"Freedom
to Fly Forever"
The National Championship Air
Races and Air Show was held September 11 - 14 at the
Reno-Stead Airport, some twelve miles north of the
"Biggest Little City in the World". Marking the 40th
Anniversary of Air Racing at Reno Nevada, competing
aircraft comprised six categories vying for total prize
money of just over $1,000,000 - Formula One (IFI), Sport
Biplanes (Bipes), Sport (kit built), T6/SNJ/Harvard, Jet
(L-39) Invitational, and the Unlimited (high energy
piston powered warbird types - Mustangs, Sea Furies, Yaks
& Bearcats). The Unlimited is the premier race class
which receives the lions share of the cash purse reward.
"Fly Low, Go Fast, Turn Left" is the clarion call. For
anyone who has not heard or seen this unique and
absolutely exciting worlds fastest motor sport is
missing, perhaps, the best 'pants on' fun possible,
especially the 'Unlimiteds'. A flock of six to eight,
sometimes nine, high powered propeller driven airplanes
chasing one another around an 8.48 mile closed
'pylon-to-pylon' course, for upwards of five to nine laps
depending on the race 'heat' and finals, often
approaching speeds upwards of 500 mph, after a group air
start and flown by fearless pilots as low as 100 feet or
so above the ground, is about as thrilling as it gets for
motor sport fans and spectators. As one veteran race
pilot Allan Preston, said "Two and a half football fields
every second…. If that doesn't get your stuff
working, then your stuff's not gonna work".
Last year Skip Holm, renowned
aviator, flew the highly modified P-51D Mustang, "Dago
Red" #4, to a record qualifying speed of 497.787 mph,
passing the previous record of 491.266 mph set by John
Penny in 1996 with Lyle Shelton's big hybrid, radial
engine F8F Bearcat, "Rarebear". The 40th Anniversary
edition of air racing, however, also witnessed a
record-setting performance, shattering the elusive 500
mph barrier, for the World Unlimited Class Speed Racing
for piston powered propeller aircraft. Under ideal flying
conditions on Friday, September 12, Heat 2A, Skip Holm of
Calabasas CA, rode the No. 4 red Mustang, "Dago Red", to
an unofficial fastest lap time of 511.957 mph and an
official average lap speed of 507.105 mph. Holm
apparently, was surprised himself, and the comment was
also made that in the 40 years of the Reno Air Races,
planes might have gone faster than 500 mph--but never for
an entire race. Fans, spectators and especially "Dago
Dogs" went wild with excitement. But that wasn't all of
it. The "Bear" too, was back!! after a four year absence.
Although the Merlin powered sleek red machine would not
be bested, #77 "Rare Bear" with John Penny of Evergreen
Colorado, on board, was not far behind #4, pushing an
unofficial fastest lap time of close to 498 mph and an
average posted lap speed of 492.936 mph, the best ever
for the underdog and crowd favorite, "Rare Bear". The
Worlds Fastest Motor Sport is alive and well.
The tradition of air racing,
closed circuit pylon course and cross country, began in
America in the 1920's and carried on through the 1930's
and early 1940's at Mitchell Field, New York, Chicago,
Kansas City and Cleveland Ohio, to name a few, by the
likes of racing legends James Doolittle, James Wedell,
Jacqueline Cochran, and Roscoe Turner. After war's end,
1946 saw a new era and return of closed course air racing
at Cleveland led by fresh faces, Paul Mantz, Tex Johnston
and Cook Cleland, flying the more powerful single engine
surplus ex-military fighter planes of World War Two.
Racing continued until 1949 when cancelled due to a
tragic and fatal accident at Cleveland and the onset of
war in Korea. Piston powered Unlimited air racing went
into a deep sleep for over a decade, during which time
only small aircraft and United States Air Force jets were
favored to race. In 1964 a fellow by the name of Bill
Stead, veteran flying ace of World War Two, Nevada
rancher and sportsman, organized a closed course pylon
air race at the Sky Ranch airport, near Reno Nevada
giving birth to the National Championship Air Races. Bill
Stead, unfortunately, was killed in a Formula One race in
Florida shortly after the 1965 Reno Nationals, but his
spirit certainly lives on. The early race years featured
four classes of planes: Formula One, (previously Midget),
Sport Biplane, Ladies Stock Planes( Piper Cherokees) with
women pilots, and the Unlimited. The annual event
including an airshow met with great success, and was only
interrupted once - in September 2001, when all aircraft
in the United States were grounded following the
terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Headliner 'Thunder in the Sky'
entertainment was for this banner year, served up by the
USAF "Thunderbirds" Flight Demonstration Team. Piloting
six F-16C Fighting Falcon fighter jets, the Thunderbird
Squadron, celebrating 50 years representing the Air
Force, and for 47 of those years based at Nellis AFB,
Nevada, last appeared at Reno in 1999. It was also the
"Thunderbirds" who inaugurated the Reno Air Races in 1964
flying F-100 Super Sabres. The 'T-Birds' this year
arrived September 11. For the Thursday, Friday and
Saturday shows they performed their usual impressive 40
minute program of launch and synchronized aerial displays
to the obvious enjoyment of what appeared to be
full-house crowds. The four day event, according to race
and airshow officials, approached last years attendance
record of 222,000. Those present Thursday September 11,
also observed a moment of silence to mark the second
anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Other airshow performers included
Gene Soucy/Teresa Stokes, aerobatic and wing walker
routines, with the Grumman AG biplane "Showcat", Kent
Pietsch and his famous flying comedy act in a 1942
Interstate S-1 Cadet, Kirby Chambliss, veteran aerobatic
champion in his Zivko Edge 540, a Saab 'Draken' displayed
by Skip Holm, Scott Hammack and the Air Force Reserve
"Above and Beyond" Jet Dragster. The military put up Demo
Flights of an A-10 "Warthog", F-18 Hornet, and S&R
Helo while Air National Guard units provided F-16 action,
Parachute Jumpers from a C-130 platform, Car Drop from a
CH-47 Chinook (crowd favorite). A B-52 Stratofortress
(BUFF) gave us a flyover visit on the Thursday. Friday
and Race Sunday brought fly-byes of an F-117A Stealth.
