Team Steadfast Air Racing

Racing a highly modified P51D Mustang at the Reno National Championship Air Races is a real opportunity to hone your skills as a pilot and an air racer. The competition is fierce. The pilots are exceptional, well trained and very hungry for that beautiful trophy. Unknown to many is the amount of effort that goes into being able to push the throttle well beyond any setting ever imagined by Rolls Royce in WWII or any other war.

A team of experienced race mechanics work their magic on the engine, airframe and propeller. There is almost no part on the airplane that hasn't been massaged, reworked or considered in their quest to be the fastest piston powered, propeller driven aircraft in the world. The modification program happens over the life of the aircraft. That may take 30+ years of consistent work, testing and racing. It is arduous work. Many of the modifications are consistently put on hold due to financial crisis, lack of parts or loss of interest in the program. Then just when they think they have the answer to the burning question: "Did we go faster"? The engine blows or .......Worse!

Reno air racing began in 1964, only a small number of different race teams have taken home the coveted trophy in the 45 years since the first Reno Air Race.

It's a test of man against machine. A machine pushed close to the limit of it's capability.

In the case of a highly modified P-51 Mustang, the wings have had between 2-4 feet clipped from each tip, the tail is clipped and the vertical stabilizer straightened out. All of them have had the angles reset since the new mission is to fly near the 505 MPH redline and not the 230 MPH cruise speed used during bomber escort missions in World War II. The radiator scoop has been slimmed from it's bulbous profile so that it produces far less drag at the high indicated race speeds. At those speeds a small area of drag becomes enormous. Much care must be taken to eliminate even the tiniest bits of aerial interference.

The cowlings and fairings are made of carbon fiber so they are light, strong and smooth. The Windshield and canopy are cut down and the bullet proof glass removed. There is a serious lack of headroom in the new canopy. It would be totally inadequate for aerial combat but it is an absolute necessity to make the airplane turn average lap speeds over 500 MPH.

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As important as reducing the incredible drag produced near redline, is building and modifying one of the worlds most gorgeous power producing machines, the Rolls Royce Merlin V1650. Many modifications are made to the lovely compilation of metal parts, if you have ever heard one at idle or at race power then the point has been made. The lovely note produced by this work of art is the result of 70 years of trial and error by experts on the subject. The engines started life as a near 1300 HP design and now at race power screaming out near 3500 HP.

The Grumman Bearcat has been Re-engined with an engine much more powerful than its original, its wings clipped and streamlined canopy. It's a monster. Probably most-modified of all is the Yakovlev 11 or "Yak". It's original 700 HP engine has been replaced with a 3000 HP Pratt & Whitney R-2800. To handle all that power on the tiny racer, the 4 bladed propeller is cut nearly in half so the tips don't scrape the ground.

Flying Voodoo
It looks brutal but the goal is functionality over looks.
The handling of one of these race machine varies. Reports of slower than stock stall speeds on some and higher on others. Stall characteristics are changed from original, they vary from modification to modification. Some are comfortable flying slow and some are uncomfortable flying fast. They fly straight as an arrow, the straighter they fly, the lower the drag which means the higher the speed and speed means first place. There are caveats to finding ones self in first place. There are systems to contend with. These systems are essential to the continued operation of the engine. These systems include Fuel delivery, air delivery, water delivery, ignition, electrical, hydraulic and flight controls. Any one of these systems could render the airplane out of the race or worse. To lose the race to a simple malfunction is shameful. The team spends endless hours removing, testing and replacing pumps, switches, hoses and the like. They are simple parts and systems but easily fallible. They try to eliminate any points of failure. The race only occurs one Sunday each year so there are no second chances.

9 days prior to the Big race, the team stops the flight test and modification program. They decide how many of this "off-seasons" speed mods have been looked after and they speak about how it would have been nice to have more time. They have had 55 weeks of time since last years race and it is just never enough. They begin to make plans for next years off season even before this years race. The wishful thinking and optimism keep their spirits high. So high that all of the teams in the top 10 secretly consider what it would be like to taxi into the winners circle after The winning the Unlimited Gold race on Sunday. They arrive at Reno and and set up camp. The first big hurdle and sometimes the hardest part of the week is just getting the most important part of the team, the race plane to the show on time and get checked in by the governing body or race promoter. This can be a real feat as weather, or mechanical problems have kept plenty of hopeful winners from ever getting to the race before the field is closed to new entries.

