The tally, conducted by the University of Nevada at Reno’s Center for Regional Study, estimated that the NCAR race pumped $158,641,993 into the local economy. With over 80,000 nonlocal attendees at the event, the majority coming from ZIP codes outside of Washoe County, the numbers show the positive impact of the races on the overall Reno economy, which has reaped the benefit for the past 60 years.

“Strengthening the community where we host the air races is an important part of our mission, and we are thankful that the amazing support from our fans this past year spilled over into such a wonderful economic benefit for the Reno community,” said Tony Logoteta, chief operating officer of the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA).

The Center for Regional Studies, which conducts the research and analysis for the Reno area, determined that most folks leading up to and visiting the area during race days were primarily making the journey to attend the races as a destination event. When you start counting the direct and indirect spending and expenditures linked to lodging, travel, entertainment, shopping, gambling, food, dining, and the like, it’s easy to see how those numbers were attained.

“While the final flag of the National Championship Air Races in Reno was waved, we are honored to have had an incredible impact on the community,” said Fred Telling, CEO of RARA. “Reno was RARA’s first home, and as the town grew, so did we. Together, we made Reno the pinnacle of air racing, and that would not have been possible without our community, volunteers, local businesses, and nonprofits. We are thankful for all who have supported us in the area and hope you have felt our support as well.”

As reported earlier by Plane & Pilot, RARA announced on May 23 that Roswell, New Mexico, will be the new home of the National Championship Air Races starting in 2025. And for those impatient who want an aviation excuse to visit Reno this year, you won’t be disappointed.

RARA promises that the Reno Air Show, taking place Friday, October 4 through Sunday, October 6, will be an event like no other, including a first-ever evening show and performances by the incomparable U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. The USAF F-16 Viper Demonstration Team also will put the F-16 through its paces.

Tickets for the Reno Air Show are available now.

The post Reno Air Races Pumped $150 Million into Local Economy appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

Now it’s down to three possible locations: Casper, Wyoming; Pueblo, Colorado; and Roswell, New Mexico. Off the list, for now, are Buckeye, Arizona; Thermal, California; and Wendover, Utah, though RARA says the sites “each have tremendous merit and value in their own right. We will be reaching out to them to continue discussions on their potential as expansion venues in the near future.” RARA is due to announce the final choice in March.

• READ MORE: Heats Level Up as Unlimiteds Begin at ‘Last Reno’ Air Races

“We’ve been overwhelmed by the amazing, positive feedback we’ve received from the six bidding communities as a whole, as we search for the future home for the National Championship Air Races,” said Fred Telling, CEO and chairman of the board for the Reno Air Racing Association. “Through a rigorous vetting process, we feel confident that one of these three locations will provide the right mix of elements our event needs to continue to race well into the future.”

According to RARA, “a series of site visits were conducted at each of the six locations by some RARA board members, class pilot representatives, and other committee participants to assess the viability of hosting the pinnacle air racing event at their facilities. A myriad of factors were taken into account, including the ability of venues to host large crowds, handle hundreds of aircraft, and support the large racecourse needed for the event.”

These venues are vying for air racing events in 2025. For 2024, Reno will host an airshow October 4-6 featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the Canadian Snowbirds, and the U.S. Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team. RARA claims that the races brought an estimated $100 million in annual economic impact to the Reno area.

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on kitplanes.com.

The post Future of Air Racing: Reno Replacement Selection Narrows appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

The beginning of heat races for the Unlimited Class on Thursday at the National Championship Air Races marked an increase in excitement for spectators, higher intensity among competitors, and more drama in the pits and on the grid.

For the final running of the races at their longtime home at Reno/Stead Airport (KRTS), FLYING is focusing on the Unlimiteds by following the Yak-3U named Miss Trinidad. The aircraft, designed in Russia during World War II, began life as an advanced trainer, like a Russian version of an AT-6 Texan. For coverage on the Sport class and other heats, see reports from KITPLANES.

Miss Trinidad owner Sam Davis, crew chief John “Dusty” Dowd and pilot John Maloney worked together with a half dozen or so volunteers to prepare the airplane for competition against a field dominated by P-51 Mustangs. It was not easy.

Engine Trouble

Today the Yak has a Pratt & Whitney R-2000 under the cowling that is more than double the size of its original engine, yet small for a radial by Reno standards. Still, as Dowd, who owns a similar racing Yak notes, the Russian aircraft is smaller and lighter than others on the grid and can remain competitive without the enormous Wright 3350 and Pratt & Whitney R-4360s that have found their way into a number of air-cooled racers.

The R-2000 seems like the ideal engine for the Yak, but it has given this team trouble. In the weeks leading up to the Reno races, problems with the oil system led to an engine replacement. As race week began the new engine still needed a bit more time for break-in and tuning. Meanwhile the pneumatic system that operates the retractable landing gear and flaps had sprang a few leaks that needed attention. There was a brief wave of confusion over the time for which the heat was scheduled, leading to fear that the team had somehow missed its cue to move to the starting line. It was a false alarm.

