A different kind of Jalopy

I always dig seeing B&W pics of early race cars, and a thread here lately on old planes got me to thinking, what about early racing planes.
Sure there were a lot of rich guys like Howard Hughes, but there a lot of others that to me, embody the jalopy spirit - privateers using ingenuity instead of bux in the pursuit of speed. Some of these guys had to scrounge race gas money. Whaddyou think?

 

Apols for the grainy pics

 

I think those planes kick ass! Those guys had brass ones back in the day. Stu

 

I am so in love with 'Golden' era racers. Though the Macchi Castoldi MC 72 is my all time favorite. Powered by two Fiat AS6 V12 motors in-line turning two contra rotating props. In 1933 it maintained 702kmh average for the Snider trophy, it remains to this day the worlds fastest prop driven float plane.


Then there is the Hughes H1, the first flush riveted metal aircraft.


The Super Marine S6B, fore runner to the legendary Spitfire, designed by Sir Reginald Mitchell


Then the classics like the Travel Air Mystery Ship,


Or the Laird Super Solution


Or how about the legendary Grandvill Bros, two men that designed and built the most successful air racer in history, the Gee Bee series of racers. Neither of them ever did a formal aeronautics course. They learned while building!!
This one is Billy Mitchell's (The guy the B25 Mitchell was named after and father of Naval Aviation) Gee Bee R1 world record setting aircraft.


Yup, not only do I love em, I realy need a life too.........

Doc.

 

That is awesome! Any info on the flush rivet process? I've never herd of it before.

 

The Super Marine S6B is kewl as hell, man it must have been wild to be an inventor in those days.

 

Were do you guys find these pics.? I'm looking for some of a wwII bomber.

 

What bomber are you looking for?? I've got a few picts. You also might want to try this site. http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB2/index.php

 

A few, up to date pics.

 

Hi guys. I'm a newbie with planes but a good friend (Racingniko) is really into it. He had the weblink for this tread via a french message board about rod and customs, but is not a member of the H.A.M.B. and don't want to start writting here to correct little mistakes. So here is what Racingniko has to say about those pictures:
Chebby Belair pics:

1st: #2 Steve Whitman "Chief Oshkosh"
2nd: #131 Keith Rider R-1"Suzy"
3rd: #39 Howard DGA-5 "Ike"
4th: #31 Travel Air Mistery Ship
5th: #111 Steve Whitman "Chief Oshkosh"
7th: Caudron C460. Certainly the #100 from Delemotte (french racer wich won at Cleveland in 1936).
8th: #52 Crosby CR-4
9th: #4 Gee Bee Z

He just wanted us to know what are (were...) those planes.

And here is a link about the H-1 replica: http://www.wrightools.com/hughes/

 

Doc, my friend Racingniko has another point of view, here it is:

The R1 was designed by Howard Pete Miller and built by the Granville brothers. Jimmy Doolittle raced it and won at the Thompson Trophy of the Cleveland National Air Races in 1932.

The picture on the HAMB shows the 1933 version of the plane (new tail). this year, it was raced in the bendic trophy by Russel Boardman who crashed fatally during takeoff after refueling during the race.

Jimmy Doolittle lead latter the air raid on Tokyo after Pearl Harbor the 18th of April 1942 with some North American B-25 Mitchell.
The little mistake about Jimmy Doolittle and Billy Mitchell maybe has its origins in the fact that Doolittle became famous when he lead the Tokyo Raid, using B-25 Mitchell (North American Aviation gave the famous WWI american pilot name to its two engines bomber)

Anyway, in all cases, the owner of the two planes (R1 and sistership R2) was the Springfield Air Racing Association (SARA), not the granville brothers, not Jimmy Doolittle, and of course not Billy Mitchell!

I'm not that good to translate french into english, but I hope you understand what my pack of words means.

 

A little extra info

1st: #2 Steve Whitman "Chief Oshkosh" new engine for 1936
2nd: #131 Keith Rider R-1"Suzy" Entered in the 1936 nationals by Rudolf Kling
3rd: #39 Howard DGA-5 "Ike" Roy Minor driving. I love the inscription on the nose "Holder Inverted Speed Record" Why don't we see things liKe that on cars
4th: #31 Travel Air Mistery Ship - Florence "Pancho" Barnes in front
5th: #111 Steve Whitman "Chief Oshkosh" new 16 ft wing span for 1934!
6th Eldon Cessna with the Cessna CR2 1933
7th: Caudron C460. Certainly the #100 from Delemotte (french racer wich won at Cleveland in 1936). Variable pitch prop in 1936! American privateers beefed about the plane being subsidised by the French Government.
8th: #52 Crosby CR-4 Harry Crosby 1939
9th: #4 Gee Bee Z (Robert Hall, chief designer of the famous Gee Bee racers for the Granville Bros after winning the 1932 General Tire Trophy.[/quote]

 

A couple more - yeh I love this stuff.

The Laird Solution fresh from winning the 1930 Thompson

Specially buit racer entered by Germany in 1939, designated a Messerschmitt BF109R, so world would believe it was a stock plane. Probably a fishing expedition

English Built Heston type 5 racer 1939. Built for a world speed record attempt. World events got in the way.

 

the Napier Henston Racer was yes quite a marvellous machine, but she didn't flew well during its unique flight, as the elevazto wasn't efficient at all if I well remebers what I read about it. I remember having saw years ago a big RC model of this plane flying very gracefully!

 

Oh Thanks a lot !!!!

Now my shirts all wet from the drool.



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for those of you who are interested in theses golden age racers, take often a look at this seller on e-bay :

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ50QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQsassZseb9

he always places hi resolutions files of the pictures he's selling.

 

Can you share any more info on this littel job?

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=246171&d=1164346980