Today we watched the Biplane and Formula One Gold races. The little white biplane with the funny looking propellor piloted by Tom Aberle lapped almost all of the other 7 racers in the 6 lap race. I don't have the average speed for the race, but I believe it was over 250 mph. Twenty years ago the biplane class averaged about 150 mph for the same course.
The Heritage Flight showcased a P-51, a P-38 (Glacier Girl), and an F-22 Raptor (the most advanced fighter in the world) all of which flew by in formation several times.
My application for membership in the Section 3 Group of the Reno Air Races was approved today. I was glad it came through before I had to go back to Alabama. I was able to use my privileges of membership during the races today.
We watched several class races today, but the highlight of the day was the Unlimited Gold final race in the afternoon. The crowd favorites included Dago Red, September Fury, Strega and Rare Bear. Dago Red jumped out to an early lead, but on the third lap Strega piloted by Bill "Tiger" Destifani passed Dago Red for the lead. Then Rare Bear was moving up to challenge September Fury for Third Place when Rare Bear pulled up and called a "Mayday." The other planes continued to race as John Penny expertly guided the smoking Rare Bear to an emergency landing on the alternate Runway 14. No fire was seen but someone reported there was lots of oil down one side of Rare Bear. Strega rewarded Destifani with a win for his last race before his retirement as a Reno race pilot. Steve Hinton's 21-year old son will be piloting Strega next year.
After the race, Josh and I visited some of his friends he met while living in Reno several years ago. We had good visits and a good meal. We both agreed that we thoroughly enjoyed the Reno National Championship Air Races, and we want to do it again. However, right now we are tired and ready to go home.
That's all for this evening...and this thread. This was my first blog, and I'll probably start another when I have something significant to share. Thanks for tuning in.
Best wishes, Don
2 comments:
Don,
Sounds like you had a wonderful time. I know you enjoyed spending that time with your son. These blogs are kind of fun to do, aren't they? Our blog was the first time we had ever done one. We copied it all after we got home to keep a record of all our stops. It all started running together after a while. We enjoyed getting your comments.
See you soon,
Bob and Ginger
I wish there were more posts like this. I enjoyed the air races this year also. We ran a whole article on our blog about Section 3 this year too, complete with a photo gallery. Great post!
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