An impromptu "Name Dave's Biplane" contest yielded one priceless gem of a name/race number combo that, unfortunately, while hysterically funny, will probably never see the light of day due to overwhelming political incorrectness. Continued on Page 6 4 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

5 Pilot s Notes Kirk Murphy Another wonderful Pylon Racing Seminar has come to another safe end. Formula One PRS 2007 went without trouble thanks to many. I am pleased with the attendance, enthusiasm and quality of the new racers, they all have something to add to IF1 and was delighted to see a few veterans out polishing their skills. Credit is deserved by many but I would like to thank John Housley assisted by Ed Bowes in organizing and teaching what I believe is the most comprehensive ground school put on during PRS. For those who haven t seen it, the IF1 Syllabus and training aids John put together are a piece of art that any flight school would be proud to call their own. Also Jason Somes from Team Avocado and Ken Gotschall were kind enough to bring their Pitts S2B and volunteer their time giving rides for the rookies. Additionally, Gary Davis was in the air non-stop giving rides with the beautiful RV-8 that John Hall was generous enough to let us use. Having these aircraft available will make the transition in September much easier for the new guys unable to bring their own to PRS. I was pleased to see how smooth and safe the overall week went. Originally we planned on having no more than three racers on the course at any time but as all plans go, that didn t happen. As soon as two of the biplanes (Dave Roelofs and company) would pull off, Birch would launch two Formulas right about the time Dave decided he hadn t had enough and seventy laps would be better than fifty. Before we knew there were five or six airplanes out there but all looked safe. This was quite impressive because we had aircraft ranging from 150 up to 220+ mph out there all at once. I believe students gained a lot from this seeing many passes first hand before they re out there on their own. I was able to complete two great checkrides during PRS. Both flights went very well, and for one reason: only they had PRACTICED and came PREPARED. Both John Hall and Gary Austin are now Licensed Formula One Race Pilots. Both the gentlemen took the trek of flying their formulas from Texas which unfortunately is more flying than most of these racers see in two seasons, but it reflected in their performance. The first check was with Gary in which I followed him to the practice area where he performed his textbook perfect maneuvers followed by a 6G pull to prove the aircraft. Shortly after he joined up on me and we dove onto the course where I was followed prior to him demonstrating a pass. After chasing Gary for another lap or two, I came off the course just in time to observe his simulated emergency landing which was great! The following day I watched John Hall from the ground as he performed flawless rolls and turns above our heads, followed by some course time and another great simulated engine out. Getting these out of the way will help us all during September with our lack of time. I spent a lot of time with the new guys talking about Having a Plan. It became very apparent that Gary Austin did so as was forced into an engine out emergency landing rolling in to pylon 4. Birch and I watched as the situation unfolded and there was never any worry or doubt in our minds of how this would finish. Gary had a plan and stuck with it, MAY DAY, MAY DAY Race 64 engine out, the trucks were rolling and Gary was already pitched up to the inside of the course continuing around to a tight left base for runway 8 FORMULA FORUM, JULY

6 squeaking it on right in front of us. Just how it should be done! Formula One is going to be quite limited on time in September partly due to the large number of both initial and recurrent pilot qualification flights. That being said, come prepared; there are NOT going to be second chances on airwork. If you can t roll your airplane or fly a level course by September, don t waste your money bringing it. If there is any doubt, go get some aerobatic instruction or pull your plane out of the trailer and fly it. The maneuvers are not that hard and every one of us is capable of doing them. With regards to the simulated engine failure, GO AROUNDS ARE FREE. While simulating an engine out, if it doesn t look right, try it again, but learn something from it and if you need to, do it again. The last thing any of us need at Reno is a wreck while simulating an emergency. Fly safe, come prepared and we can all make this the best Reno yet! Kirk. President s Page Cont. I think that's about it, and I apologize if I have forgotten anyone. I'd like to again thank John Housley, Ed Bowes, Jason Somes, Ken Gotschall, Gary Davis, Kirk Murphy and Jack Suierveld for making this a great PRS. One final note of thanks. The only reason you are reading this fine publication is that our long time Editor, Bill Rogers, takes the time to put it together six times a year. Bill will be stepping down later this year after he publishes his 100th issue of the Formula Forum. Please thank Bill for his many years of work the next time you see him. This organization does not have an autopilot. It only functions because a few people like Bill do a lot of detail work behind the scenes. What you see is only the finished product. Give it some thought as you ponder your nominating ballot in the coming weeks. Birch Class of 07 L to R front, Mike Dutton, John Housley, Tom Watkins, Steve Temple, JP Thibodeau, Gary Austin, Larry Mashowski, standing Dan Chrapczynski, Bill Garrison, Jim Jordan, John Hall, Adrian Cooper, Jack Pomerleau, Ed Bowes, Gary Davis. Photo Birch Entriken 6 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

