Pylon Racing Seminar – Rookie School – 2018 Edition

Pylon Racing Seminar (PRS) was held in early June.  This year we had over 45 Airplanes, 25 Rookies, 21 Racers and 23 Instructors. PRS is a qualifying and safety seminar for pilots new to the STIHL National Championship Air Races. While some Certified Racers like to come back and hone their skills or test a new configuration.

Thursday was registration and the Welcome Mixer. Friday was mainly classroom sessions – learning the basics to racing operations and the specifics for each class. Saturday brought some horrible winds. Gusts close to 40 mph from morning until dark made the day a washout. But, some fine maneuvering by the Classes and the Air Boss gave everyone a chance to get some time on the course.

SportClass
By Anthony Taylor, WarbirdFotos.com 

Fred Telling, our Chairman and CEO gave this observation:

“PRS is not only an opportunity for new pilots to get a feel for the course and understand safety guidelines, but it’s also a chance for returning pilots to train for September,”“We had a great turn out for PRS this year. We experienced some strong winds on Saturday that impacted our ability to fly, but thanks to meticulous scheduling on Sunday, we were able to get everyone the airtime they needed. Reno-Stead Airport Manager, Mike Scott, and his dedicated staff have done great work with the Runway 8-26 construction project, and we are all looking forward to its completion in September. It was a great few days for the Reno Air Racing Association, and we are greatly anticipating this year’s 55^th annual STIHL National Championship Air Races.”

I know what you’re thinking now… WHO WAS THERE!?

Well, as you may have heard by now, Doc Hisey is expected to bring back Miss America for an “Encore Performance” with an Alternate Pilot you may recognize, Alan Preston. The joke of the weekend was… If for any reason Miss America cannot fulfill her duties, the 1st runner up (Alan) shall take over. I guess you had to be there.

JP and Joe Thibodeau both took part in PRS. It looks like father and son will be flying a Sea Fury and a Mustang. How many father/son combos have we seen over the years? Not many! Happy to have the Thibodeau family back at Reno!

Mike Brown made famous for his racing Sea Furys and TigerCat will be back – this time in a golden Mustang called Goldfinger – the old Risky Business in a previous life. I cannot wait to see her in person – the pictures just don’t do her justice!

The final three participants in the Unlimited Class are CAF members hoping to race CAF aircraft. Craig Hutain, a member of the Tora Tora Tora show along with Jason Somes and Steve Barber are all hoping to have something fun to fly for the races this year. Keep your fingers crossed.

CAF Bearcat and Hellcat
by Anthony Taylor, Warbirdfotos.com

Volunteer Dinner

I also wanted to do a quick THANK YOU to the volunteers. Over 100 of them came to PRS to help get the new kids settled. With over 1000 Volunteers helping each year, we are dependent on this group to make the races a success. If you are interested in joining the ranks, let me know! Lots of opportunities to work hard!

The Volunteer Dinner is always held the Friday of PRS week. It was well attended again this year. Special Guest Speaker, Roger Phelps from Stihl gave a great talk about his involvement with us. He has become a passionate voice for the Air Races. Thank you, Roger and all of Stihl!

Love the Thunder Mustang
By Anthony Taylor, WarbirdFotos.com 

Speaking of Sponsors…

Do you know someone who wants to help Sponsor the 55^th annual STIHL National Championship Air Races? We hear all the time that the fans would like more competitors. To get more competitors, we need a bigger purse. To get a bigger purse, we need sponsorship. Let me know if you have someone in mind. I’d love the opportunity to work with new sponsors and can present to them the benefits of working with the Air Races.

Community Involvement

In the last few months I have been doing quite a bit to represent the Air Races at different venues, from local Reno events, to Museum Career Days to Airport Open House Events. We are trying to get the word out that the Reno Air Races are AWESOME, and you should all be buying your tickets now online!

New Sea Fury Baby!