Our race plane, a highly modified P-51 Mustang named "Voodoo" arrives right on time on Friday 10 days before the big race. We make our plans for the rest of the week. This year our team consists of previous crew members with well over 40 Unlimited Gold Championship wins to their names. They are determined, Steadfast. They wont sleep until the airplane is ready to race the next day, sometimes they don't sleep. We practice daily, flying every morning so as to land before the air show starts. We run the power in the morning that we will run in that days event. After 3 days of practice, the racecourse is opened for qualifying. Every race team has its own idea of how to qualify. for Unlimiteds, the racing starts on Thursday. Three groups of Unlimiteds will vie for the top place finishes so they can progress through the ranks. Every day the fastest are moved up and seed the Gold field. To save the engine for one day of hard racing, the most volatile, high strung race planes better known as the fastest 6 qualifiers, will stand down on Thursday making Friday the fastest race of the year so far. The speeds ramp up considerably on Saturday and Sunday usually yields the fastest speeds for the greatest spectacle of aviation, Unlimited Gold! Two methods of thought go into qualifying. You can either run lots of power and try to be the fastest or you can just loaf around at moderate power to qual in the top 6 which is pretty easy if you have lots of power. The latter technique would be the conservative path but there is glory in being the top qualifier for the year!
The race pilots and team owners are very unique. There are a few Hired guns that don't own the plane they race and some owners that race others airplanes. No matter. All 27 teams want to win but Everyone in the top 9 aircraft want to win so bad that they will push their machines well beyond the factory limits to win.

Our 2009 Unlimited Race Team consists of The owner of the aircraft, Bob Button. Bob is a qualified Unlimited race pilot, although he has turned the flying job over to one of the newer unlimited race pilots...Will Whiteside.

Will owns and flies his own 5 year old racer named "SteadFast" a small Russian fighter converted into a trainer, then converted into an air racer. SteadFast finishes in the top 12-13 out of 27 each year and it is an exciting program to watch due to the low budget the team operate on. They are the underdog and many of the teams lend a hand yearly to see the little Yakovlev or "Yak" succeed. This year the SteadFast didn't make the race. The engine was problematic for four months prior to September, and despite help from aviation's best, the problems went unresolved. The airplane couldn't be brought Eastbound from California over the Sierras to Reno. Team SteadFast is disappointed, they struggled for 12 hours daily for the last four months to no avail. It will be costly, unlike most other teams, this team relies on the winnings to help pay the bills. Hopefully there will be next year. It turns out to be bittersweet. Will can now focus on Voodoo, the very fast, highly modified North American P-51D Mustang Fighter.

Another big name in the team is Bill Kerchenfaut, (Kerch) Bill has won more races than any crew chief in the sport. He is experienced, smart and patient.

Motor Man Mike Wilton, Kerch's right hand man is another many time Air Race winner. Mike worked with famous engine builder Dwight Thorne to build the fastest Merlin V-12's ever run.

Mike Luvara is telemetry and very good at it. We review Video and engine data after every race. It helps the pilot to see how he flies and what improvements can be made. It helps the crew to see the engine data to know how hard we can push it.

J.C. Caulkins is a corporate flight department mechanic. He's been with Voodoo for many years, has lots of experience and is willing to listen.

Frank Young has been working on Voodoo for 16 years. He knows the airplane better than anyone. He has been working with engine man, Jack Hovey for years learning how to build a fire breathing race merlin. We were close!

There are three really fast, competitive Mustangs Vying for the top spot this year. Strega, last years champion flown by a 2nd year racer, and Ridge Runner a super stock airplane that is owned and flown by an experienced racer that feels he is long overdue for a win. Rare Bear, a Modified Grumman bearcat Our answer to the Japanese Kamakazi fighter in WW2 is down on speed this year due to a problem with their race engine and a super stock engine as a substitute.

Another member of the Russian contingent, thought to be a real contender this year is a Yakovlev or Yak model 11, "Czech Mate". It is highly modified and has been re-engined with a 3000 HP American motor replacing a 700 HP Russian one.

Rounding out the top racers are a group of Hawker Sea Furys from England's late 40's. These are fast and they go around the racecourse effortlessly. They come out of the factory very advanced for speed. Furys have won this race in the past but this year........It was not to be.

The week started with 3 days of very fast qualifiers. The P-51 Strega ended up bending the throttle and laid down the fastest qualifying speed. When the dust settled, we had qualified 6th, exactly where we had planned as our conservative plan and approach to Sunday.

We started 6th on Friday and after the dust had settled we had moved up a spot right on the wing of Dreadnaught, a Super Sea Fury that has won the Gold years before. This positioned us for a competitive 4th place starting position on Saturday.

After the start of Saturdays Gold Race, we were chasing the very fast "Strega". We ran a good amount of power and it looked like a second place finish was in order. Then, as "Voodoo" taxied clear of the runway it was announced that "Strega" had cut a pylon putting "Voodoo" in first place.

