Saving the Reno Air Races

What can be done to save the Reno Air Races? This is the question posed to me by so many of the Air Racing fans. We know changes are being made – but – are they enough. Are these changes coming too late, what are the signs we should be looking for to see if the changes are working?

RARA has made several announcements lately – including the dismissal of the Michael Houghton, the President and the paring down of the paid staff to six individuals. Recent news adds a reduction in the Board of Directors from over 20 members to a total of seven.

Cost cutting measures are certainly one way to preserving the event, but are they enough? What is really needed is an influx of CASH from a large sponsor and more publicity – beyond the individuals who have already been to the Air Races. We need new fans, new racers and new sponsors.

Publicity

Tell me why, the day after Steven Hinton won his 5^th Championship he was not being interviewed on Good Morning America, Today and the Tonight Show? This young man has unprecedented achievements and no one knows his name.

I’ve said this many times, RARA has celebrated over 50 years of Air Racing and when I tell someone I’m an Air Racer – they say, “Red Bull”? While I love the Red Bull Air Races – they are in their infancy compared to us.

Even amongst other pilots, they have heard of Oshkosh, Sun-n-Fun --- but never heard of the Reno Air Races – until the Ghost incident? We are the best kept secret in motorsports – which is not a compliment. It’s a travesty.

Many have suggested that the old RARA Board wanted to keep the event very Reno-Centric because that was their playground. What is the reason national coverage was not sought and never achieved, why alternate locations were never developed – why ESPN forgot who we are?

Another question asked frequently is – why are there no pilots or racers on the Board? I’m pretty sure we have qualified people in the retired racer ranks who would be able to give a different and probably quite useful perspective.

Will the new and improved, lighter more nimble RARA Board do a better job? Let’s hope so.

Unlimiteds

So many fans have said they only go to see the Unlimiteds. Well, folks – that may be a problem.  As I have said before in this column, the Unlimited Racers are becoming scarcer due to many issues – including the incredibly high cost to run one of these racers, the enormous effort, the lack of parts, the changes in the course and the instability of the governing body.

Last year we saw the demise of the Unlimited Division and the replacement organization the Unlimited and Warbird Racing Class taking the reins. The uncertainty of that change kept close to half of the qualified race pilots and aircraft home. Will they return? I doubt it. The Unlimited racers I’ve spoken with recently have all said they feel they are not being engaged in the conversation about the future. They also feel the issues which caused the dissolution of the original UD are still not being addressed.

How will we know UWRC is successful? Let’s count the number of Unlimited Racers attending PRS in June.

One racer told me – I’ll paraphrase – the Jet Truck comes to Reno to perform and RARA gives him hotel rooms, car, fuel, food, etc. A racer comes to Reno and they ask them for a check to pay their entry, a check for their crew badges, a check for their golf cart, a check for their parking pass, you get the picture. Who are the fans coming to see – the Jet Truck or the Air Races?

Concerts?

The latest news has a festival like atmosphere being discussed – complete with concerts and interactive activities – and true celebration of flight. Will that fill the seats? If so, GREAT!

We know the Casinos won’t be happy to see evening activities at the field. They are counting on all the race fans coming back to town to gamble, eat and drink their nights away. So, will we have concerts going on during the races? Between? Instead of what? I’m confused.

Communications

Last year I was criticized for not going to RARA to ask for their side on my comments. In fact, I did go to them and I was ignored. This year, I have also asked for input and have yet to hear anything in return.

Let me be clear, I LOVE THE AIR RACES. I have been racing since 2003, I have been going since 1999 – the first time I heard of the Air Races. Many of the people closest to me I have met through racing. I owe a great deal of who I am today to this amazing event and the people who make it so. 

I would be happy to work with the Board, to work with RARA to disseminate the information in a positive way and help them understand where the fans, racers and participants minds are. But, alas – my phone is mute.

Final Thoughts

For all of you who say you won’t go to Reno without a large showing of Unlimiteds – I’d like to introduce you to the other classes – because the golden days of Unlimited Air Racing may be behind us. There will still be amazing participants like Bob Button, the Hintons, the Sanders Family and Rod Lewis – but there aren’t a dozen more of them waiting on the sidelines to win a bowling trophy, a check just large enough to pay the crew bar tab and bragging rights for something no one knows exists.

