FORMULA FORUM THE IF1 JOURNAL

Transcription

1 FORMULA FORUM THE IF1 JOURNAL MARCH/APRIL 2008

2 FORMULA FORUM IF1 INC. Formula Forum 2008 International Formula One Pylon Air Racing, Inc. All rights reserved. DISCLAIMER 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: Articles appearing herein may be edited and are the opinion of the authors and not necessarily the opinion of IF1 Inc. CONTRIBUTIONS Contributions should be sent to: Editor, Lista Duren 3233 Via Alicante #48 La Jolla, CA Phone: Cell: lduren@pacbell.net MEMBERSHIP RULES COVER PHOTO All contributions 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 in Sly Dog prepares to pass Kirk Murphy in Midnight Lightning in Lap #6 of Sunday s Gold Final, September Photo by Neal Nurmi EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SMOKEY YOUNG President Peyton Dr. C136 Chino Hill, CA flies2fast@aol.com GARY DAVIS Vice President Merlin Dr. Sanger, TX texasflyer@hotmail.com MARK A. JOHNSON Secretary/Treasurer 1670 Yosemite Ave. Simi Valley, CA markajohnson59@yahoo. com DIRECTORS STEVE SENEGAL Promotions Director 130 Lassen Dr. San Bruno, CA ssenegal@sanbrunocable. com Volume XIX Number 1 CONTENTS BOB BEMENT Operations Director 7320 Old Stage Trail Kelsey, CA rbement@wildblue.net TOM DEHART Technical Director 5220 Walton Dr. Klamath Falls, OR flyfastflylow@fireserve.net KIRK MURPHY Pilot Committee 6140 Christa Lynn Pl. Prescott, AZ murphyk79@aol.com JIM DEBUS Technical Committee 5601 Bancroft Ave. Lincoln, NE ED DUTREAUX Procedure Committee 840 Jefferson Ct. San Mateo, CA edutro@rcn.com WEBMASTER Ray Debs raydebs@aol.com 3 President s Report Smokey Young 8 Sec/Treas Input Mark Johnson 9 Pilot s Notes Kirk Murphy 10 I Remember When... Don Berliner 12 Reno 2007 in picutres 14 Another Solution Gary Austin 16 Odds & 17 Formula One in Europe Don Berliner 18 For Sale 19 Erratum, Forum Contributions 19 Calendar 2 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

3 President s Page As winter draws to a close and spring approaches, we can begin thinking about opening the hanger doors and getting ready for another race season. Things are going well in the world of Formula 1 Air Racing. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the sport. Several aircraft have changed hands, bringing in some new participants and putting some experienced racers in more competitive rides. The entire dynamic is changing for us and the 2008 Reno Air Races will be very exciting. In addition, several new venues are beginning to emerge, opening up opportunities to race overseas and in other parts of the United States. Class Presidents Meeting... The Class Presidents meeting was on February 21 and 22. Bob Bement, IF1 Operations Director, attended the meeting with me. I think we did a good job of working with the RARA board to ensure Formula 1 s interests were well represented. The meetings begin with an informal reception and dinner which is hosted by RARA. This is a great chance to do what I call grip and grin. The following day the formal meetings begin. There was a General Session from 0830 until This was followed by lunch and then individual meetings between the classes and the RARA board. In addition, IF1 was scheduled for a joint meeting between us, the Biplane Class and the board to discuss proposed changes to scatter pylon procedures.... Status of the Races The first item discussed during the General Session was the overall status of the races. There was a great deal of pressure on RARA, from both local politicians and the FAA in Washington, to permanently terminate the races after last year s accident during the F1 race. The bottom line is that RARA and the local FAA representatives were able to convince everyone that both the race organizers and the racing classes are capable of self policing and conducting a safe race. We came very close to losing the races forever. The fallout from this is that we will face some increased scrutiny this year. While several of the other classes will be under the microscope this year, the general consensus of the board is that IF1 does things right. Two areas where we will place some increased emphasis are Tech Inspection and Pilot Certification. While our tech crews are considered the most professional and thorough in the sport, we will need to pay particular attention to individual documentation. If you have made major modifications to your aircraft, please make sure these mods are documented in the aircraft logbook and that all regulatory requirements associated with your Airworthiness Certificate have been met. In addition our PRS syllabus will be reviewed along with our training program. During last years races, RARA conducted a marketing survey to determine ways to make the races better for the spectators. We were provided an executive summary of this survey during the meeting. Good news: people like us better than the Biplanes! Also, when asked which racing class could go away, Formula 1 was not mentioned. Finally, among the local residents who come to the races, Formula 1 was preferred over both T-6 s and the Biplanes. The bottom line is that people like the Smokey Young Photo by Gary Dalleske We came very close to losing the races forever. FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

