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RENO/97 | ||||||||||
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With less than two weeks to go until "the event", many of us begin to get a bit antsy about who and what will be there this year (and who won’t). Getting information on this subject usually comes second hand as the folks at RARA (the Reno Air Racing Association) have good reason to keep the official entry list quiet until the last minute. Late entries, plans changing last minute and the ole’ snafu is always present and will sometimes rear it's ugly head when you least expect it; it’s just the nature of the beast. This being the case, what will be contained within the next few paragraphs is the best information that I can give you - in other words - about as good as it gets without the "sacred scrolls". I can say this information has been received by good authority and shouldn’t be discounted as mere "rumor". That said, let’s get on with it shall we…….
And what better place to see the thrill of competition
between the top unlimited contenders - However, Dago Red appearing at this years event
is unlikely at best. At the time of this writing she is
attempting to (getting ready or maybe, already has) set
the worlds’ speed record for piston powered aircraft
somewhere down south. The crew and her pilot David Price
have been
All that can be said about this years event is that it sure promises to be one that I am looking forward to with baited breath. Regardless of who shows up or not, it’s sure to be kick in the pants. Cya in the pits, Related Links |
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One of the best things about Reno ’97
will be the return of the unlimited class pit area to
it’s former (and vastly superior) location. Just
about everyone I talked with last year, thought placing
the unlimiteds at the far end of the ramp, with all those
support vehicles between the run-up area and the
spectator line, was "not a good thing" to say
the least (you can just imagine exactly what *was* said
;-). Thank goodness logic has prevailed and the
"RENO" that we have all come to enjoy, can
again be experienced from the best seats in the house!
Rare
Bear, Strega and Dago Red........will we see
them at all?....... OK, down to brass tacks! Strega and
Miss Ashley (a.k.a. Lear-Stang), will be
there. Rare Bear has a good possibility of showing
up as well (no promises here though). The "Thunder
Mustang" will be making it’s debut into the air
racing fray this year as well (more on this beast later).
Although Lloyd Hamilton sold his Hawker Sea Fury #16 Baby
Gorilla, (probably already in her new home across the
pond) there is good reason to 
believe that he will again campaign Furias,
another Sea Fury, but this baby’s got a huge
R-4360 in the nose! Ridge Runner will be there
this year and (although I don’t have any firm facts
on this) Million Dollar Baby, Huntress III and
the Howard Pardue’s Fury and Bearcat have
yet to miss an event since ’92 so I assume you can
count on them being there as well. Critical Mass is
planning to be there (although her owner and
"former" pilot Tom Dwelle has been barred from
taking the helm - don’t go there folks, I
couldn’t believe it myself). Cloud Dancer and
Risky Business are unknowns at this 
time,
but you can bet that Jimmy Leeward and Bill Rheinschild
are doing what they can to get there. What would Reno be
without Miss America. Will she be there?
Can’t say for certain.
planing this for quite some time and are
committed to the endeavor. Although I hate to say it,
they are not planing "at this time" to compete.
Hard to imagine that the P51 that set the crowd on it's
ears last year by turning the fastest qualifying lap ever
recorded by a Mustang (490+), and virtually ran away from
the competition, won’t be there. VooDoo Chile is
a 50-50 shot (sorry, no details - this is about all I got
on this one). Dreadnaught is still a big question
mark and I have no information on Don Whittington’s
"World Jet" (although I think that having two
egg-beaters out there would be the greatest thing next to
- well - you know….. probably even *better* than
<g>).
On the
airshow side of it, look forward to seeing some great
performances by the Confederate Air Force "Tora,
Tora, Tora!" show, including the B-29 Stratofortress
and B-24 Liberator. Julie Clark in her Mopar T-34, Wayne
Handley in his new aircraft; the Rebel, Scott
Hammick and his jet-powered dragster; Smoke-n-Thunder,
The Northern Lights; Canadian 4-ship precision flying
team, Patty Wagstaff; aerobatics in her Extra 300 and
R.A. "Bob" Hoover flying his Shrike Aero 
Commander. Add to
this the fact that that the United States Air Force will
be well represented this year (celebrating its 50th
anniversary) just adds excitement galore to this
years’ festivities. (don’t forget to look out
for the B-2 Spirit Bomber fly-by).