7 PRS in Pictures Gary Davis in John Hall s RV4 shows Gary Austin the way around. Last raced at Cleveland in 1971 Gary Austin gets his license in MayBee s Baby FORMULA FORUM, JULY

8 John Hall s RV4 looks like a sweet ride and outstanding trainer - we once had an RV in one of our races as a fill-in. Trivia question: where was that? Adrian Cooper from Canada in Miss T Witchy, Steve Temple with an improved #87 Madness were practicing, as was Smokey Young in his newly-acquired Race #3 Sly Dog. John Hall also qualified in this red machine. He also has #33, the ex-dave Morss Cool Runnings Neal Nurmi Photos 8 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

9 Midgets - The Origins Part 2 Don Berliner Copyright 2007, Don Berliner As part of America s head-long rush back to a normal way of life, the Cleveland National Air Races were resumed on Labor Day weekend of The desperate shortage of competitive airplanes that threatened to starve the sport in 1939 was forgotten. For there was suddenly an almost unlimited supply of airplanes that were far faster, stronger and more flyable than any that had previously turned a pylon. They could be bought for as little as $1,000 in almost-new condition. These were what later became known as warbirds : combat airplanes no longer needed by the Army or Navy, declared surplus and sold to civilians. Any veteran who had the cash could walk down the long rows of orphaned P-51 Mustangs and F4U Corsairs and P-38 Lightnings, select the one that looked best, plunk down his money and fly it home. As a result, the entry list for the 1946 Cleveland extravaganza was the oddest ever: 41 fighters, 1 attack bomber and 5 advanced trainers. All were products of the enormous wartime jump in the knowledge of what makes airplanes fly faster and better. While a surprising number of pre-war custom-built racers survived the war (and eventually found their way into museums), no one was so unrealistic as to bring one to Cleveland for the re-birth of American air racing. The 1946 Air Races saw the record book completely re-written, as the new racers offered unprecedented speed and noise that engulfed the war-weary crowd. But there was something missing. The modified and souped-up combat airplanes may have been wonderfully loud and blazing fast, but they all looked pretty much alike to the folks in the grandstand. This was the result of having been built in enormous factories by battalions of anonymous employees, rather than by a few dedicated craftsmen in a simple garage workshop. A lot of the spectators walked out before the end of the hour-long Thompson Trophy Race finale of the races, bored by the procession of lookalike airplanes. They remembered the GeeBees and Wedell-Williams and Keith Riders, and they missed the intensely human part of that long-gone era. The wise management saw the impending danger in this, despite the huge total attendance. At the suggestion of Cleveland s nonprofit Air Foundation, which underwrote the meet, the Professional Race Pilots Association (PRPA) was revived. This group of pilots, owners, builders and designers had been formed in 1934, as a chapter of NAA to represent the views and needs of the competitors. This time, there was an urgent need, and racing people responded with enthusiasm. PRPA was headed by three-time Thompson Trophy winner Roscoe Turner, with veteran designer/builder/pilot Art Chester as First Vice President. PRPA quickly resurrected the 1939 plan for a 183 cu in. class of custom-built midget racers and brought it up-to-date. At its first special meeting in Los Angeles on October 8, 1946, and at several more in the following few weeks, some of air racing s best brains worked out a detailed proposal for the salvation of American pylon air racing. It called for a top limit on engine size to be 190 cubic inches (3.1 liters), to recognize reality. The multitude of small production engines available in 1939 had dwindled to one dominant power plant: the 85 hp Continental Motors C-85. It was a four-cylinder, horizontally-opposed, air-cooled engine of 188 cu. in. which had established a reputation for reliability. FORMULA FORUM, JULY