For you real racing fans, when you get to the end of the Unlimited Pits – keep walking. There are amazing racers further down the flight line. There are people who put their life and soul into racing and I bet you would like to hear their stories too. I have written about many of them over the years – I hope you fans are listening.

The Future of Air Racing may be further down on the flight line. Come say hello – after the concert, of course.

Marilyn Dash

Ruby and Elsa Air Racing

Pylon Place  

** Special Thanks to Bruce Croft from 20West for this months fine photographs! 

Red Bull Air Races are BACK!

After a three year hiatus to revamp and rework, the Red Bull Air Races are BACK! As someone who has seen four races in person and all of them via video, I could not be more thrilled. 

Many things have changed, but some things have remained the same. The most important aspect that has not changed is the pilots. All 12 of the pilots are returning racers.

The UK’s Paul Bonhomme, the Red Bull Air Race World Champion for 2009 and 2010 is the early favorite to repeat. But Austrian, Hannes Arch who won in 2008 is also looking to return to the top. Both of these men are VERY competitive and have kept their skills up flying Airshows and Competition. 

Kirby Chambliss flying over Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Credit: Garth Milan Red Bull Content Pool

American Kirby Chambliss won in 2004 and 2006 and is always striving for perfection. Michael Goulian, another American returning pilot is ready to take it all. Having met all 12 of the racers, it's hard to decide who to cheer for, but no matter who wins, it will be an exciting year. 

Changes

The changes are many and quite important. First off, the pylons are different. The new pylons are asymmetrical cones with a straight inner edge with an inclined outer edge. They will also be 5 meters taller with a higher flight window for the pilots to fly through. Another important difference is the material will be able to deflate more easily when hit by a plane and stand up straighter during windy weather conditions.

Over the years, 30 different materials and fabrics have been tested to see if they would make the grade. The current pylons will have a Spinnaker type fabric on the top which should make the racing safer with a quicker burst or deflation. 

Another major change is the engine/prop combo being adopted by all of the teams. While the aircraft may be different, the engines will all be the 300 hp Lycoming Thunderbolt AEIO-540-EXP.

Lycoming Thunderbolts AEIO-540-EXPs
Credit: Balazs Gardi Red Bull Content Pool

The propellers will all be Hartzell 3-bladed 7690 structural composite props more commonly known as “The Claw”. This propeller has low gyroscopic forces and incredible thrust. By the end of the last season (2010) all of the teams had converted to “The Claw” and Hartzell is now partnering with Red Bull Air Races to continue to innovate and focus on safety.

By using the same engines and propellers combo, the organizers feel there will be a more level playing field and the variables will now be pilot skill and aerodynamics. Time will tell if this is the right move – but if closer racing is the result – that would be fantastic.

An interesting change is the recent agreement signed between Red Bull Air Race management and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). The FAI is the sanctioning body of air sports, and the keeper of aviation records.

This agreement puts FAI in the position of sanctioning the Red Bull Air Races’ rules and regulations and will provide support for the races as safety supervisors. This is a big stamp of approval by the International Aviation Community of the Red Bull Air Races.

Challenger Cup

Another interesting addition is the Challenger Cup. This is basically a farm system for Air Race Pilots. One of the difficulties in the past was sourcing the type of talent it takes to be an Air Race Pilot. The ability to select a group of potential new Racers and have them compete for a spot on the roster is a great idea. Again, I believe this will add to the safety of the series. With eight pilots from seven different countries including Francois Le Vot from France, the World Aerobatic Champion from 2013, the newcomers are the next generation.  

Locations

The season opener in Abu Dhabi over the Arabian Gulf will be held the first weekend in March. As I write this, the teams are already there and getting their aircraft ready for the week of festivities and competition.

The next race will be in Rovinj, Croatia in April – then onto the Putrajaya, Malaysia in May.  July bring us to the Baltic Sea and the city of Gdynia, Poland. August takes us to Great Britain and the Ascot Racecourse. 

