Video: LiveAirShowTV Report From Reno 2014 - Sunday 9.7.14 Practice Day

 Qualifying for the 2014 Reno Air Races starts Wednesday but there's a lot already going on at Stead Field as the teams are busy with race prep and practice. LiveAirShowTV is on-site and filed this report from Sunday's activities.

 And remember, if you aren't able to make the trip to Reno, LASTV will have live brodcasts starting on Friday September 12th.

 I'm leaving tomorrow at noon to make the drive west and hope to arrive Wednesday evening to get started gathering loads of behind-the-scenes details of Thom Richard and the Precious Metal team as they aim for Gold in the Unlimited Class. Let's go racing! #lowfastleft

Video screenshot: no fly day for defending champion Steve Hinton in the P-51 Voodoo

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Video: Excellent Reno 2013 LiveAirShowTV Update For Monday 9.10.13

 LiveAirShowTV has put together this excellent update of the excitement that's already been part of Reno 2013, the 50th anniversary of the National Championship Air Races. This 5-and-a-half minute video with some info about Monday qualifying in the Unlimited Warbird Racing Class is definitely worth your time to check out. (here's the link to the full RARA qualifier report for Monday September 10, 2013)

 And remember, if you aren't able to make it to the races, watch them on the internet via LiveAirshowTV's live stream on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Click here for the live feed page.

 I'm heading out by car tomorrow morning and hope to arrive on site at the races Thursday evening... I can't wait to get there!

Screenshot: Steven Hinton in Voodoo - fastest qualifier on Monday at 492.699 mph

CoolPix: Crowd Favorite Rare Bear - In The Evening At Reno 2012

(click pic for hi-res) The beast lives on... the Grumman F8 Bearcat racer: Rare Bear

 I respect and admire the P-51 Strega for what it represents; a team of people that have pursued power, speed, reliability, and flying consistency. If you don't respect what that airplane stands for then you don't really love air racing... and a Sea Fury like September Fury is an awesome and beautiful airplane - one that I have loved since seeing Frank Sanders fly aerobatics countless times at Oshkosh way back in the day... and I really appreciate what the P-51 Precious Metal brings to Reno racing with its fabulous counter-rotating props and a colorful team that is really enjoying their chance to play in the big game... but deep down in my heart, I can't deny that I'm a Bearcat guy. With that in mind, I'm not afraid to tell you that Rare Bear stole my heart a really long time ago.

 It really all started for me when I was a kid and my dad took me to the Reno Air Races in the late 60's. Even tho I wasn't even 10 years old yet, I understood the amazing things going on out in the desert in Nevada. The first Unlimited racer to stir my imagination was another F8 Bearcat named Conquest 1 flown by Darryl Greenamyer. Conquest 1 wasn't just a Bearcat tho, it was the dominate racer of its day, and the airplane that set the speed record of 483.041mph on August 16, 1969. I had the amazing opportunity to be at Reno and see Conquest 1 race from 1967 thru 1970. The Grumman F8 Bearcat was forever burned into my mind as the ultimate racer, and Darryl Greenamyer was my hero.

 So now, in the 'modern era' of Reno air racing, the ultimate racer role (in my mind) has been played by Rare Bear. The Bear has a long and impressive history of winning, even tho for the last several years it's been looking at Strega from behind... sometimes pretty far behind. But it remains a crowd favorite. At this year's Gold race, the announcers stirred up crowd reaction to the different racers, and Rare Bear got the biggest response. We love all the racers, but there's just something special about Rare Bear! So today I'm sharing an awesome CoolPix image of Rare Bear that I captured on Thursday evening at Reno. It was actually about an hour before I got that amazing pic of Precious Metal running after sunset with the wild reflections coming off the props. That was a really great evening for me!

 I hope you enjoy this beautiful CoolPix image of a truly fabulous racing airplane. And, for your continued enjoyment, I've made it available to you in four popular desktop sizes in case you'd like to look at this amazing beast every day : )

Rare Bear in the evening at Reno 2012 desktop pix:

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 You might also like these other AirPigz categories:
Reno Air Races
more desktop images
over 110 CoolPix images

Steven Hinton And Team Strega Win Unlimited Gold At Reno 2012! (16 Pix)

(click pic to enlarge)  Reno 2012 Unlimited Gold champion Steven Hinton with Strega

(16 pix - click any pic to enlarge)

Get Reno Air Race results on this RARA page

 The winning streak for Steven Hinton and Strega continued as the pair breezed thru qualifying, the individual Heat races, and then the Gold race (Sunday September 16, 2012) to become the 2012 Reno Gold Unlimited champion! Congratulations to Team Strega for being fast, dependable and consistent... three things hard to achieve in the world of Unlimited air racing.

