P-51 Strega
Onlookers examine the "bottom side" of Strega in the pits. The bottom
cowl and parts flew off right after Strega passed the start finish line during
qualifications prompting an emergency landing. It flew again after repairs on
Wednesday but again dropped out of the races due to engine problems.
Lyle Shelton's "Rare Bear"
does a taxi test on its new engine on Tuesday.
The Bearcat only got a new engine mid-summer and it was unknown if it would
be at Reno this year until only a few weeks ago. However, due to the nature
of this F8F Bearcat, they decided not to race it this year. They had various
problems and did not want to put up their aircraft unless it was 100% ready
to race and win.
Two
views of a Questair Venture race Number "6" owned by Rittner Will in the
Sportsman class lies behind the hangers after a landing accident. After a apparently
normal landing it flipped over and was heavily damaged. It finished up on the
canopy so the pilot had to wait for a crane to lift the airplane up so he could
climb out. He was unhurt.
Questair Venture Race-6 damaged at Reno 2003 - another view
Brent
Hisey's P-51D Miss America comes down hot with flaps up and a oil smeared
windscreen after the engine had a catastrophic failure. A slight miss-alignment
with the runway caused him to drift off to the right, bounce up, come down in
the dirt, do a ground loop and slide backwards with the aircraft. This occured
on the other side of the main runway so it was out of my line of sight from
the east end of the runway. Extensive damage was done to Miss America so a complete
rebuild is now going to be done.
- Update from a 2004 e-mail - it is going to be taken off the racing circuit and rebuilt into stock WW II form.
P-51D
Miss America taxis by to the takeoff end of the runway just a 1/2 hour before
the accident.