10 Cleveland the Finalists Cosmic Wind Minnow was flown by Fish Salmon to third. Little Toni as she originally appeared at Cleveland; Tony LeVier ran fourth. John Garrett Collection 10 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

11 Warren Siem and the Loose Special took fifth. John Garrett Collection Billie Robinson took this modified Brown Racer Suzie Jayne to sixth. Al Wimer Collection FORMULA FORUM, JULY

12 Contrary to the old way of doing things, these engines would be restricted to their factory-stock condition in order to hold down costs and ensure long life. Other rules stipulated that propellers must be fixed-pitch (also for economy and reliability); the wings must have at least 66 square feet of area (for good flying qualities); the empty weight must be at least 500 lbs. (to ensure strong structures); the wing-loading must be no more than 12 lbs./sq. ft. (for low landing speed, but this proved impractical to enforce), and there must be at least two non-retractable wheels of at least 5.00x5 size (for take-off and landing safety). The pilot s visibility was prescribed in considerable detail (for safety during race starts and on the frequentlycrowded race course). There had to be an effective turn-over structure to protect the pilot. The fuel tanks had to hold at least 15 gallons of standard aviation gasoline (not racing fuel). For additional safety (hardly a prime concern in the old days) each pilot had to wear a parachute, seat belt, shoulder harness and crash helmet. Each new or modified airplane had to pass a series of flight tests to determine its strength and controllability. At first, each new design for a racer had to be approved by the NAA Technical Committee to eliminate obviously dangerous schemes. But that idea was soon dropped after several people submitted modest proposals, got them approved and then built much more ambitious designs. The idea was to create a superior class of airplanes not merely for the moment, but for the long haul. Specifications were completed by PRPA at a special meeting in the Los Angeles area in late October 1946, and formally adopted at a general membership meeting on December 3rd. The NAA Contest Board added its official stamp of approval on December 18th. On January 12, 1947, barely three months after serious work had begun on the new class, it received the dramatic boost it so badly needed. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., of Akron, Ohio, announced it would sponsor a series of three annual races at Cleveland for the 190 Cubic Inch Class. The visionary idea had become a reality, and was revealed to the world in the New York Times of January 12: Goodyear has sponsored a $25,000 trophy for a lightplane race at next September s national air races in Cleveland, thus putting the grasshopper up in importance with the hot shots of the Bendix and Thompson races. Paul W. Litchfield, chairman of the board of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, says his company will sponsor the trophy for three years. Engines are limited to 190 cubic inches piston displacement and Mr. Litchfield has suggested to the committee in charge of the race, headed by Grumman test pilot Roger Wolfe Kahn, that it be flown on pylons all within sight of the grandstand. The word spread like wildfire through the aviation community. PRPA and NAA were flooded with inquiries from experienced racepilots and builders, as well as from those who had yet to see their first air race. Each wanted to get a copy of the regulations so they could get started immediately to build (and sometimes design) an airplane for a race that was just 7 ½ months away, what quickly became known as midget racers or Goodyear racers or Goodyear midgets. The wide-open opportunity to build an airplane for a completely new class appealed more than anyone had dared hope, at least partly because amateur building of sport airplanes at home in the modern, EAA sense of the term, simply wasn t legal in the U.S.A. in the 1940 s. 12 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