4 We were assured that our purse will not decrease! Photo by Bill Rogers Ed Dutreaux, Procedures Committee, researched and drafted three scatter start options which we presented to the RARA Board. These are shown on the next two pages. races and expressed a desire that NO racing class go away. Specifically, spectators stated they would prefer to see everyone lose a heat race before any class was eliminated. I think this is great news. While I like our races to be more popular than other classes, we gain nothing if a class disappears. I think we are all in good shape.... Formula 1 Breakout Issues Formula 1 had three major items to discuss during the individual breakout sessions. The first one concerned camping spots. RARA readily agreed to provide IF1 with 5 camping spots in the west RV lot for use as overhead. These spots are separate from the ones allocated to our race teams. What this means is that we will be able to provide spots for our Technical and Operations people who come to help us race. The spots are all located in our traditional camping area. The second item was permission to place a concessions trailer next to the hanger again this year. The trailer was a money maker for us and helped draw people toward our pits. Once again RARA readily approved. The third item of discussion concerned scatter start procedures. In January, Mike Houghton and I discussed a need to change how the scatter pylon start is conducted. The procedure we have used in the past will have us over fly new hangers which are under construction on the southwest end of the field. The old procedure also directed our flight path very close to the crowd line. I asked Ed Dutreaux to do some research on this through his committee. He provided a list of options based on over a month s worth of work. He also provided some superb AUTO CAD drawings of the race courses and wind envelopes. These drawings were then packaged into a Power Point presentation which was given to the board. RARA s solution was to move the second scatter pylon to the northeast placing it approximately a half mile from the departure end of runway 26. Anyone who has flown the scatter can tell you the limitations of this approach. Their second option was to move our scatter to Outer Pylon 7 and Outer Pylon 8. At face value, this doesn t seem a bad idea. There are, however, some severe safety concerns regarding this procedure. If the launching aircraft deviate from their lanes too early you find yourself flying between our pylon 5 and 6 at low altitude, low airspeed and abreast each other. If the deviation from lanes is delayed until the departure end of 26 we now have the possibility of the lead aircraft meeting the trailing aircraft at high aspect. Ed came up with a list of three options which we presented to the board: Option 1: Winds permitting, Runway 8 is our preferred takeoff runway. Wind limitations for IF1 are 17 knots crosswind, 5 knots tailwind. Option 2: If winds do not permit a launch on Runway 8, IF1 will launch from Runway 32. Aircraft will enter the course via a left hand turn toward pylon 4. Lanes will be maintained until the Y taxiway intersection on the west side of Runway 32. Option 3: If winds do not permit a launch on Runway 8 or Runway 32, IF1 will launch from Runway FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

5 Aircraft will enter the course via a right hand turn at pylon 6 and fly the course in a clockwise (fly low, fly fast, turn right) direction. The board and the biplane class embraced our recommendation for a Runway 32 launch and entry to the course on pylon 4 in lieu of a scatter procedure. As you can imagine, fly low, fly fast, turn right raised some eyebrows. The biplanes will not fly a right hand course. However the board has given IF1 the latitude to flight test the option during PRS. If we feel it can be done safely then we will make arrangements for a practice session during race week where all pilots can have a chance to turn right. The practice will be accommodated by starting the waiver 30 minutes early on one of the qualifying days or on Wednesday. Bear in mind that conditions requiring a 26 launch rather than a 32 launch would be rare. It would, however, allow us to have the option to race when winds are out of limits for Runway 8 and Runway 32. RARA was very happy with our research and presentation. I think it is a testament to the board that they are willing to take input from the classes with an open mind and implement change where necessary. Of course RARA had their list of items for discussion with Bob and me. First concerned the purse. Overall purse money will increase this year. A final decision on the purse and how it will be disbursed has not been made by RARA. We were assured that our purse will not decrease! RARA also brought up the issue of radios in the aircraft. Starting with the 2008 races, it will be mandatory that all aircraft Option 1: Runway 8 is our preferred takeoff runway. Wind limitations for IF1 are 17 knots crosswind, 5 knots tailwind Hold runway heading until Home Pylon 14 Home Pylon Option 2: Runway 32. Aircraft will enter the course via a left hand turn toward pylon 4. Lanes will be maintained until the Y taxiway intersection on the west side of Runway Hold runway heading until Taxiway Home Pylon FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

