Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

[bajadreamers]

I was jsut wondering if anyone has seen the "Pylon Chasers" Made by Reno PBS and RARA? Could you tell us what you thought? Hoping as a documentary it is least a better production than "Thunder Over Reno"!!! Thanks.

[Box A35]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

Yep,

I saw it offered, I bought it within minutes. 3 days later it was delivered.

I watched it, pretty much glued - no breaks. Excellent footage and it captured the "tone" of air racing from a sport class point of view, and then some. It had some info on how the Reno air races are structured and a few glimpses of the unlimited class but its' primary focus is/was the sport class and Jon Sharp. (not a bad thing at all)

I have been going to Reno for the races since 1988 without missing a year - no exceptions (FWIW) and this is a DVD that I will share with my friends that have not been - to help them "get it".

Thunder over Reno is a flik that I own but do not loan out under any circumstance. No comparison - sorry. ( and that is not to say I undermine any of the financiers of that project )

That said, it is a bit unpredictable in the sense that it focuses on the buildup stage of Nemesis and their challenges, but seems to run short on their successes in the last two years 08 and 09 - giving the impression that it was easy and I am sure it was not. (Yes they are mentioned, but not detailed like the challenges of the previous years).

All in all, zero regrets on the purchase and well worth owning! AKA two thumbs up!

[AERRACE]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

A little confussion going on here. The inquirey concerned the Reno PBS production, "PYLON CHASERS", not the Jon Sharp documentary, "CHASING the DREAM". Pylon Chasers is quite good, with a fine blend of archival footage, excellent race personallity sound bites and modern racing action that captures the feel of Reno. Kudos to KNPB for producing what may well be the best air racing film. So go out and buy a copy, who knows if they sell enough of them maybe that will get Ken Burns attention and he will produce one of his multi-hour masterpieces this time covering the history of air racing!

I agree with the previous post which concerned the Jon Sharp/Team Nemesis NXT documentary. Producer Christopher Webb does a bang up job giving the viewer an insider's look at just what it takes to bring the dream of creating the penultmate "homebuilt" air racer to the winners circle.

Happy viewing, Frank

[capjessop]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

Is there anywhere I can buy it now? Thanks!

[uhhuh35]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

Hoping as a documentary it is least a better production than "Thunder Over Reno"!!! Thanks.

Good Lord, "Thunder Over Reno" has to be one of the worst movies ever made no matter what the plot. It was just embarrassing to watch.

Even that hottie Natasha Yi couldn't save it.

[Rampman]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

The sound bites from pilots in Pylon Chasers are great. Just short insights that show who these guys are and why they do what they do. I thought KNPB did a great job on it.

[Box A35]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?



Um, yes, ok, I saw Pylon Chasers at the Grand Sierra Resort when they offered it on the big screen. That is well done and worth owning too.

[Guest]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

Yep, bought the Blu-ray version on line. Production value is good. Insights and interviews, one on ones, vintage footage, et. all well done. Thought there could have been more actual racing or qual footage (go figure!) and in-cockpit stuff. Not sure it's worthe price of admission but it's tax deductable and for a good cause.

All in all, not bad. And as mentioned previously, with malace toward none, it's "Gone with the Wind" when compared to TOR.

[Rampman]

Re: Pylon Chasers DVD - Any Reviews?

Yeah, buying it from PBS is probably a little steep. I'm lucky in that I saw it over the air. It's just nice to see somebody treat the subject seriously for a change. The ESPN broadcasts were for the most part disapointing, and the few Skyfires I saw weren't any better.

I know there is some good air racing stuff out there - like the Red Baron record attempt (from the old american sportsman series?) or the hidden heroes show about Tsunami. I haven't seen much of the new stuff, like the Nemisis video. Any recomendations?