13 Suddenly there was a way anyone could build an original flying machine in his basement workshop, just for the fun of it and without having to cope with a book-full of government regulations. Who couldn t scrape up a couple of thousand bucks for materials and parts when the pay-off could be the ultimate thrill in peacetime aviation: racing at Cleveland? It didn t hurt when Continental Motors Corp. offered to sell brand new, factorybalanced C-85 engines through the PRPA to prospective competitors for as little as $500. Never before (or since) has a new air racing class gotten off to such a glorious start in life. The threeyear Goodyear contract guaranteed builders there would be a second and a third race if their airplanes weren t quite ready for the first one. To a great extent, it was this promise of a solid future that brought hundreds of requests for copies of the official class specifications and rules. While the world at large remained oblivious of this rapidly expanding enthusiasm, it got its first look at the th results on the July 4 weekend. Newspapers around the country ran a photo of famed Lockheed test pilot Tony LeVier in the cockpit of a very small airplane emblazoned on its side COSMIC WIND. Apparently the first of the new breed to fly, it was unquestionably meant for racing, being far smaller and more streamlined than any manufactured lightplane of the day. At about the same time, photos were published of Art Chester hard at work on a somewhat mysterious little Veetailed monoplane parked under the trees near his home. This effectively established the personal nature of the midget racers, for while it turned out that LeVier s machine had been assembled in his garage, it was the product of some of the finest engineering minds at Lockheed Aircraft. On July 17, the first official entry for the Goodyear Trophy Race was received in Cleveland, and it must have shocked those who were counting on this new class to be a complete departure from the past. It came from Robert Granville, the son of one of the Granville brothers, of GeeBee Super Sportster fame (or infamy). Justified or not, he was firmly connected to the wild-and-wooly era of air racing, when common sense was often overwhelmed by the lure of gold and glory. As it turned out, the new Granville airplane failed to comply with the rules in several respects, and thus was far from ready to race. When the dust settled 21 entries were received of which 15 aircraft actually appeared. Although accounts vary, one was damaged by a storm, one landed after a test flight with a cracked spar, and a third crashed without pilot injury during qualification when the wing failed. A couple failed to obtain qualification times, but in all, 12 planes were allowed to race on the mile four pylon course. Don Berliner Don Berliner is an internationally known aviation writer and has written more than 300 magazine articles and 25 books on aviation history, space and UFOs. He is a Member, Experimental Aircraft Association; International Association of Aviation Historians and is Editor of Golden Pylons the newsletter of the Society of Air Racing Historians. Don Berliner is recognized as the Dean of Air Racing Historians and we are grateful that he has allowed us to use the introduction to this so-far unpublished manuscript. FORMULA FORUM, JULY

14 The Races Goodyear Trophy Qualification Aug 28-29, 1947 Cleveland, OH, 2 laps, miles #5 Paul Penrose, Swee Pea #10 Fish Salmon, Minnow #20 Bill Brennand, Buster #44 Warren Siem, Loose Spl #3 Tony LeVier, Little Toni No Time #70 Charles Bing, Flightways #19 Billie Robinson, Brown Spl #89 Bill Falck, Jeep #95 Dwight DempsterCalifornia #39 Mike Argander, Nimmo #85 Joe Smith Hurricane ? #81 Bill Taylor, Whistler No Time A series of four heats was scheduled for Saturday but run on Sunday, mixing and matching various combinations of planes. This created pairings for the two semi-finals held the same day, won by Bill Brennand and Tony LeVier The Consolation race was held on Monday st September 1 and was won by the legendary Willie Falck. Goodyear Trophy Final September 1st, Laps 1. #20 Bill Brennand, Buster #5 Paul Penrose, Swee Pea #10 Fish Salmon, Minnow #3 Tony LeVier, Little Tony #44 Warren Siem, Loose Spl #19 Billie Robinson, Brown The winner s purse was $7,000, equivalent to about $64,500 in 2007 dollars! Bet you did not want to hear that. Editor Paul Penrose flew Art Chester s Swee Pea to second in the Goodyear Trophy Final. John Garrett Collection 14 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

