The K-10 Shoestring on display in the Museum was built by Chip Lythe, named “Nobigthing,” and first registered as NX24ML in 1972.  After several years, Dave Morss rebuilt the aircraft and renamed it “Woodstock,” where it competed in several races during 1987.  Purchased and rebuilt for a third time by the Doster/Rediker/Entriken race team, the aircraft sported the name “Spud Runner”. During a 1999 qualifying race, the aircraft posted a 203 mph average speed over a 110 mile course.

After 1999, the aircraft’s history is somewhat unknown, but apparently suffered an accident at some point. Purchased by Gary Davis, it was rebuilt, painted in its current livery, and renamed “Time Bandit”. Davis planned to race the aircraft in the Formula 1 Class at the 2008 Reno Air Races. Unfortunately, two weeks prior to the races, it was discovered during assembly that the glue joints between the aircraft’s ribs and spars compromised the wing structure, forcing Davis to withdraw from the 2008 race. Concerned about the aircraft’s air worthiness, he attempted to rebuild the wing, but deemed it not feasible due to the aircraft’s structural age and cost.

Unable to race the aircraft, Davis donated it to the Museum, where it remained unassembled in storage until 2016. Museum volunteers, Ken Branscome and Joe Swift, worked tirelessly to repair and reassemble the aircraft for static display. Volunteers Clint Haxton, Ron McIntosh, and Charlie Viosca also spent many hours helping Ken and Joe in the restoration. In January of this year, the restoration was complete, and in February 2018 the aircraft took to the skies once again high above the Museum’s Main Gallery. As a testament to the Shoestring’s 1949 design, variants of the aircraft are still widely raced around the world today.

SOURCE: Frontiers of Flight Museum