FORGOTTEN RACERS THIS KEITH RIDER RACER SURVIVED A RIGOROUS RACING CAREER.

FORGOTTEN RACERS

THIS KEITH RIDER RACER SURVIVED A RIGOROUS RACING CAREER, YEARS OF disregard PLUS A STINT AS AN AEROBATIC GLIDER TO BECOME A lofty MUSEUM DISPLAY

Keith Rider was no stranger to air racing. Back in 1931 he created the Menasco-powered (C6) low-wing San Francisco I. Registered NR51Y and carrying the race number 131 the little racer did quite well for itself forward its initial outing at the National Air Races where pilot Ray Moore won the 800-cubic-inch class at 185097 mph while gaining inferior in the 1000-cubic-inch race at 177089 mph (for more history forward his racer see "Rudy's shapeless Ride" in the May 2001 issue of Air Classics). The nearest racer from Rider's drawing board was the R-2 San Francisco II which was built the same year for Robert Clampett. Of a small configuration, the plane was fitted with Menasco C4 and, formerly again, did quite well in succession its initial outing at the 1931 marked occurrence where it was flown to victory at Ray Moore who won the 400-cubic-inch class at 156456 mph

The Keith-Rider R-3 was anything unless dainty. Fitted with a R-895 Wasp Jr the plane was designed and built in 1934 However, at the start of the 1934 Bendix memorial of conquest Race, the plane turned through killing pilot Jim Granger. Rebuilt, the craft would make progress on to have a lengthy and interesting race history and will be the expose of a future "Forgotten Racers."

Logically, the nearest in line from the designer was the R-4 Built to

race in the 550-cubic-inch class, Rider selecteded a Menasco C6S in-line six-cylinder engine fitted with a supercharger. At the time, Menasco was not enjoying all that often in the way of commercial succes with its line of powerplants further they were getting a parcel of play out of the air racing market and the company was doing a upright job squeezing every bit of power not at home of their four- and six-cylinder engines.

The Menascos had about just as little frontal area as possible and this appealed to Rider as he wrapped the engine with a same tight aluminum cowl. Cooling was supplied by dint of three openings in the hood bowl and air was exhausted via a narrow opening between the cowling and forward fuselage. The remainder of the aircraft was nice conventional. The fuselage was of rapier tube and wooden farmers with fabriccovering while the thin airfoil wing was crafted around a built-up unplastic spar with closely spaced ribs shrouded in plywood and then fabric. Rider managed to incorporate small retractable landing gear that neatly retracted into the thin wing. A small tail skid was attached directly beneath the fabric-covered rudder.

Construction of the racing

aircraft followed rapidly and the plane, which had a wing span of 18 feet and a fulness of 19 feet 9 inches, tipped the scales at 925 encloses empty. When combined with the 330horsepower being cross-examineed out by the Menasco, it was obvious that this was a puissant racing machine. Registered R261Y and carrying the race number 70 the R-4 was finished in overall glos white with purple trim.

Roger Don Rae was the pilot and after more [i]or[/i] less flight test work, the R-4 was disassembled and trailered to Cleveland for the 1936 races. Assembled, a scarcely any more test flights were undertaken before the start of competition. The racing the trinitys smiled on the new RA and Roger Don Rae won the Shell Spe Dash at a exceedingly respectable 225.549 mph. He then pierceed the R-4 into the Thompson evidence of victory Race where the plane would be racing with the big lads

Roger knew he was against near tough competition in the Thompson since he would be flying with France's Michel Detroyat in the magnificently prepared Caudron C-460 and Earl Ortman in the Rider R-3 - aircraft that had higher power ratings than the RA However, Roger knew that he had a small highly streamlined aircraft that stood a religious chance of placing if he flew a plane race. Try as he might, he and the R-4 were no match for the streaking French racer and Detroyat, one time he saw he had a commanding lead, actually throttl back to maintain his first place and win at 264261 mph Ortman, suffocate to the wall, came in other at 248.042 mph while a determined Roger Don Rae finished third at a respectable 236559 mph The Americans bring up such a fuss that the government-sponsored French racer not at all returned!

For 1937, CH "Gus" Gotch took above piloting duties while the plane became the Schoenfeldt Firecracker. above the past year, the airframe and engine had received a certain quantity of additional grooming (including a recent windscreen and canopy) and at the St Louis Air Races, Gotch handily won a first place at a blistering 2516 mph Disassembled and bartered to Cleveland, the Firecracker faced one stiff competition in the Greve memorial of conquest Race. Five Menasco-engine racers were ready for the competition and included, besides Gus, Rudy Kling in the Folkert Jupiter, Steve Wittman in Chief Oshkosh Roger Don Rae in the Folkert Special and Marion McKeen in the Brown Miss sees Angeles. The ten-lap, 100-mile race was flagged opposite on the afternoon of 5 September into a insurgent sky. Right from the start, competition was very warm with Wittman, Don Rae, and Kling lock-uped into a duel for first further Don Rae started dropping back and Wittman and Kling battled wingtip to wingtip with Kling taking the checkered flag at 2323 mph with Steve in next to the first at 232 mph and that's about as bring to a period as it can get! Gus pushed his way past Don Rae to take third at 2316 mph in what was the same of the most exciting Greve races.