Galloping Ghost

Sopwith · **Joined:** Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:49 pm **Posts:** 544

Just finished reading a good article in EAA Sport Aviation about the Galloping Ghost,sounds a pretty potent machine.I think it's fantastic that it is one of the original 1949 race aeroplanes,albeit highly modified.I hope that Jimmy Leeward has great sucess with it at Reno this September.

Speedy · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 1:34 pm

Sopwith wrote:

Just finished reading a good article in EAA Sport Aviation about the Galloping Ghost,sounds a pretty potent machine.I think it's fantastic that it is one of the original 1949 race aeroplanes,albeit highly modified.I hope that Jimmy Leeward has great sucess with it at Reno this September.

I know I'm gonna take flak from some people on this one, but I am one of the "Birthers"...oops, sorry, wrong controversy. Anyhow, I'm one of those who is of the belief that the NX79111 that raced as Galloping Ghost at Cleveland isn't the same N79111 that Cliff Cummins got back in the states in the late '60's (that went on to be Miss Candace/Jeannie/Leeward Air Ranch Special...and currently Galloping Ghost).

Dick Phillips did extensive research in the 1980's that recovered a lot of evidence that when the 'original' airframe (along with a group of several other airframes) was sold to Israel in the 1950's, there were a lot of 'paperwork shuffles', switching of registration numbers and data plates, etc. This is similar to what happened with all of the Trans Florida/Cavalier airframes that were disassembled and 'separated' from their plates and paperwork.

The prevailing theory that Phillips presented was that 'most likely' the current N79111, while it has the registration number and data plate, is not the same airframe.

There are a lot of people (especially those currently involved with the airframe) who staunchly disagree with this line of thought...and that is certainly well within their right. I mean, didn't we go through this whole thing with Twighlight Tear over the last several years?

My thought on the whole thing is that the 'current' N79111 has an amazing 'history' of it's own just since Dr. Cummins started racing her in 1969, passing on through Wiley Sanders, and onto Leeward. It has three 'championship' wins (two at Reno, one at Mojave), and twice has held the Qualifying Record at Reno. That's more than the 'old' NX79111 ever did at Cleveland.

Just my .02 cents worth.

Sopwith · **Joined:** Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:49 pm **Posts:** 544

Thanks for the input Speedy,I don't know anything regarding it's history other than what I read in the EAA mag,always interested to learn though.

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 3:37 pm

I was VERY impressed by the Ghost at Reno last year. I understand it qualified at the back of the pack and move up through bronze, into silver. At the end of the second lap during the Saturday silver race it lapped the slowest plane. It was kicking a$$. This gave them the ability to bump up to the gold race on the Sunday. It was really shaping up to be one heck of a race for the gold on Sunday, but fate would not allow it and the race was canceled (high winds if you haven't heard). This was my first trip to Reno. Although I don't plan to make it an annual excursion I want to get back to Reno this year, even if only to see what the Ghost can really do.

Mike

P.S. My only disappointment was the GG team was not selling T shirts.

Mike · **Joined:** Tue May 04, 2004 8:54 am **Posts:** 3328

I wonder if we'll ever see the definitive surviving P-51 history book from the pen of Mr Phillips?

He was 'a year or two off' when I spoke with him on my first visit to the US. That was for Oshkosh in 1988!

Speedy · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 5:36 pm

[quote="mrhenniger"]I was VERY impressed by the Ghost at Reno last year. I understand it qualified at the back of the pack and move up through bronze, into silver. At the end of the second lap during the Saturday silver race it lapped the slowest plane. It was kicking a$$. quote]

It did look pretty cool....but the 'appearance' that it was kicking a$$ is just that. It won the Medallion on Thursday, the Bronze on Friday, and the Silver on Saturday. But even at that, the speed it ran to win on Saturday was 100 mph slower than Strega ran to win the Gold heat two hours later. It looked fast because it was racing against SIGNIFICANTLY slower aircraft in each race it ran in.

mrhenniger · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 7:07 pm

Aaaaahhhh....... You ruined a perfectly enjoyable memory with a heavy dose of reality. ;-)

Mike (sigh.......)

kennsmithf2g · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 7:29 pm

Several years ago, Steve Beville, one of the pilots that raced and worked on her in the Cleveland races, looked over the airframe and found a patch that he said that he put on back in the day. That's good enough for me.

Cleveland Race Results not impressive...I beg to differ! Always in the money!

Race results from official logs:

Race:Thompson-1946
Race Average Speed:364.655 mph
Race Place: 4th
Race Prize:$3,000

Race: Kendall-1947
Race Average Speed: 384.602 mph
Race Place: 1st
Race Prize: $2,500

Race: Thompson-1947
Race Average Speed: 360.840 mph
Race Place: 4th
Race Prize: $3,000

Race: Thompson-1948
Race Average Speed: 365.234 mph
Race Place: 2nd
Race Prize: $8,000

Race: Tinnerman-1948
Race Average Speed: 362.245 mph
Race Place: 1st
Race Prize: $3,150

Race: Sohio Handicapp-1948
Race Average Speed: 315.623 mph
Race Place: 4th
Race Prize: $700

Race: Sohio -1949
Race Average Speed: 376.719 mph
Race Place: 4th
Race Prize: $700

Race: Thompson-1949
Race Average Speed: 381.214 mph
Race Place: 4th
Race Prize: $3,000

Kenn

Speedy · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 8:51 pm

Tomato, Tomahto, Kenn....

I didn't say that the Leeward gang was wrong...I am just pointing out some of the paperwork and data that has been researched extensively and put out on the table.

In the end, it's still one of my all-time favorite Unlimiteds, and I'm not going to let whether it is or it isn't diminish that.

kennsmithf2g · **Posted:** Sun May 08, 2011 9:47 pm

It's kinda like documentating a racer's paint scheme to make a model. Quite frustrationg as they change all the time even on the same day.

I do recall that the discussion at out Symposium was VERY HEATED at the time.............

Bob Swanson's 1st Mustang (Full House) that crashed in the perlimaries for the 1946 races "flys" on. At the time, he said that he didn't quite understand why someone would just buy the data plate from his wrecked Mustang that he had trucked back to his place and later scrapped..............

There is a present Mustang that is flying with the registration of a crashed Mustang racer that is on a maybe long term rebuild. If/when the origional is rebuilt...what will it be registered as......it's origional data that is currently assigned or another plane's idenity????

The tangled web we weave....

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