Reno 2002 Image Gallery, Part Two

As promised, the second of two photo galleries from the Reno Air Races...

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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

Return to AVweb’s exclusive Coverage of the Reno Air Races.

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