6 Option 3: Runway 26. Aircraft will enter the course via a right hand turn at pylon 6 and fl y the course in a clockwise (fl y low, fl y fast, turn right) direction Home Pylon Hold runway heading until Marker Flag RUNWAY 8, 26, RUNWAY 8 RUNWAY RUNWAY have a push to talk switch mounted on either the aircraft stick or aircraft throttle. I think most of us comply with this already, but if you don t, look at getting the modification completed. I have a very nice schematic for my Microline radio installation to include a stick mounted PTT. If anyone needs a copy, send me an and I ll make arrangements to send it to you. The final item on RARA s agenda with IF1 concerned some of the aftermath of the mid air collision which occurred during Friday s Gold Heat Race in RARA presented us with the relationship between their insurance company and the insurance carriers representing the mishap aircraft. Each company has an independent adjuster assigned to the case. On Monday, February 11 both mishap aircraft were inspected by representatives of the Hubler estate. At the request of both parties concerned, and after careful consultation with present and former board members with expertise in this area, IF1 provided two representatives who monitored the inspection on our behalf. We stated to the RARA board that IF1 is committed to maintaining a neutral position regarding the investigation and any litigation that may result. Formula One Events The next major event for Formula 1 is the annual Pylon Racing Seminar IF1 Wind Envelopes 30 KTS MAX Surface Wind 17 KTS MAX Crosswind 5 KTS MAX Tail Wind Wind Vector Small Lines = 5 deg, Large Lines = 30 deg Wind Speed Small Lines = 1 Knot, Large Lines = 5 KTS 6 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

7 (PRS) at Reno-Stead from June Rookie School, as we commonly refer to it, is the place where racers get their start. It is a mandatory event for anyone who has never raced at Reno, has not competed in the Formula 1 class, or has not raced IF1 in three years. Kirk Murphy, our Pilot Committee Chairman, runs the Formula 1 PRS. He has been hard at work on this endeavor and it has been discussed during the last two IF1 Director s meetings. Updates will be posted on the IF1 website or you can contact Kirk or me if you have any additional questions. We are looking forward to lots of participation, both from new entrants learning the ropes and more experienced racers looking to hone skills. For the past 6 months I have been working with representatives of the European based AeroGP group. AeroGP promotes aero sports of all kinds. They have a web based television station called Air Sports TV with documentaries and interviews. Check it out for a video segment on the 2007 Reno Air Races! In addition they host an international racing series similar to the Red Bull events that many of us are familiar with. Where AeroGP differs from Red Bull is that the field is open. In addition the participants compete in several areas, only one of which is an air race. AeroGP is interested in hosting Formula 1 style air racing at their venues in Europe and Asia. We are also discussing U.S. based venues with them. While racing in Europe may not be for everyone, this certainly has the potential of expanding our fan base. You can visit their website at Keep an eye out for updates on the IF1 website. Any breaking news which affects the class will be posted there. Until then, get those racers together and start thinking about PRS. I m looking forward seeing you there. Smokey Get those racers together and start thinking about PRS. Photo by Bill Rogers Outrageous, spotted for Sunday s Gold Final Race start, waits for pilot Scotty Crandlemire. We ve heard that an Australian pilot has purchased Outrageous. Watch for it to re-appear at PRS and the September races. FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

