Reno Air Race
The National Championship Air Races , also known as Reno Air Races , which have been held every September since 1964 , are the last major aircraft races in the world . The venue for the five-day event is Reno Stead Airport , 15 km north of the city of Reno in the US state of Nevada .
history
The first pylon race in which participants steer their planes around a circuit was held in 1909 at the Reims Air Meet in France. During the first decades of the 20th century, aircraft races were a welcome opportunity for aircraft manufacturers and pilots to compete against others. These events and the associated hunt for records have long been a driving force behind the rapid technical progress in aviation.
Other famous aircraft races were the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes (1913-1931), the long-distance race England-Australia (1934) advertised by Sir Macpherson Robertson (1859-1945), the Bendix Trophy , a US continental race (1931-1962) and the Thompson Trophy , a pylon race in Cleveland, Ohio (1930–1949).
After three years of preparation, the first National Championship Air Races took place in September 1964 on the dusty “Sky Ranch” near Reno / Nevada. The initiator was Bill Stead, a farmer from Nevada and two-time Hydroplane Champion. The event lasted nine days and races were held in the Sport Biplanes, Stearman, Formula One (Midgets), Unlimited and Women's Cherokee 180 classes. To further entertain the audience, the program of events included military demonstrations, aerobatic championships, balloon races, classic car fly-ins, parachute jumps and much more. Since 1966, the event has been held at Stead Air Force Base, located 1,500 m above sea level, named after Bill Steads who died on duty for the Air National Guard's brother Croston Stead. Bill Stead, founder of the Reno Air Races, had a fatal crash in his Formula One aircraft on April 28, 1966 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Reno Air Races today
About 200,000 people attend the National Championship Air Races and Air Show each year. The Stead Airport will be a huge festival during the race week. The visitor can expect exhibition areas with military and historical aircraft, numerous stalls with fast food and souvenirs. The mechanics at work can be observed in the racing teams' boxes, which are accessible to visitors. The entire race course can be easily viewed from the grandstands.
The racing classes Unlimited , Formula One and Biplanes , which have existed since 1964, have been expanded to include the T-6 (1968), Sport (1998) and Jets (2002) classes . In 2008 the pilots flew for a total of one million US dollars in prize money.
An entertainment program is offered in the breaks between the races, consisting of aerobatics, military demonstrations, comedy and much more
Security and Rules
Anyone wishing to take part in the Reno Air Races for the first time must complete a pylon racing seminar as a rookie , where experienced air racing veterans pass on their knowledge. A minimum number of total flying hours and flying experience on the racing aircraft in question are a basic requirement.
The racing classes
Biplane
Double decker , empty weight min. 500 pounds (= 227.3 kg), total wing area min. 75 square feet (= 6.97 m 2 ), the span of the lower wing must be at least 90 percent of the upper wing, the landing gear must not be retractable. The motor with max. 360 cubic inches (= 5.9 liters) displacement must drive a propeller with a fixed pitch without a gearbox. Only commercially available fuel may be used. To promote safety and equality of opportunity, there are additional requirements for minimum fuel levels, cockpit size and the pilot's seating position. Participating types include Pitts Special , Mong Sport and Smith Miniplane .
The course of the Biplane Class is 3.17 nautical miles (sm; = 5.87 km) long, speeds of more than 250 nautical miles per hour (kn; = 463 km / h) are reached.
Formula One
Empty weight min. 500 pounds. A Continental O-200 four-cylinder engine with a fixed-pitch propeller serves as the engine. All essential components of the engine as well as the carburetor and intake tract must correspond to the series component in weight and dimensions. The wings must have a minimum area of 66 square feet and the landing gear must not be retractable. Participating types include a. Cassutt, Shoestring, Owl Racer and Arnold AR6.
The Formula One Class course is 3.17 nm long and speeds of more than 250 kn are reached.
In 2013, the Swiss Vito Wyprächtiger was the first European to win Formula One.