 But the real winner at Reno 2012 was the event itself - along with all the fans around the world that are passionate about the human desire to push ourselves to the limit. Reno 2012 was safe, extremely well run, and had sufficient attendance to show everyone that the world's fastest motorsport is prepared to move into the future and toward the 50th anniversary for next year 2013. Given the challenges encountered in the last year since the Galloping Ghost tragedy, it's truly amazing that the event was able to run this year. The hard work and dedication of so many has kept this long standing tradition alive and renewed our spirits. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be part of the event once again and I look forward to many more years of the National Championship Air Races!

Steven and Strega in Friday's Heat 2A race  (stylized from an image I captured)

 Here are 14 more pictures from the race on Sunday to give you a little feel for how well things went. The weather was perfect and the racing was great. Hoot Gibson finished second in September Fury and Dennis Sanders finished third in good ole Dreadnought. Thom Richard in Precious Metal was out of the race after just a lap or two when it was discovered that an inner gear door had left the airplane and was slowing it down significantly, and Stewart Dawson in Rare Bear pulled up and out later in the race. Both airplanes landed without incident bringing the 2012 Reno Air Races to a safe conclusion. Brent Hisey in Miss America and Curt Brown in Sawbones filled out the field of seven Unlimited Gold racers.

 With the 2012 event a great success, and the talk that Strega will be retiring now, the future is wide open for Unlimited air racing. It'll to be interesting to see where Steven winds up and if more Unlimited teams will emerge as it's clear that air racing is very much alive and well.

Steven and Team Strega leading the parade to the starting spot in front of the grandstands

Click to read more ...

14 Pix From 2012 Reno Air Races (Thru Sunday Morning 9-16-12)

(click pic to enlarge)  September Fury and Hoot Gibson in Heat 2A on Friday at Reno

(14 pix - click any pic to enlarge)

 It's been an awesome Reno Air Races thus far and we've got the big races going on yet today. I tend to keep my focus on the Unlimited Class, and once again we find Strega controlling the racing. Yesterday's Heat 3A finished with the same order of Strega, September Fury, Rare Bear, Precious Metal and Dreadnought in the top five slots. Remarkably, everyone finished with almost the exact speeds that they all ran in Friday's Heat 2A. The speed spread runs from Strega right around 472 mph on down to Dreadnought at around 420 mph.

 Based on what I've seen so far concerning the qualifying speeds seen earlier in the week from the various aircraft, along with the strategy of the teams over these last few races, it's fairly safe to say that this could be a fantastic Unlimited Gold race later today. Strega is strong as always and appears to have more speed if needed... but the other aircraft have shown the potential to be able to give some serious chase when it's needed. There's some real competition potential here. It's gonna be great.  

 Following is a collection of pix from the last few days... there's not enough time to share a lot of details now so you'll just get some captions along with one more encouragement from me to get to started right now making plans for next year and the 50th anniversary of the Reno Air Races - September 11-15, 2013. 

Get Reno Air Race results on this RARA page

Precious Metal and Thom Richard in yesterday's Unlimited Gold Heat 3A (4th place)

Strega and Steven Hinton in yesterday's Unlimited Gold Heat 3A race (1st place)

Click to read more ...

Please Buy Tickets Now To The Reno Air Races (Even If You Can't Go)

Reno Air Races - September 12-16, 2012
(please buy tickets and/or donate - click now)

 I'm posting this sweet video that focuses on Rare Bear back at the 2003 Reno Air Races for two reasons... first because last night on the AirPigz facebook page I posted the link to the CoolPix category of hi-res images here on AirPigz to encourage people to go experience a great collection of over 110 pix that are pure avgeekery. I needed a CoolPix thumbnail to put with the post on fb and chose the one I captured of Rare Bear back in 1995 at the Phoenix 500 race (below) that really showed off the 3-blade prop they used for many years. Then today I stumbled across this 2003 Reno video that really shows off that fabulous prop and the amazing music that the Wright R-3350  makes, especially at start up.

 The second reason for posting this video is to show a little of the history of the Reno Air Races in an effort to encourage you to go buy tickets right now to the races coming up September 12-16, 2012, even if you can't get out there. The sport of air racing needs our support more than it ever has before... if you see the value that air racing brings to the larger world of aviation, then I encourage you to make an investment in the future. The significant increase in the insurance costs for the races after last year's tragic events mean that financial support is extremely important to the future of the Reno Air Races. Please make an investment in the future of air racing NOW!

The Reno Air Racing Association is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(4) organization.
Contributions to RARA are NOT tax deductible, but are appreciated and much needed!