And. a BIG SEA FURY CONGRATS to Owen Ray Swager for picking two amazing parents in Joel and Shannon Sanders Swager! Welcome to the show!

The Reno Air Racing Association Shares Pylon Racing Seminar Highlights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 26, 2018   The Reno Air Racing Association Shares Pylon Racing Seminar Highlights Annual safety briefing and qualifying seminar for September races was held June 7- 10 Reno, Nev. – The 21st annual STIHL National Championship Air Races Pylon Racing Seminar (PRS) was held June 7-10, at the Reno-Stead Airport. PRS is a qualifying and safety seminar for pilots new to the STIHL National Championship Air Races. This year’s event, which was not open to the public, hosted 45 airplanes, 25 students, 21 certified racers and 23 instructors. “PRS is not only an opportunity for new pilots to get a feel for the course and understand safety guidelines, but it’s also a chance for returning pilots to train for September,” said Fred Telling, Chairman and CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association. “We had a great turn out for PRS this year. We experienced some strong winds on Saturday that impacted our ability to fly, but thanks to meticulous scheduling on Sunday, we were able to get everyone the airtime they needed. Reno-Stead Airport Manager, Mike Scott, and his dedicated staff have done great work with the Runway 8-26 construction project, and we are all looking forward to its completion in September. It was a great few days for the Reno Air Racing Association, and we are greatly anticipating this year’s 55th annual STIHL National Championship Air Races.” Over 100 volunteers helped make PRS week possible this year. The annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner was held during PRS week to recognize all of the essential and valuable volunteers, and the Volunteers of the Year for 2017 were awarded. Every year, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has over 1,000 volunteers that dedicate their time and energy to help contribute to the success of both PRS and the STIHL National Championship Air Races.  The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has held PRS as a unique and productive opportunity for race pilots to prepare, practice and become certified to race in the STIHL National Championship Air Races each September. RARA, along with the individual race class organizations, opens PRS to all pilots, though it is mandatory for rookies. PRS offers race practice time, education, training and certification to all pilots, allowing them to race with maximum competitiveness and safety at the air races.  Tickets are on sale for the 55th annual STIHL National Championship Air Races heldSeptember 12-16, 2018 at Reno Stead Airport. For more information, tickets or to volunteer, visit http://www.airrace.org/ ### About the Reno Air Racing Association: The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA), a 501(c)(3), holds the National Championship Air Races every September just north of Reno. The Reno Air Races have become an institution for northern Nevada and aviation enthusiasts from around the world. Independent economic impact studies have shown that our event generates as much as $91.7 million annually for our local economy. The event features six racing classes, a large display of static aircraft and several military and civilian flight demonstrations. For more information on the National Championship Air Races, to obtain media credentials, volunteer or purchase tickets for this year’s event, visit www.airrace.org. Media Contact: Mikaila Bird | The Glenn Group 775-686-7805 | mbird@theglenngroup.com

SubSonex Personal Jet Approved for Reno Air Races

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMDEDIATE RELEASE

SubSonex Personal Jet Approved for Reno Air Races

June 14, 2018, Oshkosh, WI

Sonex Aircraft is announcing a collaboration with High Performance Aircraft Group to showcase the SubSonex Personal Jet. High Performance Aircraft Group debuted the SubSonex at this year’s Pylon Racing Seminar (also known as “Rookie School”) last week, June 7-10 at Reno Stead airport in preparation and training for the National Championship Air Races in September. The SubSonex was taken through various flight scenarios by three-time Reno Gold champion Pete Zaccagnino and exceeded performance expectations.

“The plane has been approved for racing, and now we have to get to work in preparation for training enough pilots to create a new race!” remarks Pete. “I believe we got eight flights in and everyone loved it. It was a blast on the course.”

