Nuuumannn's quick trip to Reno!

[nuuumannn]

Put a trip to Bonneville on your bucket list. Next event: Speed Week in August. It is a lot like Reno.

Bonneville would be awesome. A work colleague of mine and some of his mates went some years ago and came back with glowing reports. The interesting thing is that Wendover Airport is shortlisted as one of six that RARA is investigating as a possible host for the new site of the NCAR, although some people have criticised the lack of accommodation.

 

[nuuumannn]

nuuumannnn, I'm one of the last Brit car guys around these days, having had Anglia, Hillman Husky, Sunbeam Alpine and Tigers. I still have a RHD Tiger, one of 550 built and one of 6 or 7 in the states. PAX

Old British cars certainly have a following here, more like a niche as British cars were all you could get here back in the 60s and 70s, but these days people like to import US classics. There is a big national following of US metal. In saying that, Escorts and Cortinas are real popular as "classics" here.

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[SaparotRob]

...following of US metal...
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It's "Detroit Iron".

 

[echo1]

Old British cars certainly have a following here, more like a niche as British cars were all you could get here back in the 60s and 70s, but these days people like to import US classics. There is a big national following of US metal. In saying that, Escorts and Cortinas are real popular as "classics" here.

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The Tiger is more of a touring car although mine is running a '67 HiPo K code 289 out of a Shellby fastback. I've had heavy iron too, 390ci AMXs, and the Yin & Yang of it all is I'm also an air-cooled VW builder. I built the first Baja in Alameda County and have owned many bugs and buses. After I got my first flying machine, I quit driving fast. PAX

 

[GrauGeist]

It's "Detroit Iron".

My '62 Nova 400 was built in Los Angeles and my 1966 Mustang was built in San Jose...

 

[echo1]

Kenosha, Wisconsin for the AMX, PAX

 

[nuuumannn]

A wee bit of back patting as RARA liked my photo on Faceache...

RARA Facebbook

 

[SaparotRob]

My '62 Nova 400 was built in Los Angeles and my 1966 Mustang was built in San Jose...

Irrelevant. That's the catch all term for Detroit Iron.

 

[SaparotRob]

Kenosha, Wisconsin for the AMX, PAX

Something I owned was built in Windsor. Detroit Iron is slang for the Big Three products.

 

[GrauGeist]

Irrelevant. That's the catch all term for Detroit Iron.

You're just angry that North American Aviation was based out of California...

 

[SaparotRob]

Well, at least I got Grumman and Republic. Boeing would've been the brass ring.
Oh yeah, I got Brewster. Take that, GG.

 

[GrauGeist]

Well, at least I got Grumman and Republic. Boeing would've been the brass ring.
Oh yeah, I got Brewster. Take that, GG.

You *almost* forgot you had Bell aircraft, too!

 

[echo1]

Something I owned was built in Windsor. Detroit Iron is slang for the Big Three products.

351W is prolly one of my mostest favorite small blocks, especially with Dan Gurney Eagle heads. PAX

 

[manta22]

My '62 Nova 400 was built in Los Angeles and my 1966 Mustang was built in San Jose...

"Detroit Iron" refers to the car companies' headquarters, not where a particular model was built.

 

[MiTasol]

You're just angry that North American Aviation was based out of California...

People smart enough to design great aircraft are smart enough to build them in pleasant locations.

 

[SaparotRob]

You *almost* forgot you had Bell aircraft, too!

No I didn't. I was hoping you did.
Actually I was referring to Long Island. Brewster's plant was in Queens.

 

[nuuumannn]

You're just angry that North American Aviation was based out of California...

Everyone on the East Coast... "Who, now?"

 

[nuuumannn]

So, we are back in Reno for my very last day of the very last Reno Air Races and it was something of an anti-climax, so there won't be many posts at all before I wrap up the show, but I have a couple of museums to go yet, so stick around. We start as usual in the RARA hangar at just before 6 am and look forlornly at the welcome banner, this time uncluttered by F1 racers and the absence of the business of racing that went on in the hangar over the previous days...