15 Promotions Smokey Young Jan Peters photo The following is courtesy of Lynn Bowes. As most of you know, Lynn has been directly involved with our merchandise sales for the last couple of years. Based on her experience the following procedure will be used for selling team merchandise by the F1 promotions staff. I know we all hate paperwork but this is a great opportunity for teams to make a little money and help us all publicize the sport. This year, the IF1 Merchandise Booth will be staffed by an ever-changing list of volunteer personnel and to make selling your team merchandise simpler and more user-friendly for these volunteers, Promotions is requiring that the following procedures be used in marking all team merchandise in order for your own team merchandise to be sold under the umbrella of IF1 Sales. This all sounds like a lot; however, to avoid any bookkeeping nightmares and to reduce the selling procedure to the lowest common denominator, this system works best without requiring a scanner and elaborate sales equipment. Please read through the following instructions and let us know if you have any questions. MERCHANDISE MARKING/TAGGING Each and every article of team merchandise to be sold in the IF1 booth MUST BE marked with the following information: Team Name: Item Description: (Hat? Tee?) Item No: Price: $ The template above can be a business card cut in half lengthwise although you may use any means for marking your team merchandise you like. Business card stock is readily available and may be printed easily on your computer. Teams will supply their own tags and the information may be hand-printed. You may use any size and/or style tag you like. The Item No. must match the Inventory Form (see attached). You may use any numbering system that works for you and your team bookkeeping. Staple, pin or string-tag; each piece of merchandise must be tagged! These tags will be removed upon the sale of the item and retained in a master logbook so that the Inventory Sheet and Merchandise Tags can be reconciled at the end of the races and each team paid for their merchandise. Teams are responsible for having all items tagged and inventoried. Only tagged and inventoried items will be accepted. VERY IMPORTANT - TAGS MUST BE REMOVABLE FOR OUR RECORD KEEPING! As we told you last month, Ed Bowes has worked his magic once again with the Reno Holiday Inn Downtown at th 1000 East 6 St. We have a corporate rate for a block of rooms. There are 15 rooms available from September 7 through September 16, and 15 additional rooms from September 11 through September 16. When you call, let them know you are with Formula One. The rate is $69.00 per night. (775) FORMULA FORUM, JULY

16 Tech Tips Tom DeHart Bill Rogers Photo As the weather warms, it is time to uncover the ol airplane and think about Reno. As everyone knows, we have lost some of our prize money. I want everyone to know that even so, Tech and Ops will still devote 110% of quality and time to the inspections and implementation of our fantastic races. Safety has always been first and foremost of importance and it will continue to be. I am looking forward to seeing the new airplanes for this year along with all the changes on the old faithfuls. It is great to always see new faces along with my old friends. As you are starting to work on your aircraft this summer, please remember to look at the rules manual. When checking your weights many parts can alone weigh less but when combined need to add to at least a certain amount. Example: Rocker arms should be at least 125 gms., but can be less if the combined total for all eight is 1000 gms. On your carburetor, watch your dimensions. We use a go and no go technique to make sure that your carburetor falls into the correct guidelines. If you are going to use the same technique, be careful of your instrument you are measuring with. That has been a problem before so measure it carefully. If you are not sure about a rule, please feel free to call me with questions. My new house phone number is I am usually home in the evenings. I am always willing to help with as much as possible to anyone who needs it. In closing have a great time out there flying your planes, but most of all fly safe. Tom DeHart Tech Director Vice President s Report Clodagh Stokes Bill Rogers Photo Welcome to all the rookies who attended PRS, we look forward to seeing you in September. Bill Rogers is retiring as the editor of the Formula Forum later this year to enjoy travelling with Carol. On behalf of all the Formula 1 membership, Thank you both for the many years of work you have put into the Forum, writing, editing and photographing. Your input will be missed and we hope you will still contribute an article every now & again. Happy Travels!!!! As a reminder, there are several positions up for election on the board this year. If there is an open position that interests you, obtain two nominations from full members. It is an opportunity to learn a lot about the organization and what keeps the wheels turning from September to September each year. Once again I am calling on any of the female team and family members to volunteer a few hours during race week to help with t-shirt sales, etc,. Regards, Clodagh 16 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

