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!
