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Reno
National Air Races
photo http://krypton.mnsu.edu
Bill Stead, a Nevada rancher, hydroplane
racer, and World War II ace, in 1964 came up with the idea of reviving the
National Air Races to help celebrate the centennial of Nevada's statehood.
He persuaded Reno businessmen to sponsor
the races as part of a major air show that included the national
aerobatics and balloon championships, skydiving competition, and a
performance by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. Stead also talked ABC
Television into covering the races.
Competition was held at the Sky Ranch,
where the runway was simply a 2,000-foot stretch of dirt. Pilots wanted to
take off from Reno Municipal Airport, fly to the course, and return to the
airport after racing, but Stead had guaranteed ABC that takeoffs and
landings could filmed at the ranch. He threatened to disqualify any flyer
who didn't use the makeshift landing strip and the pilots reluctantly went
along with it.
The opening event was the finish of a
trans-continental race from St. Petersburg, Florida, to Reno. Over the
next several days, closed-circuit races were held for five classes of
planes: Unlimited, Formula One, Midget, Stearman, and Cherokee 180s with
women pilots.
Because of Stead's experience with
hydroplanes, the races used a scoring method borrowed from powerboat
racing, with points awarded for a pilot's finishing position in each heat.
In the Unlimited class, Bob Love finished first in the final heat, but the
championship trophy went on points to Mira Slovak.
The points formula was discarded in 1965
in favour of a series of heats leading up to a final race for each class of
planes, with the championship going to the winner of the final.
The races were staged at the Sky Ranch
for the first two years. When Reno's Stead Air Force Base was closed in
1966, it was turned over to the city and renamed Stead Airfield, which has
been the site of the Reno National Air Races ever since.
(Bill Stead was killed in a Formula One
race in Florida shortly after the 1965 races. Ironically, Stead AFB was
named for his brother, Croston Stead, who had been killed in a crash while
flying with the Nevado National Guard.)
Classes of Competition
There's now competition in
six classes:
Unlimited |
The Unlimited Class is
open to any piston-driven aircraft with an empty weight greater than
4500 pounds [the weight restriction was added in 2005]. Aside from a
very few "scratch-built" aircraft, the Unlimited Class has generally
been populated by stock or modified WWII fighters, the
most-often-flown types including the P-51 Mustang, F-8F Bearcat, and
Hawker Sea Fury. Aircraft speeds in the Unlimited Class reach 500 mph. |
Formula One |
Formula One aircraft
are all powered by a Continental O-200 engine (the same 100 hp engine
used in a Cessna 150). Weights and sizes of every major engine part
must be within stock limits. The cam profile and carburetion are
strictly controlled. Race aircraft must have 66 square feet of wing
area, weigh at least 500 pounds empty, and have a fixed landing gear
and fixed pitch propeller. The fastest Formula One aircraft reach
almost 250 mph on the 3.12-mile race course at Reno. Many Formula One
aircraft are built by the pilots that race them and are a relatively
inexpensive way to enjoy the excitement and satisfaction of air
racing. |
Biplanes |
The Biplane Class is
represented by small, aerobatic aircraft like the Pitts Special, the
Mong, and the Smith Miniplane, giving pilots a chance to apply their
skills to racing on a 3.18-mile course at speeds exceeding 200 mph. |
T-6 |
The T-6 Class features
match racing between stock aircraft, including the original T-6
"Texan", the Canadian-built "Harvard", and the US Navy "SNJ" version
aircraft.
All of the T-6 variants are powered by the Pratt & Whitney Wasp
R-1340-AN-1 air-cooled radial engine, which develops about 600
horsepower, and all have essentially the same airframe.
Originally built by North American Aviation, the 15,495 aircraft that
were manufactured over the life of the model served primarily as
advanced trainers, helping pilots bridge between basic trainers and
front-line tactical aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang.