Locations - spanning the globe

They move to the United States with two further debut locations, the Texas Motor Speedway in Dallas-Fort Worth, in September and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in October. The final race will be held in China in November. For those counting at home, that’s eight races in seven countries on three continents.  

Both stops in the US are being staged at a motor speedway. This has been done once before in Lausitz, Germany during the 2010 series. The perspective for the fans will be totally different – being that the action will take place at eye level or lower than the fans' seats. Looking down at the competition will be an interesting change.

Tickets are on sale – and the action can be seen in multiple places. The Red Bull Air Race World Championships will air live on Red Bull TV via the web at www.redbull.tv, or through its iOS and Android applications, In select markets, the races can be seen on Apple TV, Xbox 360 and Smart TV devices. Also Fox Sports will broadcast in the USA. Keep watching for updates on the Red Bull Air Races website. http://www.redbullairrace.com/en_US

  

Operation - Bring Elsa Home

I thought it would be fun to do a column this month about a personal experience. After racing in the Biplane Class for eleven years, I decided to look into purchasing a potential Sport Class Racer. I’ve always said the perfect two airplane family would be an “upside down” airplane and a “go places” airplane. So, Ruby may now be just for “upside down” flying – and we would need something faster, with some luggage space – to “go places”.

I started in the usual way, perusing ads on Barnstormers and Trade-a-Plane, etc. I found a few older Glasairs and RVs, etc. And then through mutual friends, I heard about an RV-6 which I immediately knew was going to be mine.

This is almost exactly the same experience I had when I was looking for Ruby. Searching and searching and then – someone you know, just happen to know someone else, who just happens to have exactly the right airplane for you. Serendipity, I say.

This road led me to Texas. A friend of mine (and future co-pilot) was available to do a pre-buy inspection, which ended in about a two-hour flight. I think he liked it. He sent a dozen or so pictures and gave me a detailed report. I was smitten – but haven’t seen her yet.

Phone calls were made; remuneration and a long distance handshake sealed the deal.

Dasher and Elsa in Blythe

Now, to get her home…

Trying to fly a small aircraft from Texas to California in the middle of winter is not an easy feat. While I only have weekends available and I wanted her home ASAP – we lucked out and had a break in the weather – and during a weekend.

I had asked my friend to accompany me – someone to talk with, share the flying time, discuss flight planning – things like this are always better shared. The friend I chose just happened to be a long time pilot, ATP and an IA. So I knew he could fly and if something broke, he could probably come up with a fix. He also did the pre-buy and knew the previous owner, had a few hours in the plane, etc. Excellent choice, if I must say so myself. ;-)

Flight planning would take us across Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and then nearly all of California. Approximately 1800 nautical miles and my time estimates were close to 9 hours of flight time. This was the plan. This was not how it went. Headwinds added a few hours to the trip – but nothing the three of us couldn't handle.

Our launch time was delayed while we ran power to the second GPS. Redundant Redundancy is my middle name. We had charts, we had VORs, and we had 2 GPS units - 1 panel and one portable – and my iPad and my Android – both with navigation software and full charged. We were certainly not going to get lost.

Midland…

Because of the delay, we only made it to Midland on day one. Luckily, my long time Crew Chief lives in Midland and took us to his favorite BBQ place for dinner. A full on “hole in the wall” – with great food and the type of ambiance you can only find in Texas.

Launching out of Midland on Day 2, we knew we would need an early start and to get some luck to make it to our final destination before sunset.

Deming…

Our next start was Deming, NM. Their motto -- "Welcome to Deming: Home of Pure Water and Fast Ducks".  A quick fuel stop, stretch our legs and check weather. I spent some time looking for fast ducks – didn’t see any, but did get a chance to sample the water. We also noticed pictures on the wall of planes and pilots we’ve known. It seems Howard Pardue had been to every airport between TX and CA.

Launching out of Deming and continuing our westward adventure, we passed over Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and the Boneyard. Not as impressive from 8500 feet, but still massive. We continued west and to our first stop in California – Blythe.