8 Secretary/Treasurer Input Mark Johnson Photo by Karen Crandlemire First off, thanks to everyone who participated in our recent nomination for the vacant Vice President position. The board has been working on amending the by-laws to accommodate this type of special election. This is taking longer than we expected making a change of this magnitude isn t something to be done lightly. Since we needed to fill this position as soon as possible, the board met to appoint the Vice President using the feedback from the nomination process for guidance. As a result, I d like to officially welcome Gary Davis as our new Vice President. We received 14 nomination forms before the cutoff date. Four people were nominated & seconded (two or more nominations) and four received one nomination each. The qualifying candidates for election were Gary Austin, Brian Reberry, Gary Davis and Scott Garland. The people receiving one nomination each were Jim Whitely, Robert W. Kircher, Charlie Greer and Smokey Young. As part of the election preparation process, I contacted each of the qualified candidates to find out if they were willing and able to stand for office and serve if elected. Due to a variety of valid reasons, all but one person declined the opportunity. As I mentioned in the last Forum, the board WARNING This may be your last Forum! Pay your dues before March 31 felt very strongly about involving the membership in this selection and encouraging participation by all. I enjoyed talking to everyone involved. I would like to welcome new members Elliot Seguin, David Rancourt, Gordon Cole, and Larry Burton. Membership renewal forms are coming in. As of late February, we have 79 active members. Roger and Grace Sturgess have been helping me with the administrative part of that job and I d like to thank them for taking a big load off me. As always I m available by phone (818) , or markajohnson59@yahoo.com. Please don t hesitate to call or write. Thanks, Mark Longtime IF1 member Carl Swenson built #17 Annie in He s raced every year but one since Photo by Birgitta Nurmi FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

9 Pylon Racing Seminar (PRS) 2008 is right around the corner, and we re looking forward to meeting new faces to our sport and seeing some of the veterans out for a little practice. The two new members of the pilot committee, Gary Davis and Charlie Greer, have volunteered to work with me and help me throughout the year working with the pilots of IF1. As most all of us have heard, the dates for PRS have changed. For those who haven t, the new dates are Wednesday the 18 th of June through Saturday the 21 st at Stead Field. I just spoke with Dana from RARA and not much will be changing from last years Pylon Racing Seminars format. Registration packets are now available on the RARA web site and I plead with everyone who is planning to attend to get them finished ASAP! This will allow us to better forecast how many instructors and educational materials we will need to round up. As of now I will be up at PRS working with Gary Davis and John Housley. There will most likely be an additional instructor or two working with us. Gary is planning on having John Hall s RV-8 up there again for instructional rides. John was a real life saver last year, graciously allowing Formula One to use his airplane. I am doing my best to try to bring my Glasair as another instructional airplane, but as of now, it s a 50/50 depending on my work schedule over the next two months. deadline for the special rate. Don t make the mistake that I have done and wait until the last minute to book rooms. Twice I have procrastinated and ended up paying $150 a night because my stuff was too late! Congratulations to all of the new pilots bringing airplanes to PRS. Now is the time for everyone to be getting familiar with their flying machines inside and out. I encourage everyone who can bring an airplane to PRS to do so! Pilots will have more opportunity to fly laps during PRS than the whole week of the races. I am pretty sure Dave Roelofs flew 150+ laps in his Pitts last year. Rumor has it Steve Senegal will be bringing his beautiful (new to him) machine Endeavor. I even heard Gary Davis may have his newest plane Spud Runner there, a neat little Shoestring with lots of history at Reno. As for flying, now is the time for all of us to be practicing. I am as bad as anyone this year; since September I ve only flown my Pitts 3-4 times but that is going to change starting this afternoon as soon as I m done here. Get with your buddies, practice some formations, a few slow rolls, maybe a simulated engine out, just Fly! Any questions, don t be afraid to call, or write myself or any others on the board. Fly Safe!! Kirk kmurphy@queenstreetaviation.com (928) Pilot s Notes Kirk Murphy Photo by Bill Rogers Pilots will have more opportunity to fl y laps during PRS than the whole week of races. RARA has booked a block of rooms at the Eldorado at a rate of $69 per night. Your PRS packet will include reservation information and the FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

