Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:48 am
Neal Nurmi wrote:I just knew you were going to come back and bug us about that number.
Well I dug into the archives, and when Jimmy had it it was N8048G
I took a photo of "Texas Red" at Reno 1986, and it shows the registration as N8048J, and according to FAA, there is a T-6G still registered as such, owned by Edward S. Kustoff from San Antonio, Texas.
Sun Dec 30, 2007 8:49 pm
As Benno shows, I also have Texas Red as "N8048J"
Sun Dec 30, 2007 10:30 pm
8048J is correct -- I mistyped from my notes. Sorry...
Sun Dec 30, 2007 11:44 pm
Thanks Neal!
And thanks also to his proof readers
That's what I love about this place!
And thanks also to his proof readers
That's what I love about this place!
Thu Jan 03, 2008 12:34 pm
Neal Nurmi wrote:Here is the former Race 20.
# seems to be N3272G
Hope this helps...
The former Race 20 was purchased the spring of 2007 and moved to St. Louis, MO at 1H0. It is now called "Radial Velocity" and won the bronze race at Reno this past year.
Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:22 pm
Very nice airplane, and congratulations on the win! And welcome to WIX...
Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:52 pm
Okay, before I tell a story that doesn't apply to this airplane 
...was the former Race 20 the one that Linda Finch used to own?
Gary
...was the former Race 20 the one that Linda Finch used to own?
Gary
Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:00 pm
Yes, so go for it, Gary...
Thu Jan 03, 2008 6:26 pm
Well, many moons ago, while working at Ezell Aviation, Linda brought that airplane in for an annual inspection. I was told it hadn't flown in a while (a few years, I think), and this was the first time anyone had looked at it for some time.
I was the lucky one chosen to perform the inspection, but right away, we all noticed something very odd about this particular airplane. It had a very strong odor associated with it...particularly when you walked around the left wing. And when I say a "very strong odor," I mean it was enough to make the buzzards flying around Breckenridge to take a detour. Nonetheless, I continued to press on with the annual, starting with the engine items and then moving on to the airframe inspection. It was during the opening up of inspection panels when I made an unwilling discovery of just where the odor came from. When taking the last screw out of the large, oval panel that is just outboard of the left main landing gear (the one for inspecting the landing gear actuator), about twenty pounds of dead and decomposing honey bees fell upon me.
Now, there is the possibility that some choice words of some degree of vulgarity were said at this point, but I don't recall exactly what was said, so I'll just leave that to your imagination. 
Now, one would think that bees would just shrivel up and blow away in the wind when they die, but not these little fellas. For whatever reason, whether it was a mass suicide, or they were scared of Linda's flying, or whatever, they all died at apparently the same time and refused to just "dry up." The resulting mess was a sticky, gooey, stinkin' pile of bees that was now in my hair, clothing, and possibly a portion of my ear (which may explain some of my hearing loss). That was, without a doubt, one of the stinkinest messes that I've ever had to clean up. And naturally, what had fallen on me was only a small portion of what was actually in the wing. All I can tell you is that was one unlucky Shop Vac that had to suck up all the remains.
Interestingly, that wasn't the only thing I'd discovered in the left wing of that airplane. While cleaning up the mess from the decomposing bees, I kept seeing these tiny little black balls of something in the mix. Upon further investigation, it appeared to be pieces of lead shot. Confused, I continued the inspection of the wing, moving further outboard with my mirror and flashlight. The further out I got, the more lead shot I found. Eventually, I made my way out into the wing tip. Since I was unable to get a good look inside the wingtip, I removed it. The tip was completely full of old shot bags! Some of them were still full, while others had busted, which was the source of the lead shot I'd discovered in the pile of bees. Do you reckon they died of lead poisoning? Hmmmm..........
Anyway, there were also two or three bags of shot just inboard of the wingtip as well. So, essentially, they had crammed somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-50 pounds (if my memory serves me right) of extra weight in the left wing of that T-6 at one time or another. We speculated several reasons why, but never got a straight answer. Was it just due to a "twisted" airplane and they couldn't get the wings rigged right? Was it a "race trick" to help make it left wing heavy so that the ailerons would remain neutral and "cleaner" for racing? Was it just a mean prank that someone had done to mess with them? Who knows? All I know is it was a huge pain in the patooty to get that mess cleaned out of there...and the stinkin' bees didn't make it any easier.