During the four-day event, the SubSonex participated in formation flights with as many different aircraft as time allowed. This included fingertip, echelon, cross-unders, pitch out rejoins and recoveries. Due to runway construction at Stead airport, only Saturday and Sunday were available for track time during this year’s PRS. Very high winds prevented all flights on Saturday, so all time on the track had to be accomplished on Sunday. “I did three flights on the track and everyone loved the SubSonex,” writes Pete, “First time in history for this jet design to make flights on the Reno race course!” Flights during PRS were conducted on the Jet/Unlimited course, however, Sonex Aircraft and High Performance Aircraft Group are hoping to gain approval for future testing and exhibition racing on the shorter courses, designed for aircraft closer to the SubSonex’s speed envelope and level of maneuverability.

High Performance Aircraft Group will showcase the SubSonex Personal Jet at a variety of aviation events throughout the season, to be announced. The jet has earned a top-level endorsement from Pete Zaccagnino and equally impressive accolades from attendees at the year’s Rookie School – a true testament to the design and craftsmanship of the SubSonex aircraft.

Zaccagnino is flying SubSonex model JSX-2 factory prototype number 2, also known at the Sonex factory as “Sharkie,” for these racing and demonstration flights while JSX-2 factory prototype number 1 is on the airshow circuit for its third season performing day and night pyro aerobatic air shows around the nation by Bob Carlton of Vertigo Airshows. The SubSonex Personal Jet is offered to Sonex Aircraft customers as a Quick Build aircraft kit and is powered by the PBS TJ-100 turbojet engine. The airframe kit plus engine price is under $100,000 and complete costs to purchase and complete a SubSonex kit start at only $108,000 – for a JET!

High Performance Aircraft Group, based in Park City, UT is headed by aeronautical engineer and 3-time world champion race pilot Peter Zaccagnino. Pete has flown throughout the world and performed specialized flight testing for various aircraft manufacturers in both civilian and military aircraft. He has over 22,000 flight hours in hundreds of aircraft types. High Performance Aircraft Group specializes in flight testing, high performance aircraft training, global aircraft placement, aircraft management and acquisition. Pete will be racing in this year’s National Championship Air Races in the Jet Class and Sport Class. We expect championships in both!

Sonex Aircraft, LLC celebrates its 20thanniversary in 2018 and is a leader in the experimental kit aircraft industry, providing a series of sport aircraft along with the AeroConversions line of products, which include the AeroVee engine, AeroVee Turbo, AeroInjector and ancillary aviation products. Sonex Aircraft’s Sonex, Waiex, and Onex sport planes, the Xenos sport motorglider, and the SubSonex Personal Jet offer outstanding performance in an easy to build, easy to fly kit package that can be purchased and completed with full technical support at an unrivaled price. Highly regarded as an engineering company, Sonex has diversified its offerings to include Sonex Aerospace LLC, producing the Teros Group 4 UAS for unmanned and optionally piloted civil and defense missions, while developing other UAS airframes in conjunction with Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation. Sonex and AeroConversions continue to invest heavily in developing new products. Our team is committed to providing simple, elegant and low-cost solutions for sport flying. Simply put, Sonex Aircraft and AeroConversions products provide the Best Performance Per Dollar. Check us out at www.SonexAircraft.com, www.AeroConversions.com and www.SonexAerospace.com

HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD:

SubSonex was featured front-and-center in the Reno Air Racing Association 2018 Pylon Racing Seminar group photo (Download High Resolution Image: 410kb jpeg file)

3-time Reno Gold champion Pete Zaccagnino rounds a pylon on the Reno race course in SubSonex JSX-2 “Sharkie” (Download High Resolution Image: 3mb jpeg file)

SubSonex JSX-2 “Sharkie” on the Reno race course piloted by 3-time Reno Gold champion Pete Zaccagnino (Download High Resolution Image: 4mb jpeg file)

SubSonex JSX-2 “Sharkie” on the Reno race course piloted by 3-time Reno Gold champion Pete Zaccagnino (Download High Resolution Image: 3mb jpeg file)