Landing at Blythe we noticed a few aircraft in the transient area. One was an Apache with Geronimo tail modification – which my co-pilot remarked may be the exact plane he earned his multi- in many years before. Aviation is a small world – for planes and for people.

One of the other transient aircraft just happened to be flown by a lovely couple who were taking a quick break while waiting for a ride to town. We started talking and they mentioned they have gone to the Air Races with their friend and Biplane Racer, Aaron Burhoe. Aaron purchased their Pitts several years ago and invited them to join him on his crew while he raced it. I’m sad to say I don’t have their names – I gave them my card, but they didn’t give me one… SORRY!

Before leaving Blythe, we noticed Howard Pardue was on the wall at again. We almost felt he was watching over our flight. If so, thanks, Howard!

Final Leg – and Home

The final leg was about to begin… just under 450 nautical and one more landing. This leg was over familiar ground – I’d flown most of these miles before so I was happily looking at recognizable landmarks.

West Coast Ravens - RV Formation Team

We landed just a few minutes before sunset and were happy to push the new girl into her new hangar. Cash Copeland, my previous Crew Chief and an RV-6 owner himself, was there to greet us. A few more airport friends came by to check out the new metal. A quick look around and congratulatory remarks and we were done for the day.

Next Steps

Within 48 hours, I was signed up for the West Coast Ravens. The West Coast Ravens are a group of pilots who fly their RV airplanes in formation at air shows and various other aviation events.

Next up for us will be formation flying clinics and IFR training. It’s time to extend the circle of places I can make within one day of flying to see where I can visit for long weekends.

If the Air Races happen in September, maybe we will be there in the Biplane Class or the Sport Class – options are open at this time. But for now, I’m happily learning new skills and am thrilled with the new member of the Dasher Air Force.

Until next time…

…

The Future of the Reno Air Races…

*** Since this column was written, Mike Houghton, the President of RARA has been let go. The Board of Directors will be taking over the day to day operations. We plan to continue coverage of the Future of Air Racing. Keep the faith, fans. 


Since the Galloping Ghost crash of 2011, the Air Races have been plagued with financial concerns and rumors about closing the doors.

In the last few months, Mike Houghton, RARA President, has been talking about this year’s event being in jeopardy if $500,000 was not raised by December 15^th. Just in the nick of time, we were told the event is back on. This leaves many people wondering about the long term viability – and if this will continue to be a year to year endeavor.

Issues

The Insurance has been an issue since the crash in 2011 –the premiums skyrocketed. In 2011, they were paying around $300K; after the crash the cost was $2mil for 2012; in 2013 it was reduced to $1.2mil. A safe and successful race, year after year, will start to chip away at the high cost, but will take time.

The purse is another problem. It’s no secret that the crowds were highly disappointed in the lack of Unlimited Class participation last year – with only 14 racers in attendance and a mere five Unlimited Races over five days. One of the ways to build this class back up to its earlier glory is to have a decent purse to lure them to participate.

But, the reality is, NO ONE makes money in air racing… I can guarantee not one race team walked away with more than they spent. The cost of fielding even a F1 or Biplane contender is 10-100 times your purse. When you receive your winnings in a check, the running joke is, “Just put it on my Starbucks’ Card”.  Yes, that small.

Sponsorships would help – but this would assume people outside of the fans who attend each year –have heard of the Reno Air Races. 50 years of Air Racing in the High Desert of Nevada and every time we tell people we are Air Racers – they ask about Red Bull. Where did we go wrong!? Why don’t more people know about this event? It’s the best kept secret in motorsports – and it’s a pity.

Other difficulties include the uncertainty of the Unlimited Division – now Unlimited and Warbird Racing Class. Some of the Unlimited pilots/owners were unhappy with the change. There were concerns about who was in charge; who was pulling the strings and what it all meant. The new UWRC didn't have rules or certification from the FAA until the racers showed up at Reno in September. Racers lose faith when they are asked to walk into a situation without rules or clear information. There was too much left unsaid.

