Quick follow-up: Bell Aircraft was told not to let any of those Muroc (now Edwards) trainees see them fly that jet. Good trick in virtually unlimited visibility.

Bell’s Chief Test Pilot Jack Woolums had a brainstorm. Whenever he saw a training flight, he would slip on the top half of a gorilla suit, put a derby on his head, pull up alongside them and make like Groucho Marx with a cigar.

Now if YOU are a 19 year old aviation cadet in 1942 are YOU going to report;” There I was at 18000 feet when suddenly alongside me was an airplane without a propeller being flown by a gorilla wearing a derby and waving a cigar.”?????????????

And if any spies are in the vicinity are they going to believe that tale??????????

And I just happen to know one of the guys who
obligingly failed to see that apparition.
He was busy strafing a Japanese Cruiser in the Mojave Desert at the time.

Buddy, if you can find a picture of the “Muroc Maru”, I’ll call off Beevo and
restore your Teasip standing.

Seriously though, reopening the old Silver Spur Dancehall to go with the current Silver Spur Dude Ranch is a bit newsworthy, I would say.