17 Secretary/Treasurer Input John Housley John Garrett photo Welcome to new member James McClellan! James joins us from Phoenix Arizona. We ll look forward to meeting you in person at Reno this September. We submitted our periodic report and filing fee to the Texas Secretary of State on time. This ensures that the IF1 Corporation remains in good (legal) standing with the state we are incorporated in. The 2007 Reno race prize distribution plan has been completed and submitted to the Reno Air Race Association. The Board decided that $49,960 of the $55,000 purse would be distributed to competitors with the remainder going to the Tech and Ops Teams per diem allowance. Each competitor will be responsible for paying for their own fuel this year. Invitations to nominate members in good standing for Board and committee positions beginning 15 Nov 2007 were mailed on 29 May. Due to a clerical error on my part, Ray Debs name was not included in the list of eligible members. Please check with Ray if you would like to nominate him for a position (he is currently our webmaster and on the Procedure Rules Committee through 2008). Nominations (and votes on the 2 proposed bylaw changes included in the mailing) must be returned to the Secretary by 1 August. Nomination forms received to date have included members who have already declined their nominations. Please check with those you intend to nominate to be sure they are willing to accept. This is your opportunity to bring new ideas and enthusiasm to the IF1 leadership positions and to give something back to the organization. I have had several inputs, questions, and suggestions concerning the historical practice of drawing wild cards for random post-race engine teardown inspections. A cursory review of our Bylaws, Tech rules, Procedure Rules, and Tech Inspection Procedures did not reveal a requirement or guidance on this, other than The items to be checked at any particular race meet will be determined by the Technical Director or his deputy. within the Technical Procedures. I ll discuss the suggestion to delete the practice of drawing wild cards with the other Board members; however, this may be best dealt with at Reno by a vote of the participants. Be thinking about how you would vote on this. From a Treasurer s financial perspective, the PRS is a loss. IF1 provides the instructors transportation and course materials and we receive 0% of the participants fees. As Birch indicated, there was a strong student showing this year along with experienced ground and flight instructors. This is a critical investment in our future and we will continue to support the program. We have arranged to have a new caterer support our annual banquet this year. Napa Sonoma will be taking care of our food needs please plan to attend the banquet and help raise a bit of revenue for IF1 to continue operating. Please send any other suggestions you have to myself or another Board member. Fly safely, John Housley F1race43@att.net FORMULA FORUM, JULY

18 Odds and th This month s logo for the 60 Anni- versary of Formula One/Goodyear Racing is by Scott Adie. For graphics work contact him at Dan Gilbert tells me he has currently lacking a medical but his new plane is in the trailer and ready to fly. The USPS has changed the postage rates, but more important to us they st have ordained that 1 Class mail is limited to sizes less than 8 ½ X 11, which is why this was folded. Wanted: Editor for the Forum I have told the Board of Directors that the November/ December issue of the Forum will be my last as Editor. Carol and I want to do some travelling while we are still fit and mobile. As you may know, I photograph rallies as a business, and my schedule is determined by the race schedule. With that and the Forum, we have found it impossible to put a month together. In 08 we will make travel plans and fit the rest of our activities around that. We took this over from Roger Sturgess in March 1991, and the September Forum will be th our 100 issue. It is still an interesting and exciting task and I will be available to help my successor in any way. If you are interested in the job, let Birch know and feel free to call me with any questions Bill Rogers IF1 Fourty Years Ago 1967 was before my time, but I got to know several of the racers who were still competing in the early 70s. In May 1967, we had the Texas National Air Races at Luck Field, near Fort Worth. Eleven F1s arrived including Nick Jones in a new racer. Nick had survived a mid-air in Maryland the previous year. He took his plane up to 5000' for the dive/g test and was doing well over 300 m/h when the wings exploded. He was lucky to escape injury, his chute opening just in time. Bad weather postponed the race for 2 weeks. Several planes had left for home, but Willie Falck (Rivets) won from Bob Downey (Ole Tiger), with Steve Whittman (Bonzo) tied for third with Ray Cote (Shoestring). Cleveland was next, over the Labor Day weekend, the first race there in 18 years, and once again Falck prevailed over Downey and Whittman in an 11 plane field. Reno had been going for three years by 1967, and 13 F1s arrived for the second Championship air races at Stead. This was the last time we raced with the 190 cu. in. C-85 engine, switching to the O- 200 for With only 12 spots available, slowest qualifier, Fred Wofford, did not make the field. Once again in the Championship, Ray Cote led off the start with Bob Downey next. Bob slowly overhauled Ray but, in his usual fashion, Willie Falck was last and slowly worked his way to the front, winning by a substantial margin. This was to be the last year that Cote took a back seat and once he got his hands on the O-200 in 1968 he never looked back. Another good year for Formula One. 18 FORMULA FORUM, JULY 2007