The course changes are still in contention. Since the Ghost accident, the course has “tightened up“ - increasing the g-loads going around the course. And the ceiling was lowered. One Unlimited Racer likened it to “racing in a donut” with a deadline on one side, pylons on the other, an arbitrary ceiling above and hard ground below.  

None of the issues from last year have been addressed, yet racers are being asked to “have faith”. Should we be spending our time preparing our air racers? Should we be putting in for vacation during that sacred second week in September? Is this the last year, or was 2013?

Is the constant “fundraising” message form RARA a “boy who cried wolf” scenario, or are things really as bad as they say. For those of us who have been around for many years, we've heard the cries of financial difficulties even before the Ghost crash. Each year our first Pilot Brief of the week started with, “We lost X# of $s last year”. Every year … EVERY YEAR!?

RARA is a non-profit organization – which means any income needs to be put back into the organization – it doesn't mean you can’t make money. Many of us wonder how we lasted as long as we have with the constant financial losses.

Let’s just say, some Racers and Fans are looking for possible alternate plans in September. Our hopes are high, but we’re not ready to put tens of thousands of dollars into single use aircraft. Will Strega, Voodoo and the rest go the way of Stiletto and become Stockers again? Only time will tell.

In the next few months, we will be taking a look at what can be done, other racing venues coming up in the future and other aviation topics of interest.

As always, thanks to my photographers, Rob “Phred” Miller, Bruce “20W” Croft, Tim “Nice Hat” Adams, and Anthony “Hopper” Taylor.  This month, we’re all Bruce Croft.

Let’s get 2014 off to a great start and go flying!

World Aerobatic Championships – 2013

The World Aerobatic Championships come to the USA once every 10 years or so. This year, they were held at North Texas Regional Airport in Grayson County, TX. The good news was– everyone had a great time. The bad news was – the weather did NOT cooperate.

Aerobatics

Before racing in the Biplane Class at Reno, I was involved in local IAC Competition. The challenge of flying competitive aerobatics was something I very much enjoyed and something I may plan to return to – now that things are rocky at RARA. I found that I couldn’t do both at the same time – the airplane I was using needed to be changed for each sport and I didn’t have the time or resources to do it each year.  But, if the Reno Air Races are over (more on this next month) –it is likely will I will throw my time and energy back into Aerobatics.

Beautiful Aerobatic Machines

Local or Regional competitions are followed by a National Competition (also in September – see the problem?). This National Competition in the US produces a US Team – either the WAC (World Aerobatic Championship) - for Unlimited Competitors or the AWAC (Advanced World Aerobatic Championship) for Advanced Competitors. Each National Team can have up to 8 male members and 3 female members.

WAC

This year, eighteen countries were represented along with Hors Concours Competitors – who were not part of any national team, but were flying in the contest for themselves. Nearly 80 of the world’s best aerobatic pilots were there after traveling to the US and either finding a plane to borrow, or bring their own from home. 

  

Weather

The week started out windy and rainy and the weather was the story. Doug Sowder, IAC President, was in charge of Wind Reports. He would set up a Wind Balloon several times a day to obtain the current winds, not just at ground level, but at the altitude the competitors were flying. Most reports were “out of limits” for International Competition – based on FAI rules. The daily joke was “What time is the 7am pilot brief”… since it was delayed and delayed and delayed each day.

Weather posed a major problem all week

When the winds died down, the rains began. For 2 days, we couldn’t fly at all and didn’t even bother to go to the airport.

Recreation

What do you do with 80 competitive pilots and dozens of volunteers when you can’t fly?

One night, we went to the Rodeo. The next day we went to see the movie “Rush” and then Go-Kart Racing! It was all we could do not to go stir crazy.

Finally

The flying resumed. A standard international WAC contest consists of 2 sections – the first set of flights include Known (or Compulsory), Freestyle (something you put together yourself in accordance with very strict standards) and 2 Unknowns (routines that were pieced together based on recommended figures). Because of the delays, not everyone was able to fly the first Unknown and no second Unknown flight was even attempted.

