Ever been to the Reno air races?
- Thread starter grampi
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Been once, when I was in Fallon, NV for training.
Between a friend's connections, and the USN flight suit, I got to walk the pits....
And it was truly awesome!
All those wonderful airplanes! All those incredible engines! The confluence of gear head and pilot heaven...
Between a friend's connections, and the USN flight suit, I got to walk the pits....
And it was truly awesome!
All those wonderful airplanes! All those incredible engines! The confluence of gear head and pilot heaven...
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Yes, I try to go most years. A few days of hiking in the magnificent Sierras then offset all that healthy activity w/ the race weekend in Reno.
Worth seeing, even now w/ the changes since the '11 tragedy (sobering sight...we drove by the airfield a few days after the accident and saw several cars remaining in the otherwise completely empty spectator lot)....
It is one of those activities that you get the feeling that may not be around forever, so go soon if it interests you.
Worth seeing, even now w/ the changes since the '11 tragedy (sobering sight...we drove by the airfield a few days after the accident and saw several cars remaining in the otherwise completely empty spectator lot)....
It is one of those activities that you get the feeling that may not be around forever, so go soon if it interests you.
Originally Posted By: wings&wheels
Yes, I try to go most years. A few days of hiking in the magnificent Sierras then offset all that healthy activity w/ the race weekend in Reno.
Worth seeing, even now w/ the changes since the '11 tragedy (sobering sight...we drove by the airfield a few days after the accident and saw several cars remaining in the otherwise completely empty spectator lot)....
It is one of those activities that you get the feeling that may not be around forever, so go soon if it interests you.
I was at the races in '99 when Gary Levitz crashed (fatal)...it's a sickening site, and though the races went on, the mood was not a happy one...
Yes, I try to go most years. A few days of hiking in the magnificent Sierras then offset all that healthy activity w/ the race weekend in Reno.
Worth seeing, even now w/ the changes since the '11 tragedy (sobering sight...we drove by the airfield a few days after the accident and saw several cars remaining in the otherwise completely empty spectator lot)....
It is one of those activities that you get the feeling that may not be around forever, so go soon if it interests you.
I was at the races in '99 when Gary Levitz crashed (fatal)...it's a sickening site, and though the races went on, the mood was not a happy one...
I've been wanting to go but live on the other side of the country.
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Couldn't have been too early in the 60s...the first year for Reno was '64....
Well, I left Ca in Nov 65, so probably 64. It's been a long time ago.
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Couldn't have been too early in the 60s...the first year for Reno was '64....
Well, I left Ca in Nov 65, so probably 64. It's been a long time ago.
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Couldn't have been too early in the 60s...the first year for Reno was '64....
Well, I left Ca in Nov 65, so probably 64. It's been a long time ago.
It would've been so cool to have been at the first race! I was only 6!
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Couldn't have been too early in the 60s...the first year for Reno was '64....
Well, I left Ca in Nov 65, so probably 64. It's been a long time ago.
It would've been so cool to have been at the first race! I was only 6!
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Couldn't have been too early in the 60s...the first year for Reno was '64....
Well, I left Ca in Nov 65, so probably 64. It's been a long time ago.
It would've been so cool to have been at the first race! I was only 6!
Wow! 51 years ago. I was 27yo.
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Oldmoparguy1
I went in the early 60's. Awesome!
Couldn't have been too early in the 60s...the first year for Reno was '64....
Well, I left Ca in Nov 65, so probably 64. It's been a long time ago.
It would've been so cool to have been at the first race! I was only 6!
Wow! 51 years ago. I was 27yo.
Originally Posted By: grampi
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I've been wanting to go but live on the other side of the country.
Make the trip...it's well worth it!
I will.
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I've been wanting to go but live on the other side of the country.
Make the trip...it's well worth it!
I will.
My first Reno experience was 1969 and after retiring from the USAF in 1988 I've be going
every year... after all Air Racing and MotoGp are my religions...
