2-839-568 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Single-seat mid-wing monoplane racer; painted red overall. Wingspan: 4.59 m (15 ft. 1 in.);Length: 5.31 m (17 ft. 5 in.);Height: 1.22 m (4 ft.);Weight: 227 kg (500 lb.) empty;Engine: Continental 85 hp". The aircraft that enjoyed what was perhaps the longest and most sucessful career in air racing history was Steve Wittman's Chief Oshkosh, known in the post-World War II era as Buster. From 1931 until its retirement in 1954, this midget racer set records and took numerous trophies in class races and free-for-alls. Although Wittman was plagued with several problems in this, his first homebuilt racer, he placed high each year in major races in Los Angeles, Cleveland, Miami, and Chicago. In 1937, Chief Oshkosh set a new world's record for its class over a 100-kilometer course at Detroit with a speed of 383.30 kilometers per hour (238.22 miles per hour).