The 39th Annual National Championship Air Races

By Kelly Sweeney

So you think you are a motor head? You say you like motor sports! You like racing? If any of these are you then you need to put the Reno Air Races held every September on you to-do list. (Photo of our intrepid reporter and his son Joey standing by a P-51 Mustang appears at left. -Ed.) Reno 2002 gave the attendees thrills of Air Racing and a first class air show, new qualification records and unfortunately the risks of racing in any sport, a crash and death of Tommy Rose, Hickory Mississippi.

This year's event started with class qualifying on Monday, September 9th. Racing commences with heat races on Thursdays going to Sunday where class champions are crowned. The races are made up of 6 different groups starting with International Formula one (100hp single engine monoplanes); Bi-plane; AT-6, Sports class, Jets (L-39) and the Unlimiteds. Formula one and the Biplanes race on a 3 mile closed course. Races are 8 laps. AT-6 "Texans" fly a 5 mile course racing for 5 laps. Sports fly a 6.3-mile course for 8 laps. Jets and Unlimiteds fly an 8.3-mile course also 8 laps. This is just like auto racing but completed by "flying" the closed course around markers called Pylons. Race rules state that no part of the racing airplane can fly "over" marked pylons. If a "cut" occurs a time penalty is placed on the offending aircraft. As a side note I have been a "pylon judge" for the past 25 years. Best seat in the house.

Just to give you an idea on speeds the Formula one guys flying single seat 100 hp, 1200 lbs aircraft qualify in the 185mph to 245mph range. This year's Gold winner, Gary Hubler, flying #96 "Mairah", a Cassutt III design averaged 249.560 Mph for 8 laps. 27 planes entered the class. Next up, the Biplanes. Rules state the plane must have two wings tied with a "strut." Pitts Specials, Smith Mini Plane, Mong Sport and home build designs made up this year's class of 25 entries. Qual speeds run from the mid 150's to about 230Mph. This years Gold winner was Dave Rose from La Jolla, Ca flying "Rags", his homebuilt Rose Peregrine. "Rags" 8 lap average was 240.010Mph.

T-6's qualify in the low 200Mph range. T-6 Texans (photo, right) were the primary tandem piston powered trainer for WWII pilots. No modifications can be done to either airframe or powerplant. This years Gold winner, Tom Campau, a film-maker from Bloomfield Hills, Mi. flying #21 Mystical Power averaged 231.514 for 5 laps. Due to the stock nature of these planes, qual speeds are all with in about 30Mph. 20 T-6's showed up to race this year.

Next up is the Sports class, which fielded 25 aircraft. These planes are all home build or kit planes. Names like Lancair, Glass Air, Van's Aircraft RV's and Questair Venture make up the class. All aircraft run either Lycoming or Contental general aviation engines. No real limit to changes, modifications but must be a homebuilt or kit plane. Qual speeds really vary from 170Mph to over 300Mph!! Not bad from a 4 place Lance Air with a turbo charged Lycoming power plant that was originally designed in the '40s. This year's winner was the Air Racing legend Daryl Greenamyer, retired and hailing from San Diego, Ca. He was flying race number 33, a Lancair Legacy. Daryl averaged 328.967 for 8 laps. Upon finishing his race Daryl flew a commemorative lap for fallen Sports Class racer Tommy Rose who crashed earlier in the week in his Questair Venture. Preliminary results indicated a bent control surface caused the plane to go in. Our thoughts and sorrow go out to Tommy's family.

A new addition to this years Races were former Soviet Block Lithuanian jet trainer, the L-39's. These sleek and fairly quiet (some complain that they are too quiet) single engine jets put on quite a show. This class features the only woman racing, Mary Dilda. Mary also races a T-6. These men and women qualified 375 to 460Mph range. The inaugural race Gold winner was Curt Brown of Alvin, TX. He was flying race number 5, "American Spirit" and averaged 456.540Mph for 8 laps. 8 L-39s represented the class.

And making up the last of this years class representation are the big iron. The unlimited class fielding 29 aircraft. Rules state that the aircraft must be piston powered. That's it. In my 25 years of attending the air races I have witnessed the wonderful North American P-51 "Mustang", British Hawker Sea Fury's (photo, left), Russian Yaks, Bearcats, Allison powered P-38s, Mitchell B-25's, P-63 Cobras, P-40's, F8F Corsairs, the home build Burt Rutan "Pond Racer" and many other WWII/Korean War era aircraft. We hear many more homebuilt planes are being worked on. 2002 brought a new Championship Air Race record. Former test pilot Skip Holm took a highly modified North American P-51 D Mustang around the Stead 9 mile course in 497.990 Mph!!! He was well over 500Mph in the straight parts of the track. Now that's flying. Big time rival, Bill "Tiger" Destefani, from Bakersfield, Ca. flying beautiful race 7, "Strega" was right on Skips tail qualifying at just about 480Mph. Strega was the Reno Champ for most of the '90s. Tiger blew his motor on the qual run.he was able to get another Merlin but nothing like his race motor. He flew on Saturdays heat race to get to the Gold race on Sunday, came from last to win the heat averaging just over 400Mph. To no one's surprise Skip Holm flying race 4, "Dago Red" won the Unlimited Gold averaging 466.834Mph on a very windy and limited visibility to do blowing sand over the 8 laps.

Reno is not only the fastest motor sport in the world but a terrific Air Show to boot. We witnessed an exact replica of Howard Hughes' 1935 H-1 Racer. Built and Flown by Cottage Grove, Oregon's Jim Wright. We were privy to a flyby and aerobatic routine by Micron Technologies CEO Steve Appleton in his beautifully restored bright red British Hawker Hunter. And a first for me, two F104 Starfighters did their stuff. An airplane I wanted to see first hand since I was a kid in the 50s and 60s. Tac-Demo's by the Arkansas F-16 fighter squad, F-18s and F-14s from Mirimar Naval Air Station. Aerobatic demonstrations by Greg Poe in his custom built Crucial Edge 540. Powered by a Lycoming 330 HP engine. The crowd was also entertained by Kent Pietsch flying his 1942 Interstate Cadet (looks very much like a Piper Cub) in a hilarious flying act.

For more information on the races check out http://www.airrace.org/ Mark your calendars, the 2003 Reno National Championship Air Races are September 8-14th.