10 Ray Debs in Carbon Slipper (above) John Hall in WhatsUpDoc (right) Photo by Bill Rogers Photo by Lista Duren Pylon Racing School is Coming Up! Gary Austin in #64 Maybee s Baby (above) Robert Marshall in #82 Plane Mantis (left) Carl Swenson in #17 Annie (below) Photo by Bill Rogers 10 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008 Photo by Bill Rogers

11 Prop on Larry Photo by Bill Rogers Mashowski s #78 Limelite Start Your Engines and Go Fly! Photo by Birgitta Nurmi Gary Davis in #50 Scarlet Screamer Jay Jones in #45 QuadNickel Photo by Bill Rogers George Andre in #1 Zipper Photo by Bill Rogers FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

12 I Remember When Formula One racing ceased to be a purely American game. It would have been a pretty dreary sight if not for five brightly painted little aeroplanes. Jurby was a deactivated RAF base on the little Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, best known for tailless cats and wild tourist trophy motorcycle road races. It was to be the scene of the first European midget race on April 24, Blues, reds and oranges clashed with the scruffy old RAF control tower, off to the right. This was the only obvious sign that something new was in the works. The five airplanes included three all-wood Rollason Betas, to be flown by Fred Marsh, Michael Jones and Jack Marriott. And two Britishbuilt Cassutt 111Ms of builder Tom Storey and Frank Gathercole. All were veterans of classic British handicap pylon racing. Don Berliner Your correspondent had become acquainted with these blokes while offering a little help to get real racing established in the United Kingdom, though he was unprepared for the sight of Michael Jones rushing at him, arms waving and yelling Help me! Help me! As there was no large body of water on the airfield, he could hardly be drowning, and eventually revealed that he had, in a moment of weakness, agreed to write an article on the race for Flight International, the venerable weekly. His plea to transfer the assignment was eagerly accepted. The usually quiet airfield presented a wonderful mixture of the familiar and the unfamiliar. The familiar included the airplanes, their engines (Rolls Royce-built O-200 s), and the atmosphere in the pits. The unfamiliar included the pilots accents and slang, the background of impossibly green hills (obviously neither Reno nor 12 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

13 Cleveland), and the positioning of the racers on a sports car racing-like grid, before we were forced to adopt that system. Once the racers were lined up on the runway and the flagman began giving his warning waves, it all seemed so reminiscent of regional races at Chattanooga and Dansville and Ft. Wayne. Fun tempered by seriousness. The flag went down and the aeroplanes slowly moved forward. Then faster until all five were in the air and heading off into the distance. They were supposed to be heading for the scatter pylons, but who knows? Maybe they were on their way back to their ancestral home in Cleveland. As they headed down the homestretch, their sound brought back memories, at least to the only Yank on the field. Then they were past and barely stretching out from their original pack. Round and round they went, their pilots quickly catching on to the novel challenges of class racing. As they started the last of 10 laps around the 3½-mile, 6-pylon oval, Fred Marsh continued to lead, though Storey was catching up. Easing down to minimum altitude, they stretched for the finish line, Marsh crossing it with Storey barely 30 yards behind. After 35 miles of flat-out racing, the margin of victory was but 0.4 seconds. In less than 11 minutes, the face of British racing had been changed forever. Before the first season was over, there had been four more races, each showing signs of learning how to do it. The future looked great. It was ta ime for warm feelings and warm beer. Don Berliner is an internationally known aviation writer and has written more than 300 magaizne articles and 25 books on aviation history, space and UFOs. He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the International Association of Aviation Historians. He is editor of Golden Pylons, the newsletter of the Society of Air Racing Historians.... it all seemed so reminiscent of regional races at Chattanooga and Dansville and Ft. Wayne. Left Page: Four British midget racers coming down the home stretch, Jurby, Right Page: Jack Marriott s Beta G-AWHW Photos by Don Berliner Back Cover: Tom Story s two Cassutts FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

