"Red Baron" P-51 #5 Air Racer

Description:
The Red Baron is easily recognized as one of the most famous and visually striking of the Unlimited Air Racers, with a hard-core following of devotees, even many years later.

History:
1966: The aircraft first appears at the Reno Air Races as a relatively stock P-51. The owners at this time consist of Charles Willis, Frank Lynott, and pilot, Chuck Hall. The aircraft finishes sixth in a Consolation Race.
1967: Chuck Hall becomes the sole owner. The plane finishes fourth in the Gold Championship.
1967: Chuck Hall becomes the sole owner. The plane finishes fourth in the Gold Championship.
1968: Modifications are made to the Mustang that include the shortening and smoothing of the wings, which helps to streamline the aircraft and improve its ability to negotiate the tight racing turns. In addition, a race prepared Rolls Royce Merlin engine replaces the stock unit. Painted green and silver, Chuck Hall gives the aircraft a name as well, Miss R.J. The improvements pay off, as Miss R.J. becomes the top Unlimited Qualifier. However, in the Gold Final, after an exciting dual for the lead with Darryl Greenamyer’s Bearcat, mechanical problems arise on the last lap and Miss R.J. finishes third.

Number 5, The Red Baron

The Red Baron is easily recognized as one of the most famous and visually striking of the Unlimited Air Racers, with a hard-core following of devotees, even many years later.

History:
1966: The aircraft first appears at the Reno Air Races as a relatively stock P-51. The owners at this time consist of Charles Willis, Frank Lynott, and pilot, Chuck Hall. The aircraft finishes sixth in a Consolation Race.
1967: Chuck Hall becomes the sole owner. The plane finishes fourth in the Gold Championship.
1968: Modifications are made to the Mustang that include the shortening and smoothing of the wings, which helps to streamline the aircraft and improve its ability to negotiate the tight racing turns. In addition, a race prepared Rolls Royce Merlin engine replaces the stock unit. Painted green and silver, Chuck Hall gives the aircraft a name as well, Miss R.J. The improvements pay off, as Miss R.J. becomes the top Unlimited Qualifier. However, in the Gold Final, after an exciting dual for the lead with Darryl Greenamyer’s Bearcat, mechanical problems arise on the last lap and Miss R.J. finishes third.
1969:Additional modifications and a new paint job drastically change the look of Hall’s steed, giving it the look of a serious racer. The plane sports a low profile canopy and deck molded into the fuselage, extending rearward to the vertical stabilizer. A new prop spinner that tapers to a point is also added. The distinctive paint scheme is overall gloss white, with a tangerine scallop and number 5 on the vertical stabilizer. After blowing his race engine in qualifications, and hurriedly replacing it with a stock engine, Hall is still able to place Miss R.J. in the field for the Championship Race. He finishes the race in a very respectable second place.
1970: Engine problems prevent Miss R.J. from qualifying at Reno. Later in the year, Hall, disappointed with the lack of success, sells Miss RJ to industrialist Gunther Balz, who repaints the aircraft in silver with black trim accents. The plane’s name is changed to the Roto-Finish Special.
1971: Balz pilots the Roto-Finish Special to fourth place in the Gold Final.
1972: The Roto-Finish Special wins the Unlimited Gold Race.
1973: Airline pilot John Wright is hired by Balz to fly the Roto-Finish. He finishes third in the Championship Race.
1974:Ed Browning, the owner of Red Baron Flying Service in Idaho Falls, acquires the racer from Balz. Naturally, the plane is renamed the Red Baron and repainted in a deep red hue. On lap two in Sunday’s Gold Final, pilot Roy “Mac” McClain declares a mayday and brings the Red Baron safely to the ground with a blown engine.
1975: With aid from Lockheed engineers Bruce Boland and Pete Law, major modifications to the Red Baron are made after another victory at the Mojave Air Races in California. The new modifications include the removal of the standard Rolls Royce Merlin engine. In its place is installed a much larger Rolls Royce Griffon engine. To offset the effects of the additional torque and horsepower that the new engine produces, a set of three bladed counter-rotating propellers is added, giving the aircraft a completely unique profile. The larger Griffon power plant also necessitates the fabrication of a bigger engine compartment and cowling area that includes a repositioned carburetor inlet at the top of the cowling. The longer length of the Griffon, as compared to that of the Merlin, entails moving the cockpit aft. A new, smaller low profile canopy is fabricated, the fairing extending back to an enlarged and lengthened vertical stabilizer. At Reno, McClain and the Red Baron finish second in the Championship Race.
1976: A broken blower gear forces the Red Baron out on lap four of the Sunday Gold.
1977: Ex Conquest 1 pilot and owner, Darryl Greenamyer, wins the Unlimited Championship in the aircraft.
1978: “Chino Kid”, Steve Hinton, is the third pilot to fly the Red Baron, winning the Gold at Reno.
1979: In August, with Steve Hinton at the controls, the Red Baron sets a new three-kilometer world speed record for propeller driven aircraft at Mud Lake, near Tonopah, Nevada, clocking an average of 499.018 mph. Sadly, at Reno a month later, the Red Baron, plagued with mechanical problems throughout the Gold Final, and finishing second to John Crocker in Sumthin’ Else, suffers a horrendous crash after its engine seizes upon completion of the race. Miraculously, Hinton survives the accident, but the Red Baron is destroyed.