Me and Bob sitting in front of his motorhome 1999
every year... after all Air Racing and MotoGp are my religions...
Me and Bob sitting in front of his motorhome 1999
Originally Posted By: BusyLittleShop
My first Reno experience was 1969 and after retiring from the USAF in 1988 I've be going
every year... after all Air Racing and MotoGp are my religions...
Me and Bob sitting in front of his motorhome 1999
Cool pic. I was there that year. Did you witness the very unfortunate fatal crash of Gary Levitz? So sad....
My first Reno experience was 1969 and after retiring from the USAF in 1988 I've be going
every year... after all Air Racing and MotoGp are my religions...
Me and Bob sitting in front of his motorhome 1999
Cool pic. I was there that year. Did you witness the very unfortunate fatal crash of Gary Levitz? So sad....
Bob Hoover is awesome!
Originally Posted By: grampi
Cool pic. I was there that year. Did you witness the very unfortunate fatal crash of Gary Levitz? So sad....
No...
Miss Ashely was my pick to win... sporting counter rotating props and a Lear wing and
stab mated to a home built fuselage... this wasn't your converted gun platform but a
true one off racer in the spirit of the golden years of the Thompson... but it was all
over when I got there on Sunday as the unfortunate fatal crash happened on Saturday...
however I did talk with Gary's Dad in the pits and he thought the elevator trim cable had
worked loose on Miss Ashley and resulted in a violent pitch which destroyed the stab...
faced with his grief I didn't say what was on my mind out of respect...
Cool pic. I was there that year. Did you witness the very unfortunate fatal crash of Gary Levitz? So sad....
No...
Miss Ashely was my pick to win... sporting counter rotating props and a Lear wing and
stab mated to a home built fuselage... this wasn't your converted gun platform but a
true one off racer in the spirit of the golden years of the Thompson... but it was all
over when I got there on Sunday as the unfortunate fatal crash happened on Saturday...
however I did talk with Gary's Dad in the pits and he thought the elevator trim cable had
worked loose on Miss Ashley and resulted in a violent pitch which destroyed the stab...
faced with his grief I didn't say what was on my mind out of respect...
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Originally Posted By: BusyLittleShop
Originally Posted By: grampi
Cool pic. I was there that year. Did you witness the very unfortunate fatal crash of Gary Levitz? So sad....
No...
Miss Ashely was my pick to win... sporting counter rotating props and a Lear wing and
stab mated to a home built fuselage... this wasn't your converted gun platform but a
true one off racer in the spirit of the golden years of the Thompson... but it was all
over when I got there on Sunday as the unfortunate fatal crash happened on Saturday...
however I did talk with Gary's Dad in the pits and he thought the elevator trim cable had
worked loose on Miss Ashley and resulted in a violent pitch which destroyed the stab...
faced with his grief I didn't say what was on my mind out of respect...
That's odd...it was also an elevator trim tab that took out Grey Ghost back in '11...you wouldn't think that losing such a small piece of the control surface (or losing control of it) would cause such a catastrophic result, but I guess at the speeds these planes are doing, ANY change in a control surface makes a huge difference...
Originally Posted By: grampi
Cool pic. I was there that year. Did you witness the very unfortunate fatal crash of Gary Levitz? So sad....
No...
Miss Ashely was my pick to win... sporting counter rotating props and a Lear wing and
stab mated to a home built fuselage... this wasn't your converted gun platform but a
true one off racer in the spirit of the golden years of the Thompson... but it was all
over when I got there on Sunday as the unfortunate fatal crash happened on Saturday...
however I did talk with Gary's Dad in the pits and he thought the elevator trim cable had
worked loose on Miss Ashley and resulted in a violent pitch which destroyed the stab...
faced with his grief I didn't say what was on my mind out of respect...
That's odd...it was also an elevator trim tab that took out Grey Ghost back in '11...you wouldn't think that losing such a small piece of the control surface (or losing control of it) would cause such a catastrophic result, but I guess at the speeds these planes are doing, ANY change in a control surface makes a huge difference...
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