Race #42

[K5054NZ]

We all know that high performance World War 2 fighters are often modified to the extreme in the quest for power - such aircraft as Mustangs Dago Red and Strega, Sea Fury Dreadnaught, Rare Bear and numerous others can be seen in their grossly-modified state every year at Reno.

One of the newest competitors to the air racing scene was snapped as he "buzzed" my home earlier this afternoon. The P-51D N87ZY, Race Number 42 "Life, The Universe And Everything" is flown and owned by Jack Reilly (son of Bill Reilly, the pilot killed in the disastrous 1968 crash at Reno in his P-40H Kittiwake), and incorporates a number of modifications.

The aircraft now sports a Rolls-Royce Griffon and contra-rotating propeller, "donated" by a SAAF Shackleton patrol/reconnaisance bomber.

To minimise drag, the belly radiator scoop has been reshaped (based on the intake of an Aermacchi MB.339 jet trainer). The wings have been clipped by approximately 1' either side, the horizotal stabilizers have been "trimmed" and a much smaller, aerodynamic canopy fitted.

The aircraft circled three times before making its way back to the airport. This was, as far as I understand, the aircraft's final test flight before being awarded FAA "Experimental" certification.

Hehehe...so, whaddya all think? Sorry my Photoshop skills aren't up to those of, say, Tophe, but I try   .

[AeroplaneDriver]

I can just imagine what your racer is thinking...

"...here I am, engine the size of a planet, and what do they say; get the door please, fly around the pylons please...I'm so miserable..."




Beauty!

[Brian da Basher]

Damn Zac as much as I loved your P-40 Kittiwake I think this one is absolutely the bees knees! I love your mods to it and that really cool racing scheme you painted on it! Oh, and your photoshop skills were good enough to fool me on the first look.

Brian da Basher

P.S. If it was mine, I'd probably bung it up by adding three 20 mm cannons to each wing and giving it Finnish camo and North togolese markings.

[K5054NZ]

"Racing? Oh, don't talk to me about racing...going round pylons all day, call that job satisfaction? Cos I don't."
Thanks guys. And Brian, the yellow was my first ever attempt at masking. Ever. I actually had this scheme in mind for Bill Reilly's racing P-40H, but with a fuselage cheatline as well.

Completed #42 some time ago (ie a month ago)...it was going to be a Piper Enforcer (hence the new radiator) but I thought I'd give a Reno racer a go. I'm glad you like!

[Captain Canada]

Did he give you a full report on the state of your eaves after those 3 passes ? Looks like a few leaves and twigs blocking the downspout on the NE side.........

Nice looking model, and a pretty cool story. I'd like to see apic of the contra props ! thanks for mentioning the rad intake, I wouldn't have noticed otherwise...looks good !

 

[K5054NZ]

Well I wholeheartedly believe in a good backstory...besides, I love writing them! The radiator actually came from a Macchi 339 kit...by chance I had a spare door for the back part...
Contraprops...mmm....I should actually put some exhausts on first...and don't worry, the trees are fine! And yes, he called about the guttering. Took photos, cheeky bugger.

Thanks for your words Cap'n.

[Tophe]

Why is there a reference to Photoshop here? The pictures prove this is true life story...  I suppose it is here here to say: "look what will inspire my plastic scale model to come". It will be great with such a source, but uneasy to do I fear. Let us just wait and see.  

[K5054NZ]

Wise words, my dear Tophe, wise words indeed.

I'd like to see some more racers here...a modified Tworsair, maybe? Or the T-51 Class at Reno? What models may come... B)  

[nev]

Like the idea of taking a Griffon from a Shackleton - Ollie pointed out the Spit with the same conversion at Duxford flying legends this year - that thing could shift!  

[Ollie]

All the Griffon Spits are using Griffon 58s from the Shack, although they all have a mod to accept the 5-bladed propeller, while the Spit XIX kept the original deal.  It saved them alot of money!

Nice model Zak!

   

[Tophe]

Zac, do you have a profile picture of this beauty?  to add to my collection of Griffon-Mustang (I have not found her either in the book "Griffon-powered Mustangs" by A.Grantham, Specialty Press, 2000)...

[K5054NZ]

Thanks for your words guys.

Well Tophe, as it happens I'm heading over to the airport later on today to catch some shots of Race 42 at rest, so I'll get as best a profile shot as possible. ^_^

I'd like to see you whip up one of your famous in-flight pics of her if possible...if you'd like a particular angle of shot to work from, I'm sure Mr Reilly will be more than happy to oblige. And the reason for her not appearing in Grantham's book is because, as I say, she only flew for the first time mid-way through last month. I'm sure she'll appear in the second edition, though...

[John Howling Mouse]

I swear I could hear the snarling Griffon as I scanned the pics!

CooOOOLLLLL!!!

[K5054NZ]

Damn straight cool! I only wish he could've hung around long enough for me to grab the video camera!  

[Tophe]

I'm heading over to the airport later on today to catch some shots of Race 42 at rest

Interesting...
So this is not a common US Reno racer but a New-Zealander? Nicely different!
Or... maybe - as the P-51D was called 'the long-range fighter' - this is a trans-Pacific plane : Reno/Honolulu/Auckland, back and forth, as routine travel to different airshows/races... Maybe featured in Europe too, soon?