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Brent Hisey came, to the joy of lots of fans,
in his Stars and Stripes painted P-51D "Miss America" from Oklahoma City. The
joy did not last very long... |
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In the official program of the Reno Air Races
2005 you can read on Thomas L. Camp's business card "Professional Race Pilot".
This occupation is just as exotic as his FM-2 "Wildcat" at the Reno Races. |
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Due to technical problems Brent could not
qualify as usual for the Silver and/or Gold Class, but was listed in the Bronze Class. And
then followed the "out" - a mayday, engine trouble... |
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In the race Tom flies always a narrow course
around the pylons with only few meters between the plane and the pylons. With 276,8 mph he
was about 50 mph slower with its FM-2 then the second last racer. |
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The many working hours of the mechanics didn't
help either - the Reno Races 2005 where over for Brent and his team, even before they
truly started. |
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Tom understands how to offer a good motive to
the photographers at the pylon. On the second race day he was however disqualified for it
- he simply flew too low... |
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Joseph Thibodeau with his Mustang
"Crusader" #21 also gets prematurely out of the race. On the second racing day
with 347,7 mph he qualified for the Silver Class. The following day Joe couldn't start
anymore. |
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No real duel: Dave Morss with #25 "Polar
Bear" overtakes Tom Camp with # 2, at pylon 8. The speed difference is more than 50
mph. |
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Jim McKinstry steps into the cockpit of his
Yak-3 #19 "Shiska Suka". In 2005 there was only one Yak-3 in the racing field.
That is clearly less than in the past years, when there was a proper Yak camp forming. |
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The "other" Mustang in the
participant field: the most common Mustangs are D-models. But this North American is the
much rarer P-51A. For the first time at the Races, the mechanics of this team had already
lots of work to do. |
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On the way to the taxiway 08 Jim happens to
pass alongside the photographer platform. The Yak-3 is as far as possible in standard
condition. Except the Allison V-1710 engine and parts of the avionics. |
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The experienced test pilot Dave Morss flew the
#25 "Polar Bear" in the Bronze Class. On the last day with 334,4 mph he took the
second place. Besides Dave himself, the owner of the Mustang, Gerald Gabe, was happy. |
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Here "Shiska Suka" shows her elegant
silhouette. Pilots describe the Yak-3 as a particularly beautifully historical fighter.
With 329,8 mph Jim McKinstry terminated a race in the Bronze Class in fourth place. |
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Dave offered the photographer some beautiful
flypasts with "polar Bear" at pylon 8... |
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Jimmy Leeward and his highly polished P-51D #9
"Cloud Dancer". The picture shows Jimmy with an engine test run in the dusk. |
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... and with "Cloud Dancer" he found
a comparable opponent. Here Jimmy Leeward overtakes "by the book" , this means
on the outside. In this way he does not lose the slower airplane from his field of vision. |
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Jimmy Leeward is very well-known for his very
clean flight on the ideal line. In the final race on Sunday he won with 343,4 mph the
victory trophy of the Unlimited Bronze Class. |
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The eye catcher in the Unlimited Bronze Class,
this P-51D "Sparky" sponsored by an American candy factory, with Brant Seghetti
from Vacaville, California, at the stick. |
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"...am I in the picture?" Jimmy
Leeward seems to say with this deep flyby at the Pylon #8. |
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With 330,5 mph Brant occupied third place
after Jimmy Leeward and Dave Morss. He referred Jim McKinstry with the Yak-3 "Shiska
Suka" with only 0.7 mph to the fourth place. |
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