Also, a USAF Heritage Flight was put up each day,
featuring an A-10 Thunderbolt II accompanied by retired
General William Anders flying the P-51D Mustang
"Valhalla".
Although 2003 was not without a
few mishaps, several mechanical failures and maydays,
there were, thankfully, no fatalities. Early in the week,
just prior to qualifying trials, a couple of Formula Ones
encountered emergencies but were brought down without
life threatening results. Friday saw biplane racer Tom
Aberle withdraw his radical modified Mong, #62 due to
ongoing propeller failures, biplane racer Jacqueline
Warda called a mayday because of a developed electrical
problem in her Pitts Special #7, T-6 racer Gene McNeely
lost fuel pressure, maydayed and landed without incident,
the legendary Darryl Greenamyer made an emergency
touch-down in his record-setting Lancair Legacy #33
caused by a ruptured oil line, Brent Hisey flying his new
"Miss America" P-51 Mustang, also had to mayday due to
mechanical trouble. Both Greenamyer and Hisey, however,
later returned to racing form. The big Hawker Sea Fury
"Dreadnaught" was regrettably grounded by the Sanders
group after finding metal in the oil screen. Mike Brown's
handsome looking F7F Tiger Cat "Big Bossman" #1 and his
highly touted Hawker Sea Fury #232, "September Fury" were
also retired to static display due to broken engines
sustained in the qualifying rounds. Gold and Silver
racers Matt Jackson in #5 "Voodoo" a P-51 (the hard luck
plane), and Bill Rheinschild driving #117, "Bad Attitude"
a Hawker Sea Fury, pulled up and out of their respective
races before the finish because of engine problems. There
may have been a few others that I've overlooked but for
the most part these were the troubled aircraft. Thomas
Camp it should be noted, ran the Friday featured Grumman
FM2 Wildcat in the Sunday Bronze Unlimited race, at a
rather slow 269.398 mph.
The pre-race odds-on-favorites to
watch were, in the end, exact in all six classes.
Nevertheless, some of the final results may have been
somewhat closer had the breakdown misfortunes not
intervened. This was especially so in the biplane class
with the top qualifier, Tom Aberle's #62, out
(Q.S.221.288), and the Unlimited with unknowns #232,
"September Fury" and the big twin engine Tiger Cat #1
whose prospects were held pretty high, and then had the
"Bear" #77 not lost the needed boost power in the Gold
Race, what if? But that's all now history until next
year.
Five-time Unlimited Champion,
"Dago Red" and Skip Holm in a nine plane race, again
captured the gold on Sunday, posting an eight lap average
course speed of 487.938 mph. John Penny in "Rare Bear"
closed in second place, unbroken at 483.942 mph, with Tom
Dwelle in his big hybrid Sea Fury #10 "Critical Mass"
finishing in third spot at 446.965 mph. Sherman Smoot and
the little Yak 11 "Czechmate", who have not crossed the
finish line in some time, took fourth place with 445.617
mph.
Other Gold winners were: Formula
One - Gary Hubler of Caldwell, Idaho in a Cassutt III
"Mariah" #95 (253.823 mph), Sport Biplane - David Rose of
La Jolla, CA in a Rose Peregrine "Frightful" (219.181) -
given the name, it was a bit 'frightful' for Rose at the
finish when #3 began trailing big smoke, a blown engine,
and upon getting the checkered flag pulled a roundabout,
landing hot and short on downhill 26, to go off the end
of the runway and flip topside. Afterwards he exited the
plane unhurt, except for a cut finger. "Piece of cake" he
was heard to say. As expected, Darryl Greenamyer of Las
Vegas Nevada, garnered first place in the Sport Class
driving the Lancair Legacy #33 at an easy 324.497 mph.
(he wanted to run with the Unlimiteds on a qualifying
speed of 347.616 mph but was denied). Nick Macey of
Tulelake CA took the T-6 Class money in #6 "Six Cat"
(235.264). Top qualifier of this group at 239.398 mph and
1997 Gold Champion Mary Dilda of Memphis, TN flying none
other than her SNJ-6, "Two of Hearts" just couldn't close
the distance on Macey who had a great start to get out
front and stay there. Mary, nonetheless, did win top spot
in the L-39 Jet Class Invitational driving #22
"Heartless" to a speed of 434.019 mph.
2003 was a superb weather year,
and regardless of anticipated repeat gold winners, the
racing was still exciting, albeit the Silver races seemed
a tad more tuned to competition. As with any highly
competitive sport it is those behind the scenes who
really make it work and go. To this end recognition is
more than due to the volunteers all, but especially the
Mechanics who attend to the air racing machines, without
whom everything is compromised. As pilots easily admit,
it is these caretakers who are among the races' unsung
heroes.
Also fair to say that we all
missed the presence of #7, the bold, sleek, powerful P-51
Mustang called "Strega" who with her owner/pilot Bill
"Tiger" Destefani, often called the 'ultimate racer', and
six-time Gold Champions, have retired from the heat of
competition of Unlimited Air Racing - Thanks for the
Memories.
Story and Photos
By Ed Anderson
