A Day at the Reno Air Races, Part 1
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by Erooster
In the Nevada desert, fans awaken to the low rumbling of the Big Iron filling the skies above Stead Airport in mid-September. One can hear the bass sounds of the round engines and the baritone sounds of the big V-engines. Their crews waiting in the cool darkness for their pilots to give them the news on if the fixes from the night before worked enough to add that extra something to get them to the win on Sunday. Some huddle around the telemetry screens reading off the numbers in motion, while others wait nervously on the tarmac. It is another day at the Reno Air Races.
Fans begin entering the gates at 0600, most bundled in their warm clothes to stave off the early morning chill, while others are seen in shorts and sweatshirts. All wear a smile of anticipation in seeing their favorite racing classes in action. Coffee, soda, beer and all kinds of food are being consumed as the crowd enters the stands, with others heading off to the pits to watch the crews in action.
The crews in the Unlimited and T-6 classes are busy repairing engines, cleaning or waxing the plane, adding tape to the seams, or selling t-shirts to help support the cause. Down on the east end of the runway, in the large hangars, the crews and pilots of the Sport Class, Biplane Class and the International Formula One Class are preparing for the early races. IF1 and Biplanes will be heading out early while the wind is still or low.
At 0800, the first set starts with the International Formula One Class taking to the ramp. These small aircraft wait at the start of Runway 8 in three rows. Their engines revving like angry hornets waiting for the green flag to drop. The first group leaves the starting line and leaps into the warming air, followed thereafter by the next set of planes and the last set. All are on lap zero until they cross the Reno Home Pylon at race center. The racers all looking for the magical 260 mph mark around the 3.1875 mile course. Looking more like darting hummingbirds, than actual aircraft, the IF1’s racers scramble for position. After several tense minutes the race finishes and the planes come in to land.
In the intervening time between this race and the next, an entertainer or military aircraft takes to the sky. Some of the crowd watches, some head for one of the many Sani-Hut facilities, some head for the concessions, others walk around. One of many breaks in between the races.
The Biplane Class sends out their first group. They, like their hangar mates from the IF1 Class, are towed out to the taxi-way by personal vehicles, specialized tow rigs, or on staff tows. These pilots follow the same course as the IF1’s and look for a similar speed. They are all pretty evenly matched except for the king of the biplane world, Tom Aberle and his aircraft Phantom. Each pilot is looking to dethrone the king, yet each is actually way short of the goal.
The intervening time the crowd waits for the buildup to the big aircraft. After a couple more IF1 races and a couple more Biplane races, the Sport Class takes wing to fly. These are the kit planes, planes designed for the casual to serious builder. Some see this class as being the one of the classes that will keep the racing going when the Unlimited and T-6 quit racing. But, in this day and age it is still in the minor leagues. Unfortunately, for the rest of the field, the class is dominated by the Skunk Works Engineer/Designer Jon Sharp and his NXT aircraft Nemesis. Close on his heels, though, is Kevin Eldredge in his NXT aircraft, Relentless.