Aresti Code Figures for the first Unknown

The second section is the 4-minute Freestyle. This is more of an airshow type routine – with smoke and music and non-standard figures. Saturday – the final day of the competition – was set aside to make sure we were able to finish the 4-minute routines. Oddly enough, the US seems to excel in this area.

Four Minute Freestyle

Several famous names were listed amongst the competitors including three Red Bull Air Racers: Hannes Arch, Martin Sonka and Nicolas Ivanoff. Previous World Champions were onsite also including Mikhail Mamistov, Victor Chmal and Patrick Paris. There is a separate individual championship for women, with returning champion Svetlana Kapanina was beat out by Aude Lemordant from France. And USA Team Member, Rob Holland won the 4-minute Freestyle – his forte being a highly sought after airshow pilot.

The last time an American won the Championship was in 1988 when Henry Haigh won in Red Deer, Canada flying a Superstar. Rob Holland has won the 4-Minute twice since then – and Zach Heffley won the 4-minute in 2007.

The French Team came away with the Gold, riding on great performances by Francois LeVot (the overall winner), Olivier Masurel, Francois Rallet, Ivanoff and Alexandre Leboulanger – all finishing in the top ten. The USA Team earned the Silver with Rob Holland, Michael Racy and Nikolay Timofeev in the top 10. The Russian Team walked away with the Bronze, with Mamistov finishing second overall.

Friendships

The best part of attending the WAC 2013 is the Friendships. The names may not roll off the tongue of the average pilot, but these people are Rockstars to some of us. Each of them is a world level competitor and an inspiration. This level of flying requires non-stop focus and determination. I walked away with a book filled with autographs, Better Aerobatics by Alan Cassidy – who was also on-site as a Judge.

Even with the wind and the rain – I know I’m glad I volunteered to be part of the Team. Special appreciation to Chris Rudd, the Contest Director;  Lorrie Penner, the Assistant Contest Director; Joy McKinney, the Volunteer Coordinator, Lynn Bowes, the Registrar; Douglas Lovell for the Website, etc., and all the other volunteers who made this experience possible. Special thanks to Laurie Zaleski and Patty Anderson for their photographs.

Next

Don’t forget to buy your Aviation Calendar at http://www.cafepress.com/aviation_calendar -- Great gift idea for the pilot in your life!

Next month we’ll take a look at what’s happening with the Reno Air Races. Happy Holidays!  

Until then…

Holiday Shopping Time - Ruby's Aviation Calendar is available again for 2014

Click here to see if your favorite racer made the cut. 

Aviation Calendar - 2014

The 50th National Championship Air Races -- Wrap-up -- Part 2

Last month, we reviewed the Unlimited/UWRC races. And I promised this month to cover the other five classes of competitors. Let’s get started.

IF1

First thing in the morning, when the skies are dark and the dew is still on the planes, the IF1 (and Biplane) air racers are already at the field, tugging their planes out to runway 08 and trying not to shiver from the cold. The crowds are light at this time, which is a pity because some of the best racing happens before 10AM.

This year was no different. The IF1 class participants were few in number, but deep in talent and heart.

After qualifying nearly 10 miles per hour faster than anyone else, Steve Senegal, the reigning IF1 Champion had a difficult start and just couldn’t get around Vito Wypraechtiger in long time racer, Scarlet Screamer. Vito is one of two competitors in the IF1 class from Europe; Vito from Switzerland and Bill Parodi from Spain.

The final race on Sunday was amazing. Everyone was on their feet cheering for their favorite and cheering for a great race, if they had no favorite. It was eight laps of intense racing.

Vito Wypraechtiger in Scarlet Screamer
Thanks to Phredtography

Biplanes

The other early morning entertainment is the Biplane Class. This year brought many Rookies and a few “Boomerangs” to the races. A Boomerang is a racer who returns after time away – get it?

Byron Roberts raced back in the early 90s with me when I started. He wanted to come back for the 50^th and Aaron Burhoe came back after just a few years away. Great to have you both back!

Rookies included Jeffrey Rose, Brett Schuck, John D’Alessandro and Matt Burrows. Jeff and Brett brought very stock Pitts Specials while Matt and John brought giant (for the Biplane Class anyway) two-seaters – which were recently voted in by our new rules.  

