Hi there Race Fans and Fellow Addicts,
This weeks' Favorite Photo is a picture that I took after dark, (obviously).
My brother in law and I accidently};-) found ourselves out on the ramp while
the Bob Pond Racing Team was busy trying to prepare the ill-fated racer for
the Sunday finals. It was really kind of a neat experience, (one that I hope to
repeat this year, (see Homepage News). I met Rick and helped the Team move
the aircraft back into it's hanger. This was a thrill for me to actually be involved
with a MAJOR player at the Reno Air Races, (even if it was a minor role). It just
shows how the people with the race teams are willing to let strangers into their
world to lend a hand and feel like a member of the team, even for just a minute.
Rick Brickert was like that. In the two minutes I had to talk to him, I felt like
a member of his family.
Anyways, we got to watch while the team ran the motors after some final tweaks on
the #21 racer. It sounded awesome, unlike any other aircraft on the ramp. That is
due to the fact that the aircraft was powered by a pair of Nissan V-6 automotive
racing motors! Unfortunately, these motors would prove to be the Achille's heel
for the Pond Racer. The problem of cooling the engines was never really solved, as
far as I am aware. The aircraft was designed by the famous Burt Rutan. The cowl
wrapped the engines very tightly and did not promote good cooling, which was a
constant battle for the team and most likely the largest time consumer in the
development of the racer. The engines had several connecting rod failures over
the years from oil starvation. This was to be determined by the NTSB as the cause
for the inflight fire of the #2 engine, as well as a possible cockpit fire, which
ultimately led to the destruction of the aircraft and the untimely death of Rick,
in his attempt to perform a wheels up landing on the desert floor. Rick had been
starting his attempt to qualify the Racer for the 1993 Races when the whole drama
began to play out.
Rick Brickert, winner of the 1986 Reno National Championship Air Races in the
#8 Dreadnought as well as a Pilot for Western Airlines, was a skilled pilot and racer.
He loved being involved in the development of the Pond Racer and the sport of Air
Racing. He was a great part of the Reno Air Races, and has been missed but not
forgotten. Blue Skies Rick.
That's my story for this week's installment of the Air Race Addict's favorite photos.
Thanks once again for visiting.
Sincerely, The Air Race Addict