(click pic to go the original CoolPix post for the awesome hi-res pic of Rare Bear)

CoolPix - Air Racer: 3 Blade Rare Bear At The Phoenix 500 In 1995! (+ Video)

(click pic for hi-res) John Penney in the 3 Blade Rare Bear at the 1995 Phoenix 500

 Race permit & insurance in place... tickets are on sale now for Reno 2012: Sept. 12-16

 If there was one event I could make you go to this year it would be the Reno Air Races. And while this CoolPix is actually an old film image of Rare Bear I captured at the 1995 Phoenix 500 air race, I've posted it now to point to the fascinating race history an airplane like Rare Bear has. At Reno this year there will be a mix of aircraft that have years and years of race experience along with some airplanes (and pilots) that are experiencing air racing for their first time ever. But interestingly, the most important thing to be at Reno in 2012 will be the fans. Without the fans supporting Reno style air racing in a big way this year, it'll run the risk of simply going away. Given the challenges the event has faced since last year's tragedy, the support that comes from fans buying tickets and participating in the local Reno economy are more important than they have ever been.

 Please, go to the official Reno Air Races website, airrace.org, and buy some tickets to support the event... even if you won't be able to attend (better yet, buy some tickets and show up!) - take my word for it that this sport both needs your help and is worthy of your support!

 As for the pic of the awesome Grumman F8F Bearcat named Rare Bear above from the second and last attempt at having air racing in Phoenix (back in 1995), I must say that the 3 blade prop was the most awesome propeller I think I've ever seen on an airplane. Massive blades snagged from a P-3 Orion, modified and mounted in a 3 blade hub, this polished prop also put out a fabulous sound. I wish the airplane was still spinning just 3 blades, but for detailed reasons I don't know, they switched back to 4 blades in 2004. Regardless of the number of blades tho, I'm still a Rare Bear fan at heart and I'll be hoping that this is the year that Strega might finally see a serious round engine challenge for the big trophy!

 Mostly tho, I want you you and me both to be there to show our support for the fastest motorsport in the world!

Desktop Downloads: Rare Bear at the Phoenix 500 in 1995

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3 blade Rare Bear at Reno in 2003 - wow! (youtube video from metalmelvin)

Video: Air Racers 3D (IMAX) - Fly Into The Valley Of Speed!

Air Racers 3D opens in slected IMAX theaters April 5th and 6th (2012)

(5 pix and 2 videos)

 It would at first seem that the timing of this new IMAX theater film project called Air Racers 3D couldn't be worse... with production running thru Reno 2009 and 2010 with the goal of showcasing the amazing world of low-fast-left air racing, it seemed like the perfect concept. But then the unimaginable Jimmy Leeward Galloping Ghost tragedy took place at Reno 2011 taking the lives of 11 people and seriously injuring many more. Would the Reno Air Races even be able to continue? On the surface it seemed like maybe air racing just wasn't safe anymore... but when you look closer at the accident, you realize that tragedy is part of the human experience, and as much as we wish life could be completely safe with all the right planning, the truth is that lives are lost everyday as a result of circumstances that simply couldn't be prepared for.

 With the spirit of air racing fans intact and the desire to move forward with safety the number one priority (as it has always been) the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced in early January the intention to move forward with plans for the 2012 Reno Air Races, working hard to secure all the needed permits and approvals. And now, Air Racers 3D not only has its place as a film, but you might even say that the timing for it now actually couldn't be any better. The reason is that this amazing IMAX film will do much to help others see what air racing is all about... more people than ever before will see that this isn't a pack of wild out-of-control pilots, but rather that Reno air racing is a large number of incredibly dedicated individuals and teams that work very hard to safely bring the fastest motorsport in the world to thousands and thousands of enthusiast fans. Air Racers 3D is actually in a position to help the sport of air racing to survive.

Young champion Steven Hinton is showcased in the Air Racers 3D IMAX film

 As can be seen in Air Racers 3D trailer video above, the visuals for this IMAX film are amazing. The 45 minute film will give us all the kind of visual experience most of us have wanted to have but never expected to get. The film crew had unprecedented access to the races, the teams and the airplanes... and when you add IMAX cameras and the IMAX theater, the end result will be incredibly dramatic.

Amazing cockpit view on the Reno air race course... F7F Tigercat off your wingtip!

Click to read more ...

Video: 'Live Airshow TV' 2010 Reno Air Races Wrap Up Part 2

 Here's part 2 of the Live Airshow TV wrap up from the 2010 Reno Air Races. It's full of lots more interesting details from the races, including amazing footage of George Giboney's landing in his Thunder Mustang 'Rapid Travel' that destroyed the airplane but left him almost completely unhurt. 

 Follow the link to 'wrap up part 1' if you missed it.

Video: 'Live Airshow TV' 2010 Reno Air Races Wrap Up Part 1

 Here's a great, detailed look back at how the recent 2010 Reno Air Races shaped up thru the early part of the event. I especially like this video since it includes a couple pix I took of The Galloping Ghost - check 'em out at about the 8:10 mark.

 Part 2 of the Live Airshow TV wrap up will be coming soon with a look at how the last two days unfolded, including some details on George Giboney's mayday landing that destroyed the Rapid Travel Thunder Mustang but still let him walk away essentially unhurt.