Reno Air Races 2012

Early Monday morning under gorgeous Nevada skies, the dark cloud was blown away over the Reno Air Races as the Formula One Class took to the skies. Many questioned whether there would be a race after the tragic crash of legendary Jimmy Leeward in 2011. Those naysayers weren't aware of the passion and dedication of the Reno Air Race Association (RARA), the pilots and plane owners that make the Air Races the great tradition it is. With the 2012 races just days away, the excitement was in the air along with the smell of avgas, as planes and pilots got ready for a week of the fastest motor sport on the planet.

In 1964, the National Air Races began as a revival of the air racing tradition that became famous at the Cleveland Air Races. Bill Stead, then a Nevada rancher, started the Reno Air Races at Sky Ranch with five classes: Unlimited, Formula One, Midget, Stearman and Cherokee 180s with women pilots. In 1966, it moved to its present location and new home for the races, Stead Airport, named for Bill Stead's brother. The races have evolved into six classes of aircraft competing for the gold in their individual classes: Sports, Formula One, Biplanes, T-6, Unlimited and Jets. In 2012, 108 aircraft met at Stead Airport to challenge the course and defy gravity.

A Reno tradition is the Duck Walk. All the Unlimited Gold racers, planes, pilots and crew parade in grand tradition in front of the grandstands. There, they're all introduced to the great delight of the crowds. Then it's down to business: Pilots take to their aircraft, props turn and crews make their last preflight check for the big Gold Race.

The gorgeous Hawker Sea Fury Furias takes off for the qualifying round in the afternoon heat. Just out of the paint shop, having been restored for the last couple of years, this was the only opportunity to watch this great racer on the course. On landing, it had a gear problem causing damage, and it was out of the races for the rest of the week.

The Unlimited Class are World War II/Korean-era aircraft with the restriction of being propeller-driven, piston-powered aircraft. The Jet Class consists mostly of L-29s and L-39s, having the requirements of no afterburner with wing sweep of less than 15 degrees. The Formula One Class has the requirements of fixed landing gear and pitch propeller, empty weight of 500 pounds or more, wing area of 66 square feet and specific engine. Sport Class (formerly Midget) restriction is engines of 650 cubic inches or less. Biplanes have the same general specs as Formula One, but with two wings. The T-6 Class---World War II trainers while racing with "stock" trainer equipment---have a number of restrictions covering how much modification can be made to the stock specs. Starting on Wednesday, racing within their class, they would all fly in heats in elimination style to compete for the final Gold Races on Sunday.

The excitement of the races begins in the pits. Based in hangars, the Formula, Sport and Biplane pits are a hub of activity, as everything from basic aircraft maintenance are performed to modifications specific to current racing conditions. And under the bright Nevada sun, the T-6s, Unlimiteds and Jets are just as active, but with much larger crews performing basic prep to complete engine teardowns and swap-outs, all in trying to give their pilots an edge on the race course. All of this pit activity is completely open to the public, who can come right up and look at legends like Strega and see upcoming legends like September Fate, making its first appearance at Reno. And if all those sights and smells don't get you excited, the crews and pilots are right there dying to talk to you and answer your questions. It's no wonder that the Reno Air Race fans are the best in the world and why the races continue.


The crowds were energetic, the competition from Formula to T-6 was exciting and the weather was perfect for the fastest motor sport on the planet! The GP-5 made its first appearance at Reno in 2012. An all-wooden Super Sport, fine-tuning the engine allowed it to put on quite a performance at Reno!

The 2012 races began on Wednesday, as heats for each class narrowed down those who would race for the gold on Sunday, producing more than the advertised excitement. Three new speed records were set in 2012. Steve Senegal in his Formula One Endeavor set a record speed of 260.775 mph. Nick Macy in his AT-6 Six-Cat set two records, on the 13th in Gold Heat 1 of 246.047 mph and then again in the Gold Medal race on Sunday of 247.317. And then there's the excitement that comes from just flying. Furias, appearing in its gorgeous new paint, had a landing-gear failure during its qualifying heat, ending its racing week (pilot walked away). In the final Unlimited Gold Race, Precious Metal called a Mayday as it lost its landing-gear door. The week of racing, as it should be, featured only heart-pounding exhilaration of man and machine, competing against gravity and time!


*Steven Hinton lands after winning the Unlimited Gold Race in Strega. The young Hinton accepts the trophy, one he's not a stranger to.*

In the end, there were only six Gold Winners: Unlimited Class was Strega piloted by Steven Hinton with a speed of 477.523 mph; Jet Class was American Spirit piloted by Rick Vandam with a speed of 490.629 mph; T-6 Class was Six-Cat piloted by Nick Macy at 247.317; Formula One Class was Endeavor piloted by Steve Senegal with a speed of 253.817; Biplane Class was Phantom piloted by Tom Aberle with a speed of 246.454 and Sport Class was Race 39 piloted by Jeff LaVelle with a speed of 393.522 mph. These pilots, crews and aircraft carried on the grand tradition of air racing to the delight of the fans.

All pit activity is completely open to the public, who can come right up, look at legends and see upcoming ones, as well. The crews and pilots are right there to answer your questions. It's no wonder that the Reno Air Race fans are the best in the world...

The thrill of the races is hard to express as simply a congratulations to the winners because there's much, much more during the entire event. Race traditions, like seeing the Unlimited 232 September Fury back in the skies and taking second or the old favorite Dreadnought taking third, keeps the fans in the stands. The Formula One Gold Race had fans in the stands on their feet, rooting for their winner in the photo finish. And it's there in the stands you get the true feeling and understanding for what the Reno Air Races are all about. It's for those fans that the planes assemble at Reno each year, providing them with a thrill you can find no place else. And the 50th Reno Air Race planning is already in progress as the tradition lives on in grand fashion.

Jake PetersonWriter

None