This is our first June update on Rare Bear® progress. As September approaches we will try to update as often as possible.

The first June segment will revolve around work in progress in Reno (Bear Cave-North). Our second part will describe the work in Van Nuys. Preparation for Reno 2002 really is a "Tale of Two Cities". There are some major challenges in having the airframe in Reno, the power plant in Van Nuys and various components in both places.

The Reno crew continues under the direction of Don Dull with Craig Boyer, Eric Ahlstrom, Matt and CT. Williams and yours truly, Marc "Ten Thumbs" Weir. We also have acquired the youthful enthusiasm of Derek Hamblet and Dan Angelo (on loan from Bill Rheinschild’s Risky Business/Bad Attitude team).

A proverbial laundry list of projects has been undertaken at the Reno hangar. Some much-needed clean up of oil lines, spray bar and vent lines and the fuel strainer have been completed. The ADI tank has been removed and cleaned and Pacific Oil Cooler Service has overhauled the oil tank.

Various pumps have been removed for maintenance and the oxygen bottle has been hydro-tested. The belly pan (lower fuselage) has been removed to check the fuel tank and make the re-installation of the pumps much easier. Seams have been resealed at the firewall and the fuel filter has been replaced. A variety of other detail projects have been completed.

Last but not least a new instrument panel has been fabricated to incorporate the new radios. That’s right, new radios. Through the help (and generosity) of Garmin and our friends at Aviation Classics, new radios are ready to be installed by Eric Ahlstrom. This will be a huge help especially in flying the Rare Bear® cross-country. The new instrument panel has been changed very little as far as layout, but the improvements (with Lyle’s guidance) should help a lot with flying the plane, especially during race conditions.

Craig Boyer has done a masterful job of rewiring the new panel. He has spent countless hours cleaning up and re-routing wires in the cramped confines of the Rare Bear® cockpit. I wish we could show "before and after" shots of Craig’s work but we haven’t gotten security clearance yet (secret stuff, you know). All in all, considerable progress has been made and the airframe work in Reno should be completed in plenty of time for the engine’s arrival.

Our next installment will bring everyone up to speed on the work in Van Nuys.

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