Sports
Participation requirements for the aircraft type are a certificate of airworthiness from the FAA and a minimum of five copies sold. The fuselage, tail unit, wings, landing gear and engine mount must correspond to the kit. The engine displacement is limited to max. 650 cubic inches, but performance-enhancing measures such as turbochargers are allowed. Variable pitch propellers and retractable undercarriages are also allowed. A minimum speed of 200 kn (= 370 km / h) must be achieved for qualification. Participating types include Lancair Legacy , Glasair, Questair Venture, Pipistrel Panthera , Thunder Mustang, Nemesis NXT and Sweringen.
The Sport Class course is 7 nm (= 12.96 km) long, and speeds of more than 400 kn (= 740 km / h) are achieved.
T-6
Only machines of the type North American AT-6 in their original condition are permitted. Neither the 600 hp 9-cylinder radial engine of the Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340 type nor the airframe may be seriously modified. Only small, cosmetic improvements such as masking gaps with tape are permitted.
The course of the T-6 class is 5.06 nm (= 9.37 km) long, and speeds of more than 230 kn are reached.
Unlimited
One or more piston engines and propellers must be used for propulsion , the curb weight must be more than 4500 pounds and a minimum speed of 300 kn (= 555 km / h) must be achieved during qualifying. Participants include North American P-51 Mustang, Hawker Sea Fury , Grumman F4F Wildcat, Grumman F8F Bearcat, Grumman F7F Tigercat, Jakowlew Jak-9 , Jakowlew Jak-3 and Jakowlew Jak-11 .
The Unlimited Class course is 8.43 nm (= 15.61 km) long and speeds of more than 480 kn (= 889 km / h) are achieved.
jet
Drive with jet turbine without afterburner and wing swept maximum 15 degrees. Participants are types like Aero Vodochody L-39 , L-29 , Fouga Magister , Lockheed T-33 and de Havilland DH.100 Vampire .
The Jet Class course is 8.43 nm long and speeds of more than 500 kn (= 960 km / h) are achieved.
Race course
Different start types apply depending on the class. While the Biplane and Formula One classes stand in a group on the runway and start in pairs at short intervals in order to fly straight into the race course, the participants in the other classes gather behind the pace plane after individual starts and fly into the course as a group, after the pilot of the Pace Plane started the race with the legendary words “gentlemen you have a race”.
Another rule concerns the altitude during the race. Since ground contact with sometimes fatal consequences took place in the early years, a minimum flight altitude must not be fallen below today. The pilot who falls below eye level with the upper edge of a pylon or the "R" from the word Reno on the home pylon will be disqualified for the current race.
The overtaking maneuvers are equally exciting for spectators and pilots. The faster participant must pass on the outside and must not lose sight of the slower aircraft at any time. Those who are overtaken are again not allowed to perform any obstructive maneuvers.
With two penalty seconds per round is a Pyloncut punished, it means that the pilot has cut an imaginary vertical extension of the pylon. The pylon judges (comparable to line judges in football) determine this rule violation. In a race of six laps, the pilot concerned is charged with twelve penalty seconds.
With the sometimes extremely modified machines, technical problems arise again and again. The pilot who is in a dangerous situation leaves the race course by converting speed to altitude and putting himself in a suitable position for landing. If necessary, he will find support from the Pace Plane, which is always circling over the race course. B. if his view is difficult due to oil on the disc. The remaining participants continue the race, but must always watch the aircraft in distress to avoid obstruction.
Accidents
On September 16, 2011, a heavily aerodynamically modified North American P-51 got out of control and hit a grandstand. The pilot and ten spectators were killed and 50 people were injured, some seriously.
literature
- Gerhard Schmid: Full Throttle - Reno Air Races Today . Luftbildverlag Hans Bertram 2006, ISBN 978-3-930975-01-3
Coordinates: 39 ° 39 ′ 39.2 ″ N , 119 ° 52 ′ 41.4 ″ W.
Individual evidence
- ^ Aircraft completely destroyed on September 18, 2011
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated December 28, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
