2016 RENO

In 6th Grade, the teacher handed out modeling clay.  I made an airplane.  I turned around, and the kid behind me had also made an airplane.  Paul Newman has been my friend ever since.

Me, holding a balsa & tissue control line plane with a Black Widow .049 Engine and a Paul Newman designed T-Tail.  The T-Tail didn’t make it any faster.
Surly teenagers waiting for aviation careers to get us out of Kansas.

2016 Reno National Championship Air Races:  Paul Newman convinces me to go 50/50 on buying an old Cassutt racer together and sharing the racing.  We weren’t there to win, just race and get the feel for everything.  Of course, Paul tinkered endlessly with the plane, christened Fast & Easy.  He made it the fastest “slab wing” Cassutt in 2016 and won a $1,000 prize.  Anyone who had to clean their canopy after flying behind Fast & Easy believed that the airplane mainly achieved it speed by coating itself with oil.  The hangar name for the plane became Fast & Greasy.

Me, a normal pilot, uselessly drinking coffee while Mr. Newman tinkers.  We had a great year in 2016, but resolved that there would be no airplane sharing in 2017.
The best way for two friends to share racing is with two airplanes
Share to LinkedIn
Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter