55 Year Return of the Bardahl Special P-51D Reno Air Racer

[@kh40yr]

I was at Reno when The Red Baron reigned supreme. Was there, witness to it's demise, and a very lucky Hinton Sr. I was at Reno when the Rare Bear had its golden days. Back in my youth, I built a Bardahl Special P-51 Control line with the help of my Dad. Dad was a private pilot for 45 years. Spent decades at Stead, waiting for the final Gold Unlimited race on Sunday. Lots of good memories there. Welcome back Bardahl!!

[@alanmydland5210]

Did you ever see the pond racer race?

[@kh40yr]

@@alanmydland5210 Never did see that one. Seen it on the ramp in whatever year that was, and the next day it was in the hangar, for the weekend. A interview I heard or read was that Rutan said that it was "too far ahead of it's time", and "needed more money". Last race me and Dad went together was in 1997. Brought home the Cd "Reno On Record" from the field. I still pop that in occasionally. I think you can still get copies of it. Went right by the entrance to Black Rock desert headed back home, where Andy Greene and crew were breaking the land speed record in Thrust SSC, a month later. We should have turned in and checked it out.

[@alanmydland5210]

@@kh40yr lots of potential so sorry it went in; bunches of money spent

[@alanmydland5210]

4000hp with counter rotating props, awesome. Spud farmer turned French fry guy, is that true?

[@ronniesmith8941]

I remember seeing The Red Baron RB-51 at McClellan AFB Open House a week or so before Reno Air Races.

[@20belowclubdoggies]

Flying in that magnificent fighter plane with my brother Chuck in the 60's was and still is the most exciting, adrenal slamming rush I have in my audio visual memory bank! The memories of sounds and smells as I was tucked behind him on a little board with my parachute tight, bring tears to my eyes to this day! I am gleeful behind words that its flight history is still being written by its wonderful new owner and pilot.

[@ZacYates]

That was fantastic! I’m so excited to see the 2023 edition - this was my first (and last) Reno and I was rooting for #3 all week. What a sound!!

[@czoom51]

Thank you! I'm working hard to make 2023 a great one! Lots of footage and information to unpack...

[@MegaJugMan]

I am amazed. I’m waiting for a hurricane to directly hit my Florida town, and I see this video which has virtually every aircraft I built a scale plastic model of when I was 10. Now I’m 64. To see the hi-res footage of a flight of P-51D flying together… it’s like a window to the past, that I have only previously seen in grainy 16mm B&W WWII documentary or gun cam footage. To see these beautiful aircraft flying together in high resolution color… it’s as if I were the pilot of a P-51D looking at my wingman. Just blew me away. Thanks, it’s so cool. 👍🏼😮

[@topbanana4013]

here 16 spitfires with 16 merlin's screaming would be nice to see a load of p51D with them wit the same screaming merlin's kzbin.info/www/bejne/mWfGZKlvns6bndk

[@peterbellwood5412]

We don't get too many hurricanes here in Britain , but I'm with you about this vieo and all the models . Thing is I'm very nearly 72 and still making and customizing my plastic model planes . I recently got a 1/48 Hawk Howard 'Ike' racer for £3 , which is nuts , and a very cool clipped wing Sohio racing P39 racer . I hope and pray you and yours will be safe . All the best from Suffolk , England . Pete

[@shortribslongbow5312]

Great video, the sounds of the Reno air races will always be in my heart. :o)

[@ringogringo814]

Salute to Oly Bardahl, and family. I worked for Bardahl in 79 / 80 in Ballard. They had the Merlin 12 cylinder engine out of the Mss. Bardahl hydroplane that Oly's son in law was killed in. Good people.

[@TimHunold]

Glad to see so many people here showing love for this proud p51

[@MrDo0bie]

What a beauty of an Airplane.

[@Agwings1960]

Setting on the deck in a 51 at 500MPH has got to be one of the best feelings in the world.

[@bernardanderson3758]

To owning a piece of history is amazing

[@peterbellwood5412]

Thank you for this fascinating video . As a fan of civil and racing aircraft this is fantastic news . What a great surprise . I love the fact that she's been restored in her famous racing colours . I understand owners painting their 'warbirds' in camo , but I love the amazing attractive schemes sometimes seen on stock or modified racers . What a blast . All the best from Britain . Pete

[@Groundhog11ish]

Thank you so much for this compilation! From Chuck’s daughter, Kim Lyford Bishop

[@jacksemporiumofstuff]

Bardahl........now that's a name I've not heard in a long time. A long time.

[@kingfisherbc]

Miss Bardahl was a famous hydroplane back in the day....

[@stevemandeville4178]

Back when I used to go to the Reno Air Races, John Crocker was racing Jeanie and Rare Bear was still working out engine cooling issues. My favorite plane was the Hawker Sea Fury , Dreadnought

[@paulnadeau3119]

Wish we could see the gages for the RPM and MAP numbers !!!

[@adamrobbins8713]

I was at sky ranch in 1964 and can remember the chills produced by the howl of that Merlin flat hatting down the back straight. That infected me and I then joined team Greenamyer and his Bearcat for about 5 years of racing and speed record attempts. Good times with some great people. I think myself and Pete Law are the only survivor of the period.

[@johngeurin8472]

I also was at sky ranch, in the CAP cadet group. We manned the rope fences separating the race planes from the spectators. I still have photos, super 8 videos from those days.

[@franksmith6683]

@@johngeurin8472 You should get those super 8 films on youtube, as the're always interesting to watch as a window into the past.

[@Airplanefish]

Pete Law taught me about ADI and how to run it on a 51 and a Fury. I've got a whole folder of his ADI research. Such a great dude

[@adamrobbins8713]

@@Airplanefish Peter V. Law was and is the horses mouth when it comes to water-methanol injection. Without Pete's guidance you could turn a Merlin or a R-2800 into a pile of junk in a hurry.

[@oceanhome2023]

Picked it up from a Government Surplus sale ! It was truly amazing what you could buy at those Army -Navy stores !!!

[@skykingmike455]

i was there in64. seen the best flying over the years, to bad it ends in reno RENO IS AIR RACENG

[@IRONHORSE427RACING]

God I remember this plane...to me it was the baddest ass kicking plane in the skys !

[@FailureatRetirement]

Fantastic video. Thanks

[@PaddyPatrone]

awesome!

[@alfjohnson4180]

...at 110 inches! It's a wonder they got any time out of it. And it's grown its wingtips back. Fantastic to see it in the air!

[@cyclingbutterbean]

It looks like the "new" version is clipped to the standard production break of the original wing. The "old" version looks to be much shorter then that. The ailerons looked to be shortened too.

[@kurtiscravingbavaria3291]

@@cyclingbutterbean new version is stock wing length, when it first showed up I thought it was clipped at the production break but looking at it up close it’s full length 👍

[@czoom51]

Late note: 15 hours on a race engine at power looks like a thousand hours when you pull it apart.

[@Triple_J.1]

This year, '23 the folks at the Bardahl booth said they were running at 135 InHg which is 4.5 Atm or approximately 53.9 Psi of "Boost" at Reno altitude of 5,200'. It was smoking fast on a couple of those runs, but they dialed it back after gaining about a three mile lead. Hahaha.

[@maebnus46]

@@Triple_J.1 I bought a retired piston from the Bardal team, a donation to the team. BW

[@markdessert4077]

2 seconds from death and hanging it all out . VERY BRAVE MEN

[@ralphgregory7616]

Loaded with Voodoo's bullet.... Can't wait baby 👈😎👍👍👍👍👍

[@kimmer6]

Hey, Bob Love's ''Engage brain before takeoff'' label is missing from the instrument panel! Illegitimus Non Carborundum! ''Don't let the bastards wear you down''. Bob flew me twice in this Mustang from Livermore Airport, Hangar 14 in 1982. He was a true Class Act and a Gentleman. After he passed away, this plane was owned by Russ Francis of the 49'ers. It's great to see it in action again. Bob Love told me that they tossed out stock parts of the carb inlet duct and shortened the wings for racing. In 1982 he was restoring the plane back to stock.

[@pkelly3463]

The last time I Russ in Bob's P-51 was at Hamilton Airfield Novato CA in the late 80s.

[@peterbellwood5412]

I thought it was 'grind' ? But I get your point . I love learning about these beautiful aeroplanes , and hearing all your amazing experiences with them .

[@kimmer6]

@@peterbellwood5412 ''Wear you down'' was what Bob Love actually told me when I was standing next to his plane in Hangar 14 at Livermore Airport in NorCal in November 1982. I helped him roll the plane out and have some pics with me next to it when I was young and able....

[@peterbellwood5412]

@@kimmer6 My dad said it was grind , but hearing it from the pilot is good enough for me mate . I've 'helped out' with pushing a few fuelers and gassers in the '70s but not had the privilege of seeing or experiencing Reno and the Unlimiteds . Got any 8mm or photos you can share ? All the best. Pete UK

[@steveanderson9718]

Chuck Lyford used to put on a show in a P-38 at Abbotsford,B.C. ......sumthin Else It was to see.... As well as in a Bearcat... better than any body back in the day ...!!

[@peterbellwood5412]

I remember his P-38 but didn't know he had a Bearcat .

[@jamestone265]

Fun watching stockers…. Better than the crazy modified ones.

[@peterbellwood5412]

Hmm. Room for all .

[@stewartgrant9832]

Conservative power setting to win against stock aircraft. Cruising to the win.

[@Rennyteam359]

Sems like a small camera could be used for taxiing in these planes. A screen in the cockpit

[@mouser485]

Seems like there was a Bardahl P51 with a checkerboard paint scheme but I swear it was #14. Were there 2 Bardahl Specials at some point ? This current plane looks awesome and so glad it’s back at Reno.

[@czoom51]

There were three Mustangs in all that were sponsored by the BARDAHL race oil company. "Bardahl Special" #8 owned by Chuck Lyford "Bardahl Miss" #49 owned by E.D. Weiner "Bardahl II" #14 also owned by E.D. Weiner As I understand BARDAHL only gave two sponsorships and when Lyford retired from air racing Weiner's #14 got that second sponsor and hence it's BARDAHL II name. I appreciate you watching my video and adding your kind remarks as well. Hope this helps, see you in '23!

[@mouser485]

@@czoom51 wow, thanks for explaining the differences in these historic racers. Didn’t realize there were 3 !

[@kurtiscravingbavaria3291]

@@mouser485 there is hope to have the checkerboard #14 at Reno next year as well. It is still in that scheme to this day!

[@gregedwards5608]

When did engine modifications start evolving for the Reno Air race merlins?

[@czoom51]

1964. Chuck Lyford raced hydroplanes with modified Merlins and Allisons so when he transitioned to air racing that was the first thing his team did and they did it very well. Many of the modifications done to the Bardahl Special would end up in the Voodoo and Dago Reds' of the world such as spray bars and mouse motors (allison-rod equipped Merlins). I would consider them pioneers of their field both in how they pushed themselves and their competition. They sacrificed many motors to try and fly faster and I think all the future Unlimiteds benefited from this.

[@InnisArden]

Nice

[@davemitchell6281]

One more time.

[@uncletoy774]

oh wow PLEASE tell me this plane is coming back. I'm a huge reno air race fan and have been to several of them. also I'm an even bigger Dale Earnhardt even though hes gone. thus becoming this weird any type of racing i will purchase said vehicle with number 3 on it. I mostly get tshirts. so the number 3 and on a race plane gotta have it. if anyone knows where let me know

[@czoom51]

We will have shirts and plenty of other swag available for Reno 2023. Hope to see you there!

[@johncaviness9241]

Was these beauty's made by general motors

[@franzstraumann2373]

P-51 Mustangs where developed and built by North American.

[@mouser485]

The airframe was built at North American’s Inglewood, California plant but the engine was built by Packard which was owned by GM. Packard built the engine under license from Rolls Royce and the engine was called a Packard Merlin

[@davidthompson5460]

@@mouser485 Packard was an independent company until bought by Studebaker in 1954.

[@mouser485]

@@davidthompson5460 you know, I might be confusing Packard with Packard Electric. Packard Electric WAS a GM division, I believe, beginning in the early 1930’s. So, I think your right.

[@patrickshaw8595]

@@mouser485 Packard was not owned by General Motors. Allison was. To be precise only Rolls Royce "made" Merlin engines. Packard "manuactured" V-1650s. There are thousands of differences large and small between them although many parts can be interchanged. Many more cannot. If you know what Whitworth bolt and nut threads are then you would find it interesting that Packard V-1650s used the Whitworth system - practically the only thing ever built in America to do so. Rolls Royce used hand-fitting of parts when they made Merlins in England. It is correct to say they were "made" because parts were measures, fitted, experimented with - until perfection resulted. Henry Ford's "American System of Manufacturing" demands that the tooling and machines that make the parts are fussed over and expertly massaged until they can confidently be known to produce parts of the required dimensions. One part will be pulled at specified intervals and taken to the tool room and measured. All the other parts are not. Rolls Royce management stated several times that Packard produced better more powerful longer lasting engines stating the investment they had made in rapid-production equipment was "stupifying" and "beyond belief".

[@donmurray2988]

Attitude indicator tumbled. Not a problem for racing VFR, I guess.

[@sophiejaysstuff4026]

This is a stock Mustang?

[@czoom51]

Yes it is. Since its time as a modified racer in the sixties it has changed ownership and been returned to stock as of its 2022 participation in the National Air Races.

[@jayjaythezeybork9853]

How much can you shake the camera? -Yes.

[@jayakin6296]

At 110 inches and WHAT RPM ????????

[@Pilotc180]

3200-3400 RPM

[@jiyushugi1085]

Bitchen! Very nice edit.

[@Yosemite-George-61]

Was "Yippee" an F-5?

[@czoom51]

A P-38L converted to an F-5G, yes.

[@maebnus46]

A lot ov Reno Sparks smog that day. BW

[@juanevangelistaortega8358]

The Mustang P 51 the Champion the Segunda Guerra Mundial Biutifor Aereo Nomber Uan

[@drpando]

This is, in fact, an awesome video in terms of content, and especially the in-cockpit footage, but the ground-based film is shot in a terribly-slow frame-rate and low-resolution for this ripe ole' year of 2022. Folks coordinating the film should make sure all footage is shot at the same level of quality. Short of traveling all the way to Nevada, I'd pay for high-quality footage of the race. Here, I see the external-shot 51's shooting past - looking like a Windows PC set up with mouse-trails on the mouse-pointer, but in-cockpit, I can actually read the manifold pressure, RPMs, and airspeed indicator. Why can't everyone be as as detailed oriented as I am???? Videos like this would seem like BEING THERE if just a little more effort was demanded, rather than watching what appears to be grandma and grandpa's Super8 film while they were having a picnic at the pylon.

[@dcxplant]

Sad to see precious warbirds "chopped and channeled" to buzz around pylons. Time to park warbirds, they are getting too precious and they are expensive to operate making it very tempting to cheap out on maintenance causing fatalities.

[@M4DesignUSA]

Maybe a new class with something newer, turboprops like Super Tocanos and/or T-6C Texan II type planes??? That's what I think. ;-)

[@scottw5315]

There is no shortage of money for the people who own these multi million dollar planes. Accidents happen in the real world but that doesn't mean we retreat to our safe space.

[@TexasDog3]

1964 to 2022 is 57 to 58 years. Not 56.