It may seem funny now, but I still can't look at that airplane without having the sensation that there are bees all around me.
Gary
I was the lucky one chosen to perform the inspection, but right away, we all noticed something very odd about this particular airplane. It had a very strong odor associated with it...particularly when you walked around the left wing. And when I say a "very strong odor," I mean it was enough to make the buzzards flying around Breckenridge to take a detour. Nonetheless, I continued to press on with the annual, starting with the engine items and then moving on to the airframe inspection. It was during the opening up of inspection panels when I made an unwilling discovery of just where the odor came from. When taking the last screw out of the large, oval panel that is just outboard of the left main landing gear (the one for inspecting the landing gear actuator), about twenty pounds of dead and decomposing honey bees fell upon me.
Now, there is the possibility that some choice words of some degree of vulgarity were said at this point, but I don't recall exactly what was said, so I'll just leave that to your imagination.
Now, one would think that bees would just shrivel up and blow away in the wind when they die, but not these little fellas. For whatever reason, whether it was a mass suicide, or they were scared of Linda's flying, or whatever, they all died at apparently the same time and refused to just "dry up." The resulting mess was a sticky, gooey, stinkin' pile of bees that was now in my hair, clothing, and possibly a portion of my ear (which may explain some of my hearing loss). That was, without a doubt, one of the stinkinest messes that I've ever had to clean up. And naturally, what had fallen on me was only a small portion of what was actually in the wing. All I can tell you is that was one unlucky Shop Vac that had to suck up all the remains.
Interestingly, that wasn't the only thing I'd discovered in the left wing of that airplane. While cleaning up the mess from the decomposing bees, I kept seeing these tiny little black balls of something in the mix. Upon further investigation, it appeared to be pieces of lead shot. Confused, I continued the inspection of the wing, moving further outboard with my mirror and flashlight. The further out I got, the more lead shot I found. Eventually, I made my way out into the wing tip. Since I was unable to get a good look inside the wingtip, I removed it. The tip was completely full of old shot bags!
Some of them were still full, while others had busted, which was the source of the lead shot I'd discovered in the pile of bees. Do you reckon they died of lead poisoning? Hmmmm..........
Anyway, there were also two or three bags of shot just inboard of the wingtip as well. So, essentially, they had crammed somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-50 pounds (if my memory serves me right) of extra weight in the left wing of that T-6 at one time or another. We speculated several reasons why, but never got a straight answer. Was it just due to a "twisted" airplane and they couldn't get the wings rigged right? Was it a "race trick" to help make it left wing heavy so that the ailerons would remain neutral and "cleaner" for racing? Was it just a mean prank that someone had done to mess with them? Who knows? All I know is it was a huge pain in the patooty to get that mess cleaned out of there...and the stinkin' bees didn't make it any easier.
It may seem funny now, but I still can't look at that airplane without having the sensation that there are bees all around me.
Gary
Thu Jan 03, 2008 7:29 pm
GREAT STORY GARY!!!
Thanks for the welcome Neal
Its not my plane, but lets say that I know the guy i forwarded the story on and I think he will get a kick out of it.
Thanks for the welcome Neal
Its not my plane, but lets say that I know the guy
i forwarded the story on and I think he will get a kick out of it.
Linda's old airplane
Mon Feb 04, 2008 12:10 am
That is a great story Gary - I just got around to reading it. This airplane is still VERY LEFT wing heavy - I wonder if there is still some lead shot in the left wing.
As you know, I bought Linda's old SNJ and raced it at Reno last year - looking forward to this year's race too. Are you going to race again this year??
Congratulations on the WIX MVP award - well deserved.
John Lohmar
As you know, I bought Linda's old SNJ and raced it at Reno last year - looking forward to this year's race too. Are you going to race again this year??
Congratulations on the WIX MVP award - well deserved.
John Lohmar
Mon Feb 04, 2008 7:13 am
Thanks John, and congrats to you in winning the Bronze Race at Reno during your Rookie year. But now we know why it turns left around the pylons so well.
Gary
Gary