ANN's Firsthand Coverage of the Reno Air Races

A lot of the machines that raced this year at Reno were there 20 years ago, in 1983. Some of these airplanes, further, have their 20-years-ago pilots and crew members. The designs are the same; some of the names have changed; but it's obvious that some fields are dominated by the same number plates that raced here in the 1980s. If one wanted to shorten the timeframe to just ten years -- to 1993 -- the fields are so close today's, that it's almost 'deja vu all over again.' If they can get sponsors, some fabled racers -- like Lefty Gardner's P-38 White Lightnin', for instance, will come back.

We asked the chief...

Mike Houghton, the top dog at the Reno Air Racing Association, told me, "I think that, from our standpoint, we are looking ahead that far. We're making plans regarding the development of our Foundation -- and a big part of that is preserving air racing."

There's a lot more involved than a runway and some pylons.

"We're heavily indebted to our volunteers -- they make it possible," Mike said. The infrastructure is important, too, though; and RARA plans to take care of that business: "We have an agreement with the airport, and we've protected the site by flying only over airport, or BLM land." It's been a long battle. "When we restructured the racecourse in 1998, we got very safe buffers around the airport. We brought Pylon 4 in, and softened the turns on both 8 and 1. That gives us a racecourse over airport property." How fast could they ultimately go? "That's about a 5.5G, 550mph safe race course," he reckoned.

But back to that question: What's going to be at Reno in '23?

Mike repeated the question: "Will there be equipment that will fly like that, 20 years from now?" Then he answered it: "In one form or another, yes." For instance, "Who would have thought, 50 years ago, that P-51s would still be racing, today?" In 20 more years? Sure. "You could have a 'completely-new' P-51, with a new-manufacture engine. I think there's plenty of design around to race for decades... The big question is, is there enough adrenaline and/or money to keep it going?'"

He thinks so. "As long as the Board is committed to putting on the event, it's going to happen," Mike said. "We would like to see more races around the country, of a 'circuit,' but that is probably less-probable. Every promoter who tries it, has lasted no more than three events. Usually two."

Those barriers to entry are daunting. You need a venue, a place to fly over, lots of places to land, a tolerant populace -- and enough support to handle the crowds. Cities have the roads, the parking, and the proximity to plenty of people; the desert has the space. Reno has both. Mike continued, "We have the infrastructure to run the event; anyone else would face an extremely-expensive ground-up effort."

Promote a race and get filthy rich?

Mike didn't think so. "I can assure anyone that you won't make a lot of money doing it. Racing itself does not make any money. It's the associated business -- vending, sponsorships -- these are absolutely critical to the future of racing." Reno had some great sponsors this year -- Aeroshell, Breitling, and a host of others -- who simply made the meet possible.

What's going to be racing at Reno in 2023?

Looking especially at Unlimiteds, but also at the AT-6 class, Formula 1, and Biplanes, it's pretty easy to see that most of these old machines, through attrition or appreciation or parts scarcities, are not going to be here -- in these numbers -- in another 20 years.

The general consensus is that the Sport class of airplanes will continue to grow, and spin off other, 'kit'- based classes. Sport itself, many thought, may split into naturally-aspirated and blown (turbo- or supercharged) engine classes.

Another thought was that 'marque' classes might spring up. Sport has already eliminated, through one measure or another, all but one EZ, all but one Swearingen, and all the Thunder Mustangs and Ventures, machines that showed great promise in the few years past. It's just possible that maybe a purpose-built racing machine, like Jon Sharp's Nemesis II, could become the impetus for a class -- if it's as fast as everyone at Reno thinks it will be, when it debuts next year.

Maybe there's a designer out there like John Monnet, whose Sonerai pretty much made Formula Vee happen; or Tom Cassutt, whose little Formula 1 machines are still competitive. Maybe there's a guy out there like... Well, Ashley Ezell, whose family business fielded three big-bore contenders this year (a Bearcat and two Sea Furies), thought that perhaps Dick Van Grunsven's RV-4, with a 'stock' (formula?) 360-inch engine is a natural starting point. Lancairs and Glasairs are already proliferating in Sport; what if there were a class that allowed turboprops?

Wherever Reno, and air racing, go twenty years, it's a cinch that we won't be bored getting there! Patience, people... racing takes time!

FMI: www.airrace.org