If you like boat racing, particularly vintage unlimited hydroplane, there is a little known movie that was just released and in theaters now. Here's the link to the movie www.madisonthemovie.com . It is only showing in 16 cities across the U.S. and unfortunately I'll probably have to travel 4 hours to the nearest one to see it like my boss and his family did. The trailer is a little slow to load, but be patient, it's worth the wait.

Their dad built the original boat that the movie is about. Sam Dupont gave both his boats away to the city of Madison Indiana, on the Ohio River, when he decided to get out of racing. So Madison is kind of the Green Bay Packers of unlimited racing. Looks like a great story and some good footage. If you go don't leave while the credits roll because they have the actual footage from the sixties from ABC's Wide World of Sports playing during the credits.

There are a few things that were glamorized by Hollywood for the movie. For example the nitrous never blew the boat apart. It was damaged when it fell off the trailer on a cloverleaf on the interstate. Also they never stole the engine from the P51 Mustang that was on display in Ohio, it had a Merlin engine and everyone was running Allisons, as did Miss Madison. Staudacher built the boats that everyone wanted to run and Miss Madison was no exception. About the time the movie takes place Les was building jet boats and attempting the set world speed records. One of those crashed and sank in Lake Huron while running on remote control on a 300 mph pass, it takes several miles to stop at those speeds. Another he was piloting on Hubbard Lake in Michigan when he crashed it, but managed to survive.

If you like racing you might want to check out the trailer on the site.

SY:

Great link :beers: Gotta see that one.

He11 - if that kid could pilot a 'Pod-Racer' like he did, then an Unlimited Hydro should be a 'cake-walk' :D
Dang - looks like I'm gonna have to go to LA to see it though ;) Maybe it will go into larger distribution or quickly onto video.

What model NA P-51 (Mustang I) was on display there?
Remember, the first 600 or so 51's from 1940 on had Allison's ( V-1710-39 ) in them before Packard started to build the Rolls Royce Merlin model 61's under license in April of 1942. First test model was flown in Oct. 1942 and delivered for combat in 1943.
Even the Merlin model varied in the production models. Packard had their far share of problems with the engines and tried several design changes.

The later P-82-E also had Allison's!

Man there's nothing like the sound of a Allison in the morning! :waving:

Here's a picture and specs http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum/engines/eng33.htm

The A36 Apache also was powerd by Allison's (Dive bomber version of the P51A) Also did you know that the unlimited hydro museum is in Seattle, WA if your ever there I highly recommend it, heres the link.

http://www.thunderboats.org/

Mike great link to the thunderboat.org site! I passed that one on to my boss, I think he'll enjoy it.

Vintage I don't know the model or serial number of the P-51 refered to in the movie, but my boss was aware of the aircraft and commented that the particular one on display had a Merlin in it. Besides a rich history in boat building the Staudacher's also built aerobatic airplanes and restore aircraft as a hobby. Anyway he was familiar with it.

My first experience with a P-51 was in the early 1980s. Working in the hangar I usually didn't stop to look outside unless the F-16s were shooting approaches up from the airbase. But I heard a plane flyby that sounded like nothing I'd ever heard before. He came around a second time diving down with the power on and then pulled up and climbed out of sight. I will never forget that sound, that Allison sound! I was only 22 or 23 at the time, but had worked 5 years on piston engine aircraft, mostly opposed 4 and 6 cylinders along with some radials. I commented to one of my co-workers "a piston engine isn't supposed to sound like that!"

Once he landed the aircraft sat static for a couple days and I had my picture taken with it. The next day it departed and sadly crashed over the Western lower pennisula of Michigan on his way home, killing the owner. But after that I get pretty excited on the rare occasion that an transient aircraft with one of those awesome powerplants drops in to our field.

I was just a kid the first time I visited the boat factory. It was after one of the Detroit races and all the teams were there, in for repairs on the unlimited hulls. It was pretty exciting to see in those days.

I don't know why this movie isn't released at more theaters, hopefully that will change, or I'll just have to wait it out for the release of the DVD.

SYI if you or your boss are ever in Seattle you have got to see the Thunderboat Museum. Than we have some of the best plane museums next to SOCAL. Museum of Flight * Paine Field, Paul Allens Heritage Museum, Olympic in Olympia. Alot of rich aviation here and a but load of WW2 aircraft. If your interested PM and I can send you lots of links for these places, I'm a big classic aviation nut with a specialty for WW2 aircraft.