Warbird Information Exchange

I ran across an old photo of my Dad's old racing plane and started wondering where it is now. while searching the internet I downloaded the brochure for the Reno Air races and there is a photo of it! It looks different, but my Dad said that the numbers on a plane are never changed. NX79111 The last I knew anything of it was sometime in the 70's when my Dad was still alive he took a picture of himself with it up in Reno. It was called Miss Candace back then. It sort of gave me the chills when I saw that it looks like it is called the Galloping Ghost again. That's the name my Dad and his buddies gave it. They bought the plane after the war and turned it into a racing plane back in Cedar Lake, Indiana in the early 1950's I think. In fact, my Dad was the one who built the airport there in Cedar Lake, also in the early 50's I think. His name was William D. Balser. Back in his racing days he went by Smokie Balser. My Dad passed away in 1986 and I never thought about the plane until recently. Does anyone out there know if it's going to be in Reno again this year? I really want to see it. If I can figure out how to do it, I will post the old pictures I have of it. My Dad sold his interest in the Galloping Ghost around the time I was born in 1954 because my Mom guilted him out of racing anymore! Thanks, Dannie Balser

It's owned by Jimmy Leeward and is based in Minden, NV. It's a famous racer from the 60's to present.
It was flown in the 1946 through 1949 races by Steve Beville and Bruce Raymond. They never placed lower than fourth in any of those races and were second in the '48 Thompson final.
There are some that say that the data plate was used by a company to ease exportation problems for many airframes going to Isreal during the fifties and that the present airframe may not really be N79111 of the 40's, but there isn't really any proof either way.
In 1960 Cliff Cummins acquired the airplane and it was flying by 1965. He started racing it in 1969 as Miss Candace and was very active until selling it in 1979 to a southern trucker.
Wiley Sanders operated it until 1984 with race pilots Mac McClain and Skip Holm setting records and winning races with it, at the time it was the fastest racer. In 1981 it set the fastest qualifier and set a record at 450 mph.
Jimmy Leeward bought it and raced it for several years with no real effect. He seemed to blow a lot of engines and the airplanes racing program never achieved much success. It was put into storage for 20 years and was then returned to service as the Galloping Ghost, #177 because there is another racer with #77, highly modified again with the removal of the radiator scoop which was replaced by an internal boiler for cooling the engines glycol coolant, as well it still has the shortest wings of ant Mustang at 28 feet. It was flown in last years races. It didn't qualify in the normal sense, so was required to race each heat race, and win, to get a spot in the Gold race final, which is the race for the fastest airplanes and the most money. They succeeded in winning each of these races, gradually increasing their speed through the week. The wind and weather that Sunday last year cancelled the days flying and the race was never held.
It is entered in this years race and jimmy Leeward is listed as the pilot.
Chris...

Dannie:

P 51 NX79111 just crashed at the Reno air races yesterday evening.
The plane hit the ground just in front of the grandstand, VIP seating.
Pilot and at least 9 spectators lost their lives.

There are some video and photos of the event on the web.
Sorry to pass on bad news to you.

Jerry

Thank you Jerry. I was thee and had a wonderful conversation with Jimmy about two hours before he died. Am still in shock. Will never forget what I saw and grateful to be alive. Sincerely, Dannie