14 Shoestring Project Photo by Bill Rogers I remember the Wagner Solution and Texas Gem duking it out with each other and me just hoping one of them would win the big race on Sunday. Photo by Neal Nurmi Well, it s time to start thinking about the upcoming 2008 race season. Last year was amazing for me, as I was fortunate enough to have participated at PRS and at the National Championship Air Races for the first time and being voted as Rookie of the Year in the Formula One Class. Five months later, I m still on that high feeling from the races and I ve started working on a new project that will hopefully have me out there being a little more competitive. Back in December, I purchased a Shoestring project to build. Everyone I d met who had flown a Shoestring said that they are very nice airplanes to fly. Plus, I ve just always liked the way they look. This particular project came with the original wing from the Wagner Solution, which was the airplane raced by Judy Wagner between 1971 and The fuselage of the Wagner Solution still races today, as race #44, JUDY. I ve always thought that it was a neat tribute to Judy Wagner to have her airplane flying around with her namesake, but I also wanted to honor The Wagner Solution at Reno in 1985 when Ray Cote raced it to its second Gold championship in honor of Judy Wagner. the Wagner Solution itself. Gary Austin You see, when I was a kid watching the air races, I didn t pick my favorites because of who was flying them; I picked out which airplanes I thought looked the coolest. For example, Jim Miller s Texas Gem was always one of my favorites because of its spaceship look. Remember, I was just a boogernosed kid then and Star Wars had just been released, so that airplane was great for my imagination. Another airplane I always rooted for was the Wagner Solution because it had that shiny metal tail and none of the other Formula One airplanes had that (later on in life, it sported yellow flames on the cowlings, which certainly helped with my interest in it). I remember the Wagner Solution and Texas Gem duking it out with one another and me just hoping one of them would win the big race on Sunday. Eventually, the Wagner Solution did win and became the first airplane to win a Formula One race with a female pilot at the controls. So there I was, 32 years after seeing the Wagner Solution for the first time and I had the wings for it. Now, I got to thinking all I have to do is find that shiny metal tail. After several weeks of searching, following lead after lead after lead, I finally found the original tail section from the Wagner Solution in fellow IF1 racer Hep Porter s possession. I have since purchased the tail section from him and look forward to mounting it to the fuselage. The acquisition of the tail section makes my modern day clone of the Wagner Solution complete (other than some assembly required ). I m naming the new racer, Another Solution. 14 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

15 As of this writing, the wings have been covered and are nearly ready for paint. I am in the mock up stage of the fuselage in order to insure that I have everything in place before I cover it. The biggest challenge for me, along with every other racer out there I m sure, is sponsorships. I ve been fortunate enough to have Pacific Continental Engines on board as an engine sponsor and just landed PPG Paints as another sponsor. However, I m still searching for folks to be part of this little project of mine to honor one of the early, historic Formula One race planes. My goal is to get the airplane flying in May, so that I can participate at the 2008 Pylon Racing Seminar. Last year, I found PRS to be an invaluable learning experience for me. From the friendliness of the RARA Staff, to the ground school instructors and the interaction with fellow racers, to the actual flying around the pylons, the experienced gained cannot be duplicated anywhere else. It will be a chore for me to get Another Solution ready for PRS this year, but with hard work (which I m not scared of) and great sponsors, I know it can happen. For further info on Another Solution s progress, check out this link phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=17299 Alan Preston fl ies to a fi rst place fi nish in the summer of 1986 in Richland, WA, after he purchased the plane from Ray Cote and renamed it Sitting Duck. Photo by Neal Nurmi FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