19 For Sale AIRCRAFT Prior to purchase of any aircraft, please contact the Technical Director for any IF1 rules compliance items that may apply. Cassutt Mod #12 Outrageous complete, race ready with spares. 7/07 Trailer optional. Serious inquiries only. Scotty (208) Ads are free as a service to members Cassutt 111M frame, wing needs skins, Cassutt 1M wing complete. Airframe/ Engine parts (three O-200s), 2 sport props, enclosed trailer. REDUCED, $22K for all. Contact: Gary/Linda Elliott (972) lfelliott@att.com Stockbarger Wing Plans. Unused blueprints $250 7/07 Contact: Smokey Young (916) flies2fast@aol.com Cassutt Parts. National Aeronautics has Cassutt parts including Al and Steel landing gear legs. Contact: Ib or Sue Hansen: (303) Cassutt #22 Dancing Queen SE- XDL Built in Sweden 1982, Located at Reno, 500 TTAF, 150 SMOH. Custom Trailer, Unique paint. 200m/h - Ready to race $25,000 7/07 Anders Trygg , Birch Entriken (775) cassutt@telia.com Cassutt IIIM This is a great little plane. I'm 73 and finding it difficult to exit. sell or trade for a more room and starter. Midget Mustang, Sonerai, RV- 3, $20,900 located Norwood, NC. 6/07 Contact: Bobby Shuford bmshuford@aol.com (704) New Composite Parts 9" Composite Spinners - $100, 9" alum. backplates - $35, Wheel Pants - $350, Cassutt Tail. Contact: Ray Sherwood (530) rayyjayy@aol.com Graphite Race Props by Twisted Composites- Run One or Follow One. All-composite, race proven, record setting race props. 55x62, 55x64, 54x65 Contact: Steve Hill (505) carbonprop@amigo.net Custom Embroidery: Team shirts, hats, jackets, etc. at racer rates for 12 pcs +. All Star Warbirds. Sharon Sandberg: (763) SSandberg@aol.com PARTS Cassutt IIIM,1975 with O-200 6/07 Contact: Charles Lemmond (918) Cassutt Projects & Inventory 4/06 Cassutt 111M 90% complete - needs cowl & wing finished, rebuilt engine. Aircraft of Air Racing s Golden Age By Robert Hirsch. 2 Vols pages, 158 scale dwgs. $75 + $10 shipping. Checks to Robert Hirsch, 8439 Dale St. Buena Park, CA WANTED: Used wood or composite race prop. Send specifications and price to: Larry Mashowski (403) pilot@okotoks.net If you have aircraft and other items for sale, please me at clodagh@ cableone.net or call and update me with any changes. Clodagh FORMULA FORUM, JULY

20 Steve Wittman s Buster flown by Bill Brennand to victory in the Goodyear Trophy st Race, Cleveland 1 September 1947 Al Wimer Collection PYLON AIR RACING - THE WORLD S FASTEST ENGINESPORT FORMULA FORUM 926 Rawhide Place Newbury Park, CA