Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aircraft and Vehicles => Topic started by: Widewing on May 19, 2005, 10:31:10 PM

Title: What is this aircraft XIII?
Post by: Widewing on May 19, 2005, 10:31:10 PM

(http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/MasonDavid/4140L.jpg)

My regards,

Widewing

Title: What is this aircraft XIII?
Post by: Ecliptik on May 20, 2005, 12:52:32 AM

Roscoe Turner's "Gilmore Special."

Edit: I suppose the '33 model would be "The Bowery"

Quote

Roscoe Turner's "Gilmore Special" was the third Model 44 present at the 1932 races. This was NR61Y the second built for Turner after his first NR54Y crashed during tests. Painted a beautiful bronze gold and trimmed in red with the Gilmore Lion and race number 121 displayed on the side of the fuselage, the racer presented a picture of speed for its Gilmore Oil Company sponsor. Colonel Turner placed third in the Bendix (226 mph), Thompson 233 mph) and Shell Dash (266.67 mph) each time following No. 44 across the finish line. Later the same year Turner lost his sponsor but being quite a promoter he acquired movie stars Miriam Hopkins, Bebe Daniels, Constance Bennett, and Carol Lombard as backers.

Not happy with third spots, Turner showed up at the 1933 Nationals with a new Wasp Sr. engine in his racer. As mentioned, the Gilmore people no longer sponsored the ship, but the Gilmore paint job still decorated the wings while the fuselage had a new paint job and on the side in bold letters was painted "20th Century Pictures-The Bowery". A new race number 2, replaced 121 and the engine cowl for the Wasp Sr. was burnished metal. The 1933 races netted Turner some firsts but also threw him a curve when he was disqualified from winning the Thompson for cutting a pylon. He did circle the pylon, but not on the same lap as the rules called for. He had led the Thompson with a speed of 241.03 mph but when disqualified the first spot went to Jimmy Wedell with a speed of 237.05 mph. Roscoe, however, did pick up a first in the Bendix (214.78 mph) and a first in the Shell Dashes at 280.25 mph.

Title: What is this aircraft XIII?
Post by: OOZ662 on May 20, 2005, 04:35:10 PM

Someone used a dead cat to fill the hole in the elevator... :eek:

Title: What is this aircraft XIII?
Post by: Widewing on May 22, 2005, 02:03:27 PM

It's Turner's airplane, but who built it? Turner bought it, he didn't have anything to do with its design and manufacture.

For example, the Gee Bee racers were built by the Granville Brothers. So, who built Turner's racer, what was the company's name?

My regards,

Widewing

Title: What is this aircraft XIII?
Post by: Ecliptik on May 25, 2005, 09:44:44 AM

Oh, it's a Wedell-Williams Model 44.