Ramp Drama

After being towed to the ramp to line up with the Mustangs it would compete against, Miss Trinidad continued to keep spectators in suspense. As the T-33 jet pace airplane and the Mustangs began starting their engines, the Yak’s cowling remained open and something clearly was amiss. Dowd and several helpers worked rapidly to correct what turned out to be potential hydraulic lock because of oil collecting in the lower cylinders while the aircraft was parked.

One crew member ran back to the pits to grab the proper tools for purging the excess oil. After a few more tense minutes, the crew closed the engine cowling, Maloney cranked the starter and Miss Trinidad coughed, sputtered, and finally roared, sending fragrant, oily smoke toward the crowd that gathered along the flight line to watch. Soon Maloney taxied toward the runway, performed a run-up and took off. The Mustangs followed.

• READ MORE: Drama High as Unlimited Heats at Final Reno Air Race Gain Intensity

Long-Awaited Race

When the pace plane released them onto the course, the pilots descended toward the guide pylon, jockeying for position before making the first left turn of the race—a classic Reno start. Maloney led into the turn with Vicky Benzing in Plum Crazy—the purple P-51 last campaigned in the 1972 Reno by Clay Lacy—right behind. They pulled away from the others, and by the time they flew past the grandstands, Maloney had begun increasing his lead, which he held to the finish. Benzing came in second. This was her first Unlimited race after many years of competing well in the Sport and Jet Classes.

Miss Trinidad was the center of attention throughout. At first, spectators wondered if she would start. Next, they might have doubted she would finish. But after she won the heat convincingly, the buzz intensified. Everyone seemed to be talking about “that Russian airplane.”

Trinidad and her crew have heats on Friday and Saturday that will sort out which teams compete in the Bronze, Silver, and Gold finals on Sunday. After qualifying at just over 358 mph, Trinidad ran about 366 mph in the first heat.

Naturally the plan is to go faster each day. Davis, Dowd, and other crew members appear to share a goal of topping a 400 mph average lap speed and making the Gold Race on Sunday, but air race folks rarely talk openly about such things. I think it is considered crass. 

The post Reno Races Ramp Up as Unlimited Heats Begin with ‘Miss Trinidad’ Faring Well appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.

While essentially accurate, this description fails in my opinion because it makes the event sound regimented, predictable, and perhaps even a bit boring, which it is not.

An analogy that works better, especially for nonaviation folks, is an old-fashioned soap opera with a generous dash of the action adventure genre. A cast of characters including pilots, mechanics, officials, sponsors, and spouses mixes with an unbelievable collection of meticulously cultivated horsepower. The result is a unique chorus of engines, power tools, and raised voices.

• READ MORE: Reno Air Races Reveal Final List of Participating Pilots, Aircraft

Workers open hatches and crawl deep inside fuselages to work on hydraulic and pneumatic systems. Their voices echo as they shout for tools. Colleagues run back and forth between the airplane and support trailer, searching for this wrench or that screwdriver. A spool of safety wire occasionally gets loose and rolls across the ramp.  

One thing that makes the Reno races special is that the machines rarely manage to overshadow the people, though they try. Earlier this week, a Hawker Sea Fury named Dreadnought, a big, beautiful Unlimited racer that has competed here for decades, suffered an engine failure during a qualifying run at well over 400 mph (I have never heard “knots” mentioned in reference to Reno—a nod to its motorsports history).

• READ MORE: Regional Growth Forces Reno Air Races To Look for New Home

Talk about drama. Pilot Joel Swager raised the nose, quickly trading airspeed for altitude as Dreadnought’s huge Pratt & Whitney 4360 radial uttered awful, explosive sounds before going silent. Pilots who race at Reno train for this type of emergency, but a deadstick landing in any World War II-era fighter that has been modified for racing is a difficult endeavor. Swager was cool, making the landing look easy, or at least routine. A lot of video sharing went on after the incident.

It is unclear whether the Sea Fury can be made airworthy again in time to return to the competition. There have been cases of last-minute repairs and overnight engine overhauls performed on the tarmac at Reno/Stead Airport (KRTS), but the word in the pits Wednesday was that Dreadnought was out of the event.

• READ MORE: Pilot Killed During Reno Air Races Engine Test

A lot of people will miss that aircraft because they are accustomed to its presence as a reliable strong runner. This year many saw Dreadnought as perhaps the only serious challenger to the Bardahl Special, a P-51 Mustang owned and flown by late racing legend Chuck Lyford. Lyford and the Bardahl airplane were fixtures for many years after the Reno races got going in the mid-1960s, and the aircraft returned last year after a long absence. Following major upgrades during the past year, and with Reno whiz Steven Hinton at the controls, it is favored to win Sunday’s Gold Race.

Anything can happen in racing, though, and there are several Unlimited heats to come before the final. So much can happen between now and Sunday. And the Unlimiteds are but one theme in the broad Reno saga. The other classes, from Formula One to Jets, will also see aircraft tweaked, revised, and rebuilt, often by swarms of volunteer technicians who will put them back together and button up the access panels just in time to taxi for the next race.

As for the Unlimiteds, their heat races begin Thursday afternoon.

This article originally appeared on FLYINGmag.com. Ongoing coverage from FLYING Media Group sites during the Reno Air Races will continue this weekend.

The post Heats Level Up as Unlimiteds Begin at ‘Last Reno’ Air Races appeared first on Plane & Pilot Magazine.