16 Odds & I just booked my rooms for PRS on Hotwire.com at $29 a night (plus taxes and fees) and for race week at $64 a night (plus taxes and fees.) I have been using Hotwire for rooms during the races for 3 or 4 years now and they always beat the IF1 deal. This is the first time for PRS and this is an awesome rate. Jay Jones s Quadnickel, shown here warming up for Heat 2B at Reno 2007, will be on static display at the Captial Air Show. Capital Air Show Formula One will be represented at the 2008 California Capital Air Show the weekend of March 15-16, The Air Show Promoter has agreed to allow Formula One to have a threeairplane static display with a booth to sell IF1 T-shirts and hats. This is a great opportunity for us to meet and greet the public and introduce more people to IF1. Currently Jay Jones is one of the displayers. As soon as the other two are confirmed, we will announce them on the IF1 website. The Capital Air Show draws about 250,000 people to Sacramento s Mather Field. All IF1 members and friends, please come by and say hello! Hotel Rates: PRS & Race Week See Kirk Murphy s Pilot s Notes (p. 9) for special PRS rates at the Eldorado. Steve Senegal reports IF1 rates at the Holiday Inn downtown for race week: Ed Bowes has secured a limited number of rooms for IF1 at $71 per night. Call the Holiday Inn on Sixth St., The code is MFO. Gary Davis reports on Internet reservation companies: Photo by Birgitta Nurmi However, the important Caution with Hotwire is: You book the room without knowing the hotel, and your credit card is charged right then and there. There are NO REFUNDS (NO EXCEPTIONS, PERIOD). You pay for the room when you reserve it, end of story. And only YOU can check in to the room, so you cannot sell it to a friend if you don t go to the races. Your reward for committing is the cheapest rate you will find. You select the hotel by location and a star rating system. I have always ended up at Circus Circus for the races. It is shown as a 3 star hotel in downtown Reno for $59 to $65. I hit the jackpot for PRS as I will be at the Grand Sierra. Shown as a 3.5 star, it was the cheapest of the 12 hotels listed at $29 a night plus taxes and fees. Planes Changing Hands Ken Gottschall reports that he has sold Cassutt #66, Pooder, to Dan Peters who will be bringing it to PRS. Dan Gilbert is nearing completion on his new racer. The fuselage design uses the flow characteristics from Nemesis, but at a smaller scale. The airfoil was designed by David Lednicer and the wing was built by Craig Katto. Dan s medical is reinstated, but if can t fly the lane in the races, Hep Porter 16 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

17 will be the pilot. Gary Davis reports the rest of the news on planes changing hands: Race #50 Scarlet Screamer will return in 2008 and I hope to have my new Shoestring, Race #24 (previously NOBIGTHING, Wood- Stock, Spud Runner), ready to race this year as well. I sold Race #54 to Jim Jordan last September and he is busy getting her ready for him to race in Jim attended PRS in 2007 and intends to attend again this year with Race #54. I also have been in contact with a potential rookie from the Chicago area who is in the process of buying a nice existing sport Cassutt and plans to bring her to PRS and race this year. Kirk Murphy may race the former Zipper for her new Florida owner. Outrageous was sold to a new owner in Australia who hopes to attend PRS and race in September. New Sighting of an Old Racer Mother Holiday, raced by Nick Jones from 1969 through 1975, has been purchased by Ed Fisher of RaceAir in Sebring, FL. He is outfitting it with a Corvair engine. See photo at Here s the just-released F/1 schedule for France, courtesy of the Association des Pilotes d Avions de Formules (APAF) May APAF Grand Prix, St. Flour (140 mi. south of Paris) June races at Castres (40 mi. east of Toulouse) June Denis Cognard Grand Prix, St. Flour July Crescendo Trophy series, Rouen-Boos Airport (50 mi. E of Le Havre) August Crescendo Trophy series, Scaer- Guiscriff airfield (near Quimper in the extreme NW of France) September Crescendo Trophy finale, Albert airfield (near Cambrai, 100 mi. NNE of Paris) They don t have many airplanes (mainly Cassutts and Piel CP.80 s), but they do have enthusiasm and some of the closest races I ve ever seen. Watch their website for changes: Formula One in Europe Don Berliner There is a chance that Steve Temple will race his #87 Madness in France, as he s now stationed at Ramstein, Germany. Obituary Chuck Dickerson passed away in January. Owner of Air Sierra Unlimited at Minden-Tahoe Airport, he was instrumental in helping George Andre, Steve Temple, and John Hall get started in IF1. Please send remembrances and photos to the Forum editors for the next issue. Photo by Bill Rogers Photo by Lista Duren FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

