Biplanes line up on the runway prior to their qualifing round. The
Biplanes along with the Formula 1 class fly early in the morning
before the wind picks up
An L-39 "Albatross" takes off for a flight around the
plyons.Seven of these aircraft race at the same time on the course
A P-63 "Kingcobra"
flies for the crowd on Tuesday. The owner and pilot of the P-63 used
to play on it in the late 1960s on the airport where it sat for
decades
Crews work hard at Reno on both the race and the display aircraft.
Here the crew washes down a B-25 "Mitchell" bomber after
arrival
L39s diving onto the
course at pylon 1
A restored PT-17 sits in the morning sun. One of the basic flight
trainers used before and during World War II to train pilots
The second-place finisher
in the Formula One Gold, owned by the legendary Ray Cote
Super Sea Fury Critical
Mass after suffering a landing gear collapse
Crew members put the
finishing touches on Merlin's Magic prior to the Unlimited Gold
Final
Not all modifications go to the unlimited. Will has modified his
plane's engine with an addition of a turbo charger behind the
pilot's seat
The crew of Race 5 of the
Formula 1 class stand proud next to their plane. Crew sizes for a
Formula 1 can range from a single person up to a dozen people
The pilot of the Mustang
"Dove of Peace" waves to the race fans as he exits the
active on the way back to the pits
A Yak 3U (originally a Yak
11) races down the backside of the course. Even though it is running
the smaller Allison engine the Yak itself is a smaller and lighter
plane which keeps it competitive
Sponsorship of aircraft
helps maintain the sport. Aeroshell is a sponsor of aircraft in each
race category. Here an AT-6 Race number 90 piloted by Gene McNeeley
passes overhead in the landing pattern
In the unlimited races
there is always someone behind you trying to catch up as this
"Sea Fury" is trailed by a P-51in the turn behind
David Rose's Biplane Gold
winner
Bill Rheinschild's fast Mustang
Dago Red's crew making final adjsutments
"Precious
Metal," with the Giffin powered contra-rotating props, powers
by on the backside of the course during a heat race
"Old Yeller," once owned by R.A. "Bob" Hoover,
lands after a race. Being a stock Mustang aircraft this P-51 will
land in the Silver or Bronze race
AT-6s round the first
pylon after leaving the chute at the start of a race. The qualifying
times determine the heat races and the heat races determine if the
plane and pilot will race in the Bronze, Silver, or Gold race
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