Keeping up with the news surrounding the Reno Air Races this
year has been exhausting. Racers and fans alike have so many questions, i.e., are
we racing, what changes will we see, who will be there, who won’t, will the
fans notice any changes? These are all good questions. I hope that I have,
through this column, helped everyone understand what the process has been
following the horrific event of September 16, 2011. I have tried to listen to
the questions the fans have been asking and answer them here.
NTSB Review Board
NTSB Review Board provided their findings in a Press
Conference on August 27th. Many of their recommendations have been
discussed in this column earlier in the year. The final determination of cause was
reviewed during this meeting. I have been following their investigation closely
and am incredibly impressed with the depth of information they obtained, the
amount of analysis which was done and their efforts. Generally investigations
such as this one could take over two years to complete. Because they wanted to
provide the information in time for the 2012 Reno Air Races, they pushed to get
final recommendations and analysis done in time.
If you didn’t watch the Press Conference live or via video
from their website, you missed some riveting information. I won’t go into the
details, but the NTSB placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of Jimmy Leeward
as race pilot and aircraft owner.
My problem is; the checks and balances have always been in
place. The FAA requires annual condition inspections, which are required for
all aircraft – even experimental, exhibition and racers. RARA requires these
documents be submitted each year with our racing packets. The class technical
inspections are only required to make sure the aircraft adhere to the class requirements
– they aren’t supposed to replace this annual condition inspection. If changes
are made to an aircraft, the FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) must be
notified in writing. A specific testing program is outlined to verify these
changes are safe, generally a specific amount of time must be flown in the
configuration and a final sign off by the pilot is required stating the changes
were tested in accordance with the program and everything went well.
To campaign a Race Team may look easy. It’s not. From the
fastest Jet or Unlimiteds to the slowest IF1 or Biplane – special attention is
taken to make sure the aircraft and the pilot are ready for the task at hand.
For those of us who have been racing for years, we have seen our share of
friends hurt or killed – so we know the level of risk involved. Our maintainers
are keenly aware of their place in the event. We rely on each other to do the
right thing and to present on race day the best possible aircraft we can. I
truly believe this is everyone’s focus. No one tries to cut corners, to my
knowledge.
With all of these checks in place, how could things get so
far gone? To hear the NTSB describe the state of the Galloping Ghost was
chilling. It clearly wasn’t ready to “beat Strega” as Jimmy stated a thousand times.
I wish he was more cautious and less aggressive. But, he was a racer. And he
was my friend, which makes it so much harder to hear those words spoken by the
NTSB.
How do things look
for 2012
While the number of competitors is down, we can still expect
some terrific racing. Strega will be back for probably her final year. She’s
still the one to beat and Steven Hinton is still the Wunderkind. Just in his
mid-20s and already one of the most brilliant racers of our time.
Rare Bear will be flown by Stewart Dawson. He has been getting
seat time and they are tweaking things to give her the best possibly chance in
September.
Furias will be there in her new paint. She looks GREAT –
thanks to Bucky Dawson’s paint scheme and amazing work (as usual) from the
Sanders. Matt Jackson will be in the pilot – and he’s ready.
232 aka September Fury will be flown by Hoot Gibson. The
aircraft has been going through some serious review to make sure she is ready.
The rumor is the 232 crew wants to beat her big sister, Rare Bear. It’s a good
natured competition – which is just what we need right now.
Dreadnaught aka The Buick is ready to jump into the lead if
any of the front runners sneeze. They are always poised for great things.
Precious Metal has been reworking many things this year.
Their team has been burning the candle on both ends and are working hard to toe
the line the FAA has put down regarding aircraft changes and engineering
reports. My understanding is the PM Team has completed all their paperwork and
is finalizing the testing program and should be on the field with bells on for
the first Pilot Brief of 2012. Thom Richard and crew are the only team in the
Unlimited Division making major changes this year which now require these engineering
reports. It’s all new procedures for us
and we’re just doing our best to figure things out.
That should be our top six in the Unlimited Gold. Miss
America and Sawbones should round out the group. We will all miss Voodoo and
Czech Mate, but the show must go on. At this time, we have just 21 Unlimited Racers
scheduled to attend.
Other Notables
I wanted to make a special comment here stating that Lee
Behel is bringing back the beautiful GP-5. His tenacity knows no bounds. I have
always been a big fan, but his efforts with this aircraft are herculean. I wish
him the best of luck.
I also wanted to mention that Mike Dacey, who had an engine
failure and subsequent hard landing the day before the Galloping Ghost Incident
is recovering. He will not be racing this year, but insists that he will be
back. His determination is inspiring and I wish him the best as he rebuilds.
Final thoughts
To all the racers and crew who have decided to come back
this year, I applaud you. We were not sure we were racing until the last minute
and we had to have faith to put our time and energy into the difficult
preparations to be there in September, as we have been for so many Septembers
before.
To the Rookies who showed up at PRS and have decided to join
our family, you are to be applauded as well. You came forward to try your hand
at this incredible sport, without knowing what would happen. You have great faith,
or you’re crazy -- but either way, I thank you!
To all the fans and volunteers who have decided to join us,
we appreciate you. Without you, it would be just a bunch of really cool planes
and friends looking for a race.
To the NTSB, I am grateful that you took your task so seriously.
Also a big thank you to the civilians who assisted them, including Bill
Kerchenfaut and Mike Luvara – to the aircraft owners who gave them access to
their aircraft including Bob Button – to the Blue Ribbon Committee who came
back to help the NTSB understand what we do including Jon Sharp and Steve Hinton.
To each Race Class Leadership, you don’t get the credit you deserve,
especially this year. Your dedication has been unwavering.
To RARA, thank you for not giving up hope and for continuing
to pave the way for us to race again.
This entire process has just reminded me of how wonderful this
community is and how close we were to losing the one event that brings us
together. Let’s all hope for a clean,
safe and fun 2012 Reno Air Races.
Marilyn Dash
Ruby Red Racing
Ruby Red Racing
