Making the T-6 racer 'Gunslinger' sparkle in the Saturday morning sunshine

  Saturday was a great day at the 2010 Reno Air Races - the weather was ideal and there was a lot great racing to watch too. Like in the picture above, a lot of time is spent by the race teams working on and cleaning up the airplanes. And as I've said before, being in the pit area to see all the work being done is simply amazing.

 The big story for me continues to be the way Jimmy Leeward has kept The Galloping Ghost alive in the Unlimited Class. The race on Saturday was an easy win for the highly modified P-51 Mustang, giving lots of hope to the idea that it can be a real contender. The big test will be the final race of the day on Sunday against the seemingly unbeatable Strega; the 'always-a-contender' Rare Bear; and possibly the very fast Voodoo. However, after pulling up and out of the race on Saturday, Voodoo's ability to race today may be in question.

 Here's a quick batch of pix from the day showing the wide diversity of flying machines, both in the air and on the ground, that make Reno's Stead Field a great place to be in mid September...

The first race of the day on Saturday was Formula One, and here the Biplane Class airplanes are watching as they are getting staged and waiting their turn.

Polar bear, and early A model P-51 that was crashed in Alaska back in 1944. It was eventually recovered and rebuilt, with first flight in 1985. It was a very nice addition the heritage-oriented fighters that were racing.