In addition to time on the race course, the SubSonex participated in formation flights with as many different aircraft as time allowed to evaluate its ability to fly with varied aircraft types (Download High Resolution Image: 7mb jpeg file)

The SubSonex trailer was towed to Reno behind Pete Zaccagnino’s RV, demonstrating a very economical logistics model for the SubSonex to participate in air racing and air shows (Download High Resolution Image: 4mb jpeg file)

RENO AIR RACING ASSOCIATION WEB SITE: https://airrace.org/

RENO AIR RACING ASSOCIATION PYLON RACING SEMINAR: https://airrace.org/racing/rookie-school/

HIGH PERFORMANCE AIRCRAFT GROUP SUBSONEX ASSEMBLY TIME-LAPSE VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/itTtt_KgmHY

SUBSONEX HOME PAGE:
http://www.sonexaircraft.com/subsonex

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SONEX AND AEROCONVERSIONS PUBLIC RELATIONS RSS FEED & MAILING LIST: http://flysonex.com/subscribe/#web_updates_list

PRESS CONTACT:
Mark Schaible
Sonex Aircraft, LLC
www.SonexAircraft.com
Phone: (920) 231-8297
Fax: (920) 426-8333
E-mail: Use our Contact Form

RIP John Parker

On Tuesday, 01-May-2018, at approx: 7:40pm, we lost a Reno Air Race legend.

A three-time Formula One Champion, John Parker, had dedicated his life to air racing and the need  for speed. He was even been known to say, “I’ve been doing this all my life. It’s part of my DNA. I enjoy everything about it – the history, the mechanics, the metallurgy, the people - all of it.”

John retired from the Air Force in 1965 and then he joined American Airlines. Soon after, John found himself building engines for Formula One race teams at Stead Field. John quickly became known as a “Speed Merchant” after working as a mechanic at the air races and assisting other race teams.

In 1967, John founded American Air Racing and became part of the history at Stead field. Though the main focus of American Air Racing is to offer complete builder support and to perform speed modifications for kit-built aircraft, this provided the perfect environment for John to dedicate his time to the development and improvement of fast flying aircraft.

In 1977, at the National Championship Air Races, John raced and won his first Formula One Championship in a plane called “Wild Turkey”.

He continued to make improvements and adding to his trophy case by winning the Formula One Championship in 1979 and 1980 with his “scratch-built” Formula One racer named the American Air Racing Special, which now resides in the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

John went on to race in the original CAFÉ 250 and CAFÉ 400 in the twin-engine division.

In 1988, John entered a “scratch-built” aircraft in the Unlimited Division at the National Championship Air Races.

In 1998, John placed fourth in his first Sport Division Championship race.

Since then, his primary focus had been his relentless pursuit of increased performance in his Thunder Mustang named Blue Thunder, which finished in Second Place in the Sport Division in its first year of racing (2002).

In the 2004 National Championship Air Races, he set new records for the Sport Class Qualifying speed and for the fastest race flown in the Sport Class.

In June of 2005, he set more records in Marysville, CA:

New C1c 3 km World Speed
Record: 374.250 mph

New C1c 15/25 km World
Speed Record: 376.180 mph

Fastest Normally Aspirated
Aircraft: 383.302 mph

At the 2005 National Championship Air Races, he surpassed his previous Qualifying Record.

In 2011, John rolled out Blue Thunder II and took 1st place in the Sport Class. In 2012, he picked up another First Place win with a speed of 356.738 in the Sport Class with Blue Thunder II, followed by another win in 2015.

John was many things; an aeronautical engineer, retired Air Force pilot, retired Airline Captain, test pilot, air race pilot, experimental aircraft builder, A&P mechanic (with Inspection Authority), a mentor, a competitor, but most importantly, he was a friend who will be dearly missed.

From a humble beginning, John had become an air racing legend. For John Parker, air racing was not a sport; it was his way of life.


Rest In Peace, John.
Thank you!

Special THANKS to Naomi Dschaak, Anthony Taylor and Tim Adams!