We were elated. This was the biggest win ever in the 16 years of the Voodoo race program they had ever had! Not only was it a first place finish, the average race speed was 486. MPH. which is faster than most Sunday Gold Races. The win also put Voodoo in perfect position to start the race in first place tomorrow, Sunday.

On Sunday, we pushed the aircraft out in order of starting position. "Voodoo" led the parade proudly. We took off, joined the pace plane and proceeded to start the race. On the Run-in, It was Voodoo, Strega, Rare Bear, Check Mate, Ridge Runner, etc. Immediately approaching the guide pylon, Strega made his pass to assume the lead from Voodoo. It was Strega that ran away with the lead from then on leaving Voodoo to avoid his wake on this windless day in the Nevada desert. We encountered wake 3 times in the 6 of 8 laps trying to keep the leader in sight in case he made a mistake like the day prior. It wasn't to be. On lap 6 of 8 the engine began to shake as it ran rough and belched smoke from the 12 exhaust stacks, it was over! As the engine shut down, Voodoo soared a mile high and slowed to best glide speed looking for a good runway to land on. After a safe touchdown, Voodoo was towed in leaking oil over most of the airframe and then onto the ramp. It wasn't the outcome the team had wanted but it was miles ahead of anything the Voodoo team had accomplished in the past. The team was solemn but they knew they were just inches from having the right combination to win this race.

Though we are unable to identify all photographers who sent us pictures this year, we would like to offer a very SPECIAL thanks to photo contributors!

Will Whiteside

Flying Voodoo - Versus the Stock Mustang
Voodoo is what I’ve heard called a 3rd generation Race P51. The two that it follows are Dago Red and Strega. Designed with many of the modifications that Dago and Strega had been, Voodoo I’m told is lighter and has less adverse handling effects as the others.

Voodoo doesn't fly like a stock mustang in the ways you’d think. I keep hearing it is the Version 3 of development of Dago, Strega. Considering the stock canopy, I compared speeds and power settings of the other two and there is a chance that in full race trim,(Small canopy) Voodoo may be an improvement in the design. I am just taking a WAG at this of course. Probably just wishful thinking since I hopefully will be in a good race with the pilots of the other two next season.

On Handling
Voodoo requires very little trim change for change in airspeed and has a lot of roll coupling. Meaning if the airplane is flown uncoordinated in yaw, it will develop a heavy wing requiring aileron input to maintain wings level or just rudder input to fly coordinated. This is much more pronounced than a stock P-51. At cruise speeds it feels less "Locked in" as a stock P51D, TF or C. The ailerons are always lighter than a stocker at any speed even with the servo tabbed trim tabs. At speeds above 300 Miles Indicated, the airplane gets a more solid feel to it and the airplane feels near Sea Fury stable in yaw, pitch and roll at 400 MPH indicated. I saw about 410-420 MPH indicated before Voodoo's Turbine smooth Merlin said "SEE YA"! and I will say it was the smoothest, most pleasant engine airframe combination I have ever flown. Not pitchy, not yaw unstable and not heavy on roll stability. I was in heaven! I see why it has endured the test of time in overall use.

If you were to go fly a Sea Fury and then a Stock P51D, you would reflect and see how much more improved the handling during maneuvering the Sea Fury is. Voodoo retains it light controls throughout its speed range like the Fury does. It makes racing at the higher speeds much more pleasant. The Fury is a much later design. It has much more aero refinement. Voodoo by comparison to a stocker when talking about the traffic pattern is apples and apples until you leave about 145 MPH. I was taught to fly a D or a TF by Art and Dan Vance. They use 115 MPH as a speed to shoot for "Over the Fence".

The stock airplanes have good visibility over the nose and good aileron control throughout the approach and landing phases using this speed. At less than this speed the tail starts to drop and the nose comes up a bit and you can feel that the airplane would rather be at the 115 MPH number. I found that this occurred on Voodoo below 140 MPH. Not sure if its a CG thing or clipped wings or tail incidence. When I flew the Collings P-51C, I found that this occurred at about 110 KIAS or about 126 MPH which may indicate it has something to do with CG but I have not researched the CG's of the above mentioned P51's well enough to say.

The sink rate was very high on Voodoo compared to a stocker at a lower comparable speed. I'm honored that I can say that for racing, Voodoo would be my choice of aero mods,(Bring on the little canopy). For just everyday fun and practicality, A stock 51 like the Vance's Speedball Alice would be my choice. I wouldn't change a thing from the original design. They got it so right and the nostalgia part makes the love affair complete.