If Your Inner Walter Mitty Is Screaming At You To Step Out And Become A Real Reno Air Race Pilot, You Must First Go To School

Let’s face it, watching the National Championship Air Races at Reno can get your pilot juices flowing. But there’s a lot more to being a race pilot then having an airplane that will go fast and the desire to compete.

Held every September just north of Reno, the National Championship Air Races have become an institution for northern Nevada and aviation enthusiasts from around the world. For one week, the high desert north of Reno becomes home to hundreds of aircraft, their pilots and crews. However, if you want to be part of the excitement you must first go to rookie school.

For over a decade, the Reno Air Racing Association has sponsored the Pylon Racing Seminar (PRS) as a unique and productive opportunity for race pilots to prepare, practice and become certified to race in the National Championship Air Races each September.

It is the objective of the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) Board of Directors to assemble the most experienced, skilled, trained and race-certified pilots to compete at the Reno National Championship Air Races. To accomplish this objective, RARA along with the individual racing class organizations provide a PRS for all pilots, offering race practice time, education, training and certification to the pilots, and allow them to race with maximum competitiveness and safety.

Pilots and alternate pilots certified to race in the Reno National Championship Air Races must have competed in the same racing class in Reno within the past three races, or received Race Class Pilot Certification during the Reno Pylon Racing Seminar, including ground school, Reno pylon race simulation flying, and passing the check ride by the FAA certified race class check pilot.

Pilots must also attend the Pylon Racing Seminar if they have never raced at the Reno National Championship Air Races, raced in a different race class, or not raced in the same race class in within the past three years.

Racing at Reno is a wild and woolly event, but the pilots and RARA do everything they can to keep it safe.

(Image from file)

FMI: www.airrace.org