Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

[Tigercat24]

The title says it all. I've followed the races ever since I learned of their existance back in either junior high or high school. Until recently, money has always prevented me from travelling from Alabama to attend. This year, it was time. Hopefully this tradition can continue for future generations to be able to appreciate this wonderful motorsport. (and it would give me the opportunity, if I became a zillionaire, to field a Gold-winning F7F Tigercat...hotted-up R-2800's, an airframe diet, boil-off's on the engines, racing canopy, the works...and in keeping with the Grumman feline nomenclature, naming it "Shere Khan")

[DWYER]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

I finally got one of my best friends to come and he loved every second of it up until Friday. Sadly, he may or may not come back. I absolutely love sharing my love for the Reno Air Races. Every time I bring a new friend or family member with me, it re-live my first day at Reno all over again. It's like your first kiss. What an incredible feeling! I hope that I will get to share this experience with my other friends and family that hasn't had an opportunity to go yet. Here's Hoping!

[sandramore]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

My first race was Mojave. I was like 10 or 11. Back then Mojave had one hotel, White's, which had a little diner, and there was one decent restaurant in town, Reno's.

Everyone stayed in the same place and ate dinner in the same place at the end of the day. My dad was crewing for Clay Klabo on Iron Mistress that trip.

Even all these years later, I still remember being in awe of both the airplanes and their pilots. I had such a crush on Levitz. lol My dad died in '76, just before Mojave. I was 16. That was a bad year, we lost Burnstine too. Gary and the crew simply adopted me. You don't realize how close our little family is until something like that happens. Ralph Payne would drop in to check up on me, as would John Crocker and others.

I love the sport and all the aircraft and people associated with it. Occasionally I worry that we're starting to push these birds past what they're capable of.

But it will take smarter people than me to figure that out. In the meantime, I'm with you, I want to continue to share my passion with the other people in my life. I've introduced my sons to it. Pretty soon I can take my granddaughter out. Assuming we still have a race to take her to.

[JoeDirt]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

Never made it to Reno yet, been keeping up with the sport since 1993 and still have my first copy of "Warbirds" that was covering Reno at the time.

I gotta make it out there one of these years and maybe lay hands on the planes that I have watched for so many years. After almost 20 years of looking at pictures, I think I'd get the biggest s#!t eating grin to be next to the Bear

[brewbert]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

Living more than a few miles away and on limited budget I was not able to attend yet and usually followed the action via this forum and live streams.

I was planning...
...sorry, I *AM* planning to attend the 50th anniversary of the Reno air races together with friends. We're a couple of guys maintaining a dc-3 on static display at the regional airport. We do love round motors and we'd like to meet you all in 2013.

cheers
Hubert

Salzburg, Austria

[wolfee]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

Jump in the DC3 and fly it on out here! You can have it in the static display area and sell T-shirts and what not.

to 2013 and beyond!

[sctybdy]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

So many times, my buddies and I around the airport have decided "This is the year we go to Reno". Yet we seem to forget it and next thing we know we're reading about the race results. I AM GOING TO THE RACES NEXT YEAR.............. From here on out, no more excuses- I am guilty of taking the Races for granted "They'll be there next year". I'm awake and have heard the message LOUD and CLEAR!!!!!!

[sandramore]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

Jump in the DC3 and fly it on out here! You can have it in the static display area and sell T-shirts and what not.

to 2013 and beyond!

Have we had a DC3 out here since Clay Lacey last brought his? Next year would be a good time to start.

[wolfee]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

There was one last year, but it was in the RR Heritage cup. I cant remember when one was on static display though.

[Ramjets]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

I attended my first race in 1990 and my wife and I have come EVERY year since, even in 2001. Aaaah, even the 2001 Race had its adorable moments, like sitting in the grandstands and hearing those great little Yamaha speaks screaming out that "Round Sounds" CD. You could almost see 'em goin' around. (I remember thinking at the time that they should've gotten all those RC'ers out on the tarmac with their models and gone racin', but, I digress.).

Anyway, our routine would be to come in on Thursday morning, meet up with old friends and go shoppin' for all the good stuff before the "maddening horde" arrived. Get tons of photos done and then relax for the rest of the weekend. Then, in March of 2010, I got bad news....colon cancer. But, that's a story for another day! Suffice it to say that I won that battle in time to make it for the 2010 races, albeit I was a tad sore and only made it for Sunday's races.

Then, as Murphy's Law would have it, circumstances for 2011 were such that we again would only be able to make Sunday's races. But, at least we were going, and this time we were bringing in new conscripts and expose them to the National Championship Air Races. Then, the unthinkable happened on Friday! Just as our guests arrived at our front door, news of Jimmy was coming across the TV. We were cryin' like little kids as they walked in...we were speechless and all we could do was point to the TV...the TV....the TV! And, the rest is history, as they say.

Our guests were helpless to assuage our emotions. We ended up talking them and showing them photos, videos, mementos….we pulled out every little bit and piece we’ve collected in those 20 years! And, they sat and listened with an intensity that surprised us. So much so, that after we exhausted ourselves telling the stories, all they could say was, “….we’ll be back here next year for you to take us to the races!”

Ladies and gentlemen….WE WILL BE BACK NEXT YEAR!

[Mikey60]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

Last year was my first visit to the races. I have always loved the sights and smells of the planes, especially the warbirds. But with a couple of kids involved with seemingly everything, I was never able to make the time to go. My wife gave me the trip as a 25th wedding anniversary present, and it hooked us both. We couldn't wait to come back this year, and can't wait to go back next year and for many years to come. I owe it to my kids to bring them as well. Both of them were highly-competitive baseball players who would be thrilled with the competition of the day, and would be able to relate to the camaraderie that is palpable in the stands.

[brewbert]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

Jump in the DC3 and fly it on out here! You can have it in the static display area and sell T-shirts and what not.

to 2013 and beyond!

would indeed be tempting and I'm quite sure we'll cross the few thousend miles over the big pond, albeit not in that plane - it's not airworthy and kept / washed / polished / for static display by volunteers.

C'ya in 2013!!!

[R/C Voodoo]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

I have followed the races for years. I told my wife I want to go the year after next. It will be the 50th anniversary, she told me to save my money, not a problem. See ya in 2013. Jody

[mgk77]

Re: Keeping the races alive for those who have yet to attend...

I followed the races a lot in the late '80's and early '90's when I was in middle / high school and still thought I could become a pilot (darn health issues!).

Admittedly, I dropped out of following air racing too closely after the Pond Racer crash in 1993. I was (and still am) a huge sports car racing fan and the Nissan IMSA GTP car that provided the engine technology for the Pond Racer was one of my all-time favorite cars. The loss of the plane and Rick Brickert hit me hard, and I focused on other forms of motorsport - IndyCars, Formula 1, and sports cars.

I still have kept an eye on happenings Reno over the years and periodically check in to see what's going on. Obviously when I heard the news, I got myself reacquainted with happenings very quickly.

Watching old race videos from the years I've missed (that I could find) has brought back a lot of fond memories of why I liked this form of motorsports so much to begin with. It's the Indianapolis 500 of the air. History, technology, pushing the envelope, and tradition all wrapped into a nice, neat, enjoyable package.

Cancelling Reno permanently would be the aviation equivalent to cancelling the Indy 500. Can't let that happen - I have to get out to the races sometime!