Big Blue Biplane
Phredtography

This year was the first time since I’ve been racing where we utilized an 8 or 4 second handicap. The Biplanes start on the runway, the first row goes, then 4 seconds later, the next row and another 4 seconds before the third row finally moves. While 4 or 8 seconds doesn’t seem like much, we wanted to see if this changed the complexion of the racing. The group voted to have the handicap added to this year’s races.

To no one’s surprise, Tom Aberle won again, hands down – in his custom built racer, Phantom. When asked what Tom was up to next – he said he is building a new racer… and then finished the statement by saying… and this one won’t have two wings. Hmmm… I wonder what he has up his sleeve!?

The race is then for second place, which was won by Karl Grove although Jake Stewart in his new (to him) racer qualified second. Did the handicap rule change the finish? I’d have to say yes.

Here’s to hoping the Jeff Lo finishes his final changes on Miss Gianna, Karl Grove finishes his Boomerang (no relation), Jeff Rose finishes his Mong Racer and the race is not just for second place.

With a great group of racers and a dedicated fan base, the Biplanes are an interesting Class.

T-6

While Nick Macy qualified .3 seconds faster than Dennis Buehn, this was not his year. During Saturday’s race, a catastrophic engine failure caused him to have one of the most spectacular maydays of T-6 racing when he Chandelled to Runway 14. His years flying Six Cat were evident in his masterful handling of this in-flight emergency.

Nick Macy rounding out his landing during mayday
Phredtography

Dennis Buehn was the final Gold winner on Sunday in Midnight Miss. John Lohmar came in second and Chris Rushing finished third.

And, Gordo Sanders won the Silver in Big Red.  Had to get that in there. 

Sport Class

The largest Class of racers – again this year – the Sport Class. With 28 competitors, they keep growing while so many classes are experiencing decreasing numbers.

Again this year, Jeff LaVelle qualified quickest. But he just didn’t get the overall number he was trying to hit. He wanted to get the record, which is currently held by John Sharp in Nemesis, 2008 – 409.297. But, 403.059 was all he needed to qualify nearly 12 mph faster than John Parker in Blue Thunder II.

And the race went the same way. Jeff started in front and stayed in front. And Parker came in a distant second place, partly because of an early cut pylon that added 12 seconds to his time.

We were seriously disappointed that the GP5 wasn’t there, but there was enough excitement and enough beautiful airplanes and great flying to keep their fan base and add many more.

Jeff LaVelle - still champion
Phredtography

Rookies flew well, we especially enjoyed watching Andrew Findley qualify and finish 5^th among the old guard. He’s definitely got the racing bug and I bet we’ll see improvements during the off-season.

And Sport Class Rookie Brant Seghetti, who has been racing Sparky (the Jelly Belly P-51) for years, flying a beautiful line at about the same speed in Miss Picabo – a gorgeous Thunder Mustang.

A few more shout outs – one to Tom McReynolds for coming back. You and Poky were missed. And to Shane Margraves who brought a Zlin 50 and finished last, but was there and got the t-shirt – and the largest number of penalty seconds I’ve ever seen. Colleen, it is nice to see another lady racer. And to Dick Ogg, who decided that Nitrous was the way to go. You rock!

Jets

A new winner was crowned in the Jet Class. Pete Zaccagnino and his new (to him) L-29 Delfin, “Just Lucky” are the new Jet Gold winners. Pete was able to keep it under the Jet Speed Limit and still perform admirably with a qualifying time of just over 512.

The other big news was the GiB, or Gadget in Back of Jet #5. They are using a water injection system and decided to paint the water tank to look like R2D2. It was a hit! 

Gadget in Back - is R2D2
Marilyn Dash - photographer

All new officers were voted in at the end of race week and we’re looking forward to seeing what changes are coming down the road for the Jets. Stay tuned…

Final Words…

The 50^th is in the books. But what does the future hold – we’ll find out soon enough. I had a great time and it's always nice to see our September Family again.