The fastest T-6 aircraft generally post race speeds into the 220-230
mph range on the 5.06-mile course at Reno. Because the aircraft are
all of the same type, the T-6 class provides some of the most exciting
racing at Reno, with an emphasis on strategy and pilot skill rather
than raw horsepower. |
Sport class |
The Sport Class highlights the new and innovative
work being done in the development of high performance kit-built
aircraft. Competition in the Class is fierce, with the rapid
introduction of race-driven engine and airframe technology. Eligible
aircraft include production model kit-built aircraft, of which 5 or
more kits have been produced and delivered to customers by the
manufacturer, powered by a reciprocating engine of 650 cubic inches or
less. All aircraft must have a current FAA issued airworthiness
certificate.
Sport Class aircraft race on a 6.37-mile course at speeds reaching
nearly 350 mph. |
Jet class |
The Jet Class was inaugurated in 2002 as an
invitation-only class, featuring match racing with Czech-built
Aerovodochody L-39 "Albatros" jets, racing at speeds in the 400+ mph
range. In 2004, sponsorship and interest had developed to the point
where the Class was opened to participation by any qualified pilot and
aircraft. |
The races take place over a four-day
period in September, from Thursday through Sunday, but time trials are
held earlier in the week. Planes are assigned to heats based on their
qualifying times and those with the eight fastest times in heat races move
on to the "Gold" championship race on Sunday.
If the number of entries permits, there
are two other championships in each class, the "Silver" and "Bronze"
races, each with eight planes, based on their times in heats.
The closed-circuit course is a little
over 9 miles long. Since speeds approach 500 miles an hour in the
Unlimited class, it takes a little more than a minute for a plane to
negotiate one lap, and all the action is in clear view of spectators. The
Unlimited "Gold" championship race is usually flown over eight laps, the
"Silver" race over eight laps, and the "Bronze" race over six laps.
About 150,000 spectators turn out over
the four-day period. In addition to racing, they get to see exhibitions of
aerobatics, stunt flying, and skydiving, as well as flyovers and
demonstrations by military teams.
Unlimited Champions
Year |
Winner |
Speed |
1964 |
Mira Slovak |
355.52 mph |
(NOTE: Bob Love averaged
366.82 mph
but Slovak won on points.) |
1965 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
375.1 mph |
1966 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
396.221 mph |
1967 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
392.621 mph |
1968 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
388.654 mph |
1969 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
412.631 mph |
1970 |
Clay Lacy |
387.342 mph |
1971 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
413.987 mph |
1972 |
Gunther Balz |
416.160 mph |
1973 |
Lyle Shelton |
428.155 mph |
1974 |
Ken Burnstine |
381.482 mph |
1975 |
Lyle Shelton |
429.916 mph |
1976 |
Lefty Gardner |
379.610 mph |
1977 |
Darryl Greenamyer |
430.703 mph |
1978 |
Steve Hinton |
415.457 mph |
1979 |
John Crocker |
422.302 mph |
1980 |
Roy "Mac" McClain |
433.010 mph |
1981 |
Skip Holm |
431.288 mph |
1982 |
Ron Hevle |
405.092 mph |
1983 |
Neil Anderson |
425.242 mph |
1984 |
Skip Holm |
437.621 mph |
1985 |
Steve Hinton |
438.186 mph |
1986 |
Rick Brickert |
434.488 mph |
1987 |
Bill Destefani |
452.559 mph |
1988 |
Lyle Shelton |
456.821 mph |
1989 |
Lyle Shelton |
450.910 mph |
1990 |
Lyle Shelton |
468.620 mph |
1991 |
Lyle Shelton |
481.618 mph |
1992 |
Bill Destefani |
450.835 mph |
1993 |
Bill Destefani |
455.38 mph |
1994 |
John Penney |
424.407 mph |
1995 |
Bill Destefani |
467.029 mph |
1996 |
Bill Destefani |
467.948 mph |
1997 |
Bill Destefani |
453.130 mph |
1998 |
Howard Pardue |
366.5690 |
1999 |
Bruce Lockwood |
472.332 mph |
2000 |
Skip Holm |
441.2970 mph |
2001 |
Not held (09/11) |
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2002 |
Skip Holm |
466.834 |
2003 |
Skip Holm |
480.415 |
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