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Speed Props & Pylons

Updated: 1/24/10

Tipsy Miss

The (Late) John Sandberg bought a P-63 King Cobra in the late 1960's to race at the Reno Air Races. The summer of 1969, the aircraft was ready for her first test flight. On the initial test flight out of Crystal, MN, John accidentally hit the emergency landing switch (which is located right above the flaps switch) and the first takeoff was the last takeoff for the year. John and the Cobra landed just north of the airport, shearing off the wings with two telephone poles and landing in between two apartment buildings. No one was hurt. To read more about the accident you can view the report on the NTSB website by clicking on the link here.

John re-built the aircraft over the next 2 1/2 years. He painted her red/orange (his favorite color) and was able to make the Reno Air Races in the early 70's.

The photo's below were found in the family hangar two years ago. Several items were destroyed due to poor up-keep of the hangar.

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