It's called the National Air Races but it's the only one left that's only a
speed race (similar to auto races). There's another the Red Bull series which
incorporates acrobatics with speed -- more on that at the end.
Have been to a lot of air shows but this was my first air RACE. Very
fortunate to have sat next to a former air show performer who knew the competitors &
had talked to most of them. As planes went up, he told me who was flying,
their backgrounds. During the race, he explained the rules (passing, min alt,
penalties, etc.), strategy (knowing prevailing winds, using that to cut secs
off scraping pylons, staying on leader's wingtip) & qualifications that pilots
must pass. He'd been to the last 26 Reno races so he had a lot of stories to
tell.
The races are actually a week long with qualifying races starting the Mon
before. Qualifying end mid-Wed & races start then. However, these are prelims
which lead to the finals on Sat & Sun. During the qualifying & prelims, pilots
will save their engines if they've secured a place. On Sat & Sun, the real
competitors push it to the wall.
There's a couple of prop & jet classes where the planes are the same & the
difference is plane preparation & pilot skill. In most of these races, the
position at start is often the position at end which seems kind of boring until
you watch closely & notice how the more skillful pilots continue to build on
their lead or gain on the leader.
The unlimited class is what most people come for & of course there's the
stunt teams & the premier acts (Thunderbirds, Canadian Snowbirds this yr).
I just came for the racing & had a thoroughly good time.
Stats:
Daily Gen Admission
Wed ($11), Thu ($16). Fri ($23), Sat ($34), Sun ($36)
My narrator friend said that attendance seemed to be down, maybe due to
increasing ticket prices. Chalet access is by invitation only.
I had invitations from Silver Legacy, Reno Hilton, Peppermill. Split the
invites & stayed at SL & RH. SL provided gen admission for my one-day stay + $20
of food coupons. RH provided wristbands for the chalet area (fenced off area
with tents for box seat viewing). RH, Peppermill, Eldorado, & Circus Circus
had their own tents, SL did not thus the gen admission tickets they provided.
The chalet area tents had free food & drinks for their members but I was
able to get into all of them & would say that Eldorado & Peppermill probably had
the best food. RH, Eldorado & Peppermill were in an area next to the food
preparation tent & with its own VIP porta-potty trailer. Circus Circus was not
in this area.
IMO, best viewing is usually at the top of the grandstands, not the VIP
chalets. From the top, you have a 360 view for those occasions when acts fly
behind you. Grandstands are also in the middle of the static displays. Also
grandstand is closest to entrance/exit. Gen admission gets you grandstand seating.
Of course, no free food/drinks or VIP potty trailer.
Getting there:
It's at Reno Stead Airport.
First day I took the shuttle from hotel, 2nd day I drove.
From SL, if you miss the first bus of the day, the subsequent buses were $10
a head leaving from between SL & Eldorado. RH provided shuttle passes & very
convenient loading from the rear bus entrance near VIP. Recommend shuttle
even if you're in a hurry as shuttle buses use car pool lane & were given
right-of-way by police when exiting. Traffic at start & end can be pretty bad.
When I drove on 2nd day, actually had an easy time entering & leaving as I
entered late & left early (coupon run to Lake Tahoe). Secured a parking spot 2
blocks from main entrance, looked for someone to pay but no one was collecting.
RED BULL AIR RACE WORLD SERIES
A 7-race international series of which the last (& only one in US) is Sat,
10/8, 12:45 PM during San Francisco's Fleet Week airshow.
Free viewing at Marina Green & also live webcast, check out:
_http://www.redbullairrace.com/_ (http://www.redbullairrace.com/)
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