18 For Sale AIRCRAFT Ads are free as a service to members PROJECT PARTS & PRODUCTS Prior to purchase of any aircraft, please contact the Technical Director for any IF1 rules or compliance items that may apply. El Bandito El Bandito #10. Has raced in the Gold. Race ready. Spare O-200 engine, parts and props. $30,500 Contact: Bob Budde (320) patbudde@earthlink.net Cassutt Projects / Inventory Cassutt 111M, 90% complete. Needs cowl and wing finished. Includes REBUILT engine. Cassutt 111M fully welded with tail assembly. Cassutt 111M wing needs skin. Cassutt 111M wing complete. Misc inventory: engine parts (3 O-200 engines), airframe parts and instruments, 2 sport props, 1 enclosed trailer. $22K for all. Contact: Gary and Linda Elliott for pics and inv. list: lfelliott@att.com #40 Miss USA New Lycon engine in 2006, Owens prop, spares, trailer, $36k. This sweetheart airplane has never let us down in 6 years of racing. Contact: Dave Roelofs (928) droelofs@cableone.net Cassutt IIIM. This is a great little plane. I m 73 & finding it difficult to exit. I need to sell or trade for a little more room & electric start (Midget Mustang, Sonerai, RV-3, etc.) $20,900, located in Norwood, NC. Contact: Bobby Shuford (704) Cassutt Parts National Aeronautics has Cassutt parts including Aluminum and Steel landing gear legs. Contact: Ib or Sue Hansen (303) cassutts@aol.com Cassutt Project Stock wing, aluminum gear, cleveland brakes. Contact: George Budde (405) patbudde@earthlink.net NEW COMPOSITE PARTS Light Weight 9 Spinners, $90 Wheel Pants, $350. CASSUTT PARTS: Assorted Tail Feathers, call for Quote. LED Flashlights:Super Bright, Compact Size. Up to 155 hrs of run time on 2 AA Batteries, $32. 10% Discount to IF1 members Contact: Ray Sherwood (530) rayyjayy@aol.com Cassutt IIIM With O-200. Built in Suitable for a pilot 5 9 or less. Contact: Charles Lemmond (918) Graphite Race Props Run One or Follow One Twisted Composites, LLC Contact: Steve Hill (505) or (505) carbonprop@mac.com 18 FORMULA FORUM, MARCH 2008

19 Custom Embroidery Team shirts, hats, jackets etc. at racer rates for 12 pcs & up. Contact: All Star Warbirds, Sharon Sandberg, (763) Mar Calendar Pylon Racing School (PRS) application available on RARA website Wedell-Williams Air Service by Bob Hirsch and Barbara Schultz, $19.95 plus $2.00 S&H Contact: Raceplanes by Hirsch 8439 Dale St. Buena Park, CA (714) If you have aircraft or other items for sale, or updates to your listing, please Gary Davis. Odds & (cont.) Erratum Gary Davis pointed out that the picture of the all red Cassutt that was above Bobby Schuford s ad in last month s Forum is actually a picture of Charles Lemmond s Cassutt. We ve fixed it now. Gary is familiar with both these airplanes if that is of help to anyone. Forum Contributions Please send us timely information, news, short letters or articles, drawings, and photos for upcoming issues. Talk with us if you d like to provide a feature article or photo essay. Let us know if you have extensive photo collections, databases, or written material so we can query you for specific information. Also, let us know if you have requests for specific topics you d like to see covered in future issues. This is your newsletter. We want you involved. Mar Mar. 31 Apr. 15 May 2-3 June Sep Capitol Air Show at Mather Field, Sacramento, CA with IF1 static display Deadline for IF1 Membership renewal Deadline for May newsletter submissions Society of Air Race Historians annual symposium, Cleveland. For more information, go to PRS at Stead Field (new date) Reno Air Races In the fi rst heat race of the 2007 season, Bill Garrison in #22 Dancing Queen, almost caught up with Robert Marshall in #82 Plane Mantis on the last lap. Photo by Neal Nurmi Submission deadlines are Apr. 15, June 15, Aug. 15, Oct. 15 and Dec. 15 for publication in early May, July, Sep., Nov., and Jan. respectively. FORMULA FORUM, MARCH

20 Tom Story s two Cassutt s: #41 AXDZ and #40 AXEA, Jurby, Isle of Man, 1970 PYLON AIR RACING THE WORLD S FASTEST ENGINESPORT Photo by Don Berliner FORMULA FORUM 3233 Via Alicante #48 La Jolla, CA 92037