F2G race 74

[jaybird]

Don't know if I missed this posted before, but 1st flight video is on YT here:

http://youtu.be/hL8Ts8prnaE

[spookythecat]

You guys are silly. I'm nowhere near the photographer those guys are but i'd do it in a second.

Thanks

Al the humbled

[Lynn Allen]

I got two for you!

PAUL BOWEN

2nd that one...

[kennsmithf2g]

Here is a page from the Errection and Maintenance manual

The F2G-1 had manually folded wngs
The F2G-2 had hydraulicly folded wings and an errection hook and a smaller propeller

BOTH had the sub-rudder. Crawford had the sub-rudder when she was there in parts.

[garbs]

Here's a couple I got from Thursday and Friday:























Guess I kinda like that plane...

[Stephan Wilkinson]

Was the pilot Dick Becker or Bob Odegaard? Is Becker maybe the owner, Odegaard the race pilot, I'm thinkin'?

[JohnTerrell]

Very nice! The extendable step-ladder must have been added when the flaps were modified/fixed in the up position (the stock/original starboard flap had an open step manufactured into it, to allow the pilot to use it when the flaps were down). The first photo, showing Bob either climbing down from the aircraft, really illustrates just how big it is!

Stephan, Dick Becker was part of Cook Cleland's racing team at the Cleveland Air Races in the late 40's - so the name on the side is purely historical. I believe Becker's name was added around the time of the '48 races, and became part of the paint work that remained until the aircraft was restored. http://www.warbirdregistry.org/corsairr ... 88463.html

Thomas Ungurean is the owner of Race 74 (and P-51D "Cripes A' Mighty" N151BW).

[Speedy]

Was the pilot Dick Becker or Bob Odegaard? Is Becker maybe the owner, Odegaard the race pilot, I'm thinkin'?

Dick Becker was the pilot of #74 in 1948 and 1949 (Cook Cleland raced it, and won, in 1947). Mr. Becker passed away a while back.

[corsair166b]

If we're throwing capable photographers around, I gotta add in WIX's Richard Allnutt.....I have some of his stuff and it is great.

Mark

[spookythecat]

If we're throwing capable photographers around, I gotta add in WIX's Richard Allnutt.....I have some of his stuff and it is great.

Mark

I'll second that one!

[Steve T]

Re Race 74's rudder...Cook Cleland swapped the "tall" F2G unit from #74 with the "short" fin and rudder from FG-1A, race 92 "Lucky Gallon" which he had run in 1946. I've seen at least one published pic of the dash-one, by then grounded, wearing the tall rudder, which looks decidedly odd! Walt Soplata acquired both airframes about 1953 and reportedly still had parts of the FG-1A stored at the time of his passing last November. The restored F2G is gorgeous; hope I have the chance to see her firsthand someday (having "visited" her twice when she was parked in Walt's backyard)...

S.

[RMAllnutt]

If we're throwing capable photographers around, I gotta add in WIX's Richard Allnutt.....I have some of his stuff and it is great.

Mark

I'll second that one!

Many thanks indeed guys! I do have a partiality for corsairs too, as you can see from my avatar. I'd certainly love to be invited for such an honor.

Cheers,
Richard

[F2G_lover]

Thanks for the great pictures! Definitely my favorite aircraft. Anyone have any video of Race 74 at Reno? I wish I'd known they were going, I'd have made the trip. When I heard about the engine damage after the first test flight it sounded like they weren't going to make it.

I hope Lucky Gallon makes it's way into the hands of someone who'll restore it in it's racing colors some day. It would be cool to see #57, #74, and #92 all in the air together. I haven't seen any pictures of Lucky Gallon after it went to Walter Soplata - do any exist?

I bid on a set of negatives of #74 at Soplata's in the early days of his collection a while back, but lost. I won a bunch of other lots of F2G / Corsair / air racing negatives from the same photographer, but didn't get that one.

[corsair166b]

The 'English Gent' who made the great comment MIGHT have been my friend Steve Bridgewater, now the editor of the British Mag 'Classic Jets' and who was in California and the Reno area over the last two weeks and did attend Reno earlier in the week....was he about 5 foot 9, balding (may have had a hat on) and thin? I'll have to ask him if he remember making such a comment....I know he had a great trip to the states, loved Reno, and discovered The Cheesecake Factory while he was here.....may not have beem him as I know a lot of Brits come to the show, but it'd be funny if it was him...

Mark

[Speedy]

The 'English Gent' who made the great comment MIGHT have been my friend Steve Bridgewater, now the editor of the British Mag 'Classic Jets' and who was in California and the Reno area over the last two weeks and did attend Reno earlier in the week....was he about 5 foot 9, balding (may have had a hat on) and thin? I'll have to ask him if he remember making such a comment....I know he had a great trip to the states, loved Reno, and discovered The Cheesecake Factory while he was here.....may not have beem him as I know a lot of Brits come to the show, but it'd be funny if it was him...

Mark

No, about 5' 7" maybe...full head of hair but nicely cropped and stocky. Not big...but I could have seen him playing rugby.