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After our coffee, we ambled over to the ramp and since there wasn't even an early morning shoot, we went and chatted to other media peeps in anticipation of the final media briefing. On this day I got chosen through the lottery system they have to go to Pylon Six, where those excellent photos of aircraft screaming past the pylons were taken, but I chose not to go, much to the surprise of people around me, and I'm glad I didn't either, as we'll find out later. The previous day I had decided to go back to Pylon Two and Will, who came with me said I was crazy, but as mentioned, it was fortuitous I did. Firstly, I took a trot down the site to visit Heritage Row once more as I wanted to take a look at a particular warbird on display. This is TB-25J Mitchell 43-28204 "Pacific Princess", which has an impressive pedigree. Excuse the light flares in the photo...

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A bit of history on the Warbird Registry page:

North American Aviation B-25 Mitchell Registry - A Warbirds Resource Group Site

The North American Aviation B-25 Mitchell registry follows the history of all B-25s that survived military service.

warbirdregistry.org

On its nose is a helpful breakdown of its career, including mention of its role in the feature film Pearl Harbor, where it played Whirling Dervish, actor Josh Hartnett's aircraft in the Doolittle Raid scenes. This was impressive as the four B-25s in the film were loaded aboard the carrier USS Constellation, standing in for the Hornet, and were flown from the carrier for the take-off sequence. Despite what opinions people have of the finished film, that was some cool-ass shit! Note that this aircraft has flown from carriers on no less than five occasions!

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Before we move on with the detailed pictures, these are screenshots from Pearl Harbor snaffled off the net. The four Mitchells masquerading as the Doolittle raiders during the practise take-off sequence. Not sure which one of these is Whirling Dervish. The one about to take off is B-25J 44-30423, N3675G, the Planes of Fame Museum aircraft.

B-25 PH 1

Whirling Dervish nose art, which distinguishes the aircraft in film shots. Actor Josh Hartnett's character Capt. Danny Walker in the driver's seat.

B-25 PH 4

This is a shot of Whirling Dervish taking off from the Constellation, aka USS Hornet. They even painted a Number Eight on the bow of the carrier for the film.

B-25 PH 2

Three of the four B-25s in an aerial shot. I'm not sure if this was CGI or practical effects using models, or the actual aircraft in flight with added flak bursts in post-production, but that's Whirling Dervish in the foreground.

B-25 PH 3

Anyway, back to the walkaround. Here are some interior shots. They wouldn't allow me inside the aircraft, but I got onto the entry ladder to snap these. Looking directly upwards we can see the Martin turret. In this aircraft it is a dummy, which certainly saves weight and fuel consumption in flight as these turrets were heavy.

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Looking toward the flight deck. The B-25 had, according to A&AEE flight test reports, "pleasant" handling and landing on its tricycle undercarriage was "easy". High praise from the Brits. There weren't too many people who didn't like the B-25, well, maybe the Germans, Italians and Japanese, that is...!

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Note the characteristic North American-stamped rudder pedals.

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Access tunnel to the nose. Even if I was allowed to I dunno if I could'a squeezed my hefty frame into there...

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Bomb bay.

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Port engine nacelle complete with ubiquitous Hamilton Standard 23E50 Hydromatic prop, note the individual exhaust ports and signature oil staining.

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The left hand engine nacelle with main gear. The B-25 reportedly had very effective brakes and according to British test reports the retraction of the gear was quite swift for a bomber type, taking seven seconds to fully retract.

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The mid fuselage gun positions looking forward. A useful addition was the orange cooler for those long-distance cross-country flights...

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The tail feathers and rear gun position with a fixed twin-fifty installation.

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The rear fuselage and mid gun position, with entry ladder visible.

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Bomb bay again. Plenty of lightening holes in the bay doors, for those of you who are modellers.

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A closer look at the rear wing root, illustrating the amount of dihedral applied to the inboard wings. A generous amount of flap, too.

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The nose leg. The B-25 and DB7 took the lead in applying a tricycle undercarriage layout to medium bombers, which was at the time quite unusual, although standard today, of course. This was a feature that no doubt added to the B-25's many qualities as the tricycle undercarriage made take-offs and landings a cinch.

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The B-25 packed an impressive punch armament-wise. If you look closely you can see where the package gun boxes were fitted on the nose. The aircraft used to have them fitted and they can be made out in the Pearl harbor movie screen shots.

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That's it for today. Next time we interview a Reno legend of a different sort...

 

[SaparotRob]

Wow! Love the nose art. That's some record.

 

[Wurger]