Every Fall, a lifetime’s worth of exhilarating stories develop eight minutes at a time as man and machine race the wind over the Nevada desert. Large cylindrical cans on telephone poles some fifty feet in the air act as Pylons. Pilots maneuver their small aircraft around these pylons hoping to be the first to pass the home pylon and win the race. The motto of the National Championship Air Races says it all: Fly Low, Go Fast, Turn Left.
Early Days:
The National Championship Air Races have become a worldwide fixture synonymous with Reno. In 1964, however, the future of this event was tenuous, as it took its first turns at Bill Stead's Sky Ranch. Plagued by dust and the challenge of reviving a dormant sport, the event managed to survive.
Mind of the Pilot:
Air Racing is an analytical sport, from preflight preparation to the execution of the race itself and post race evaluation, race pilots have the ability to compartmentalize and dispassionately handle the task at hand when they are in the cockpit. The aviator’s ability to problem solve and adapt to ever changing scenarios is essential.
Competition and Adrenaline:
Racers wait all year to push themselves and their planes to the limits by cutting through Reno's September air. This is how the pilots describe air racing: John Penney says, "once we get out there on the race course, the adrenaline comes out, the fangs come out and it's strict competition." Tiger Destefani states, "we don’t have any guns to fire, but that’s about as close as you’re going to get to combat without going into real combat.
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This program is made possible by the generous contributions of the
Mathewson Charitable Lead Trusts |
