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RARA Announces Texas Flying Legends Museum Will Attend and Perform at 2017 National Championship Air Races
Reno, Nev. – The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) today announced that the Texas Flying Legends Museum will race four planes and perform with six planes at the 2017 National Championship Air Races.
“The Texas Flying Legends Museum is dedicated to honoring past generations and inspiring the leaders of tomorrow through active displays of WWII warbirds,” Mike Crowell, President and CEO of RARA said. “We are absolutely thrilled and honored that the Texas Flying Legends Museum will be racing four aircraft in our unlimited class and performing as a group with six aircraft.”
The Texas Flying Legends Museum will bring a B-25J “Betty’s Dream”, a TBM3E Avenger, a P-40K “Aleutian Tiger”, a FG-1D Corsair, a P-51D “Dakota Kid II”, and a Spitfire MkIXc “Half Stork” to Reno. All six will fly as part of TFLM’s show and the four fighter aircraft (P-40K, FG-1D, P-51D and Spitfire) will race in the unlimited class.
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Reno Air Racing Association Welcomes Frederick Telling to Board of Directors
Reno, Nev. – The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) today announced that Dr. Frederick W. Telling has joined the RARA Board of Directors. Telling has served as president of the T-6 Racing Association since 2008.
“On behalf of the Reno Air Racing Association, we are thrilled to welcome Fred Telling to the board,” President/CEO Mike Crowell said. “Fred brings an extensive corporate background and non-profit board experience in governance and development. He has also actively been involved with the air races for over 15 years. We look forward to having his perspective on our team.”
Telling is currently the Chairman of Oragenics in Tampa, Florida and a Director of CTI BioPharma Inc., based in Seattle, WA and Eisai N.A. Inc., in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. Telling chairs the compensation committee and serves on the audit committee of both CTI BioPharma and Oragenics. He retired from Pfizer in June 2007 after 30 years. At Pfizer, Telling was elected a Corporate Vice President of Pfizer Inc. and its Vice President of Corporate Strategic Planning and Policy in October 1994.
An avid racing fan, Telling is type rated in Citation jets and the DC-3, and is both fixed wing and rotorcraft rated. He and his wife Barbara reside in Daytona Beach, FL, and enjoy flying their 2014 Citation M2. The couple also owns a collection of North American Aviation aircraft – “Lady B”, a 1944 P-51D, “Almost Perfect”, a stock T-6G and “Baby Boomer”, a 1940 Harvard, which Telling raced in the T-6 class in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008. From 2011 through 2013, Lee Oman raced “Baby Boomer” and for the last four years, “Baby Boomer” has been raced by Gene McNeely.
Telling is a member of the board of Warbirds of America and an emeritus member of the boards of several organizations with which he remains involved – the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, EAA, ORBIS, and the National March of Dimes Foundation.
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Reno Air Racing Association Accepts Donations to Further Charitable Outreach
Donations allow organization to support community
Reno, Nev. – As a 501 (c)(3) non-profit, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) is a proud supporter of the community. In 2016, RARA gave more than $114,000 to support non-profits who have worked with the organization.
“We are incredibly honored to work with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Veterans Guest House and the Trauma Intervention Program,” Reno Air Racing Association President and CEO Mike Crowell said. “We are, however, only able to partner with these great organizations in our community because of the support we receive from generous donors.”
Donations of any size can be made on RARA’s website and, as a non-profit, any donation to RARA is 100% tax deductible.
“The donations we receive help us to support organizations that are doing great work in our community and we are thankful for the opportunity to support so many in our region,” Crowell added. “Whether through ticket donations which allow veterans and their families an enjoyable day out, teaching schoolchildren about aeronautics, or financially supporting other non-profits, RARA takes pride in being able to give back to our fans. When you are thinking about donations, I encourage donors to think about the Reno Air Racing Association.”
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RARA Mourns the Passing of William “Bill” Kerchenfaut
Friends and Fans Mourn the Passing of William “Bill” Kerchenfaut
By: Scott Germain
Air racing, as a sport and a family, lost a pioneer and luminary during the early morning hours of Friday, November 11, 2016. William “Bill” Kerchanfaut passed away in Santa Clara, California, after suffering a stroke several days earlier. His sister and close friends were with him.
“Kerch,” as he was known to friends and fans alike, got his air racing start in 1968 while serving in the Air Force. He was stationed at Edwards Air Force base when Darryl Greenamyer brought his Bearcat there in preparation for a speed record attempt. Kerchenfaut asked if he could help, and the rest is literally history.
Greenamyer’s Bearcat, manned by a team of racing superstars and engineers, gave Kerch the opportunity to learn from and work with the greatest. He fit right in, thriving in the environment. After the airplane retired, Kerch worked on a large number of modified racers. From Darryl’s Bearcat to Sherm Cooper’s Miss Merced, and JR Sandberg’s Tipsy Miss to Bob Button’s Voodoo, Kerch was always thinking, designing, building, or maintaining the hottest racers.
As a crew chief, Kerchenfaut’s record is second to none. John Crocker’s ‘Sumthin’ Else’ won gold for the first time in 1979 with Kerch in charge. He racked up 14 more wins with Strega, Dago Red, September Fury and Voodoo. Always quick to say each victory is a team effort, Kerchenfaut was an inspiring crew chief and leader. He brought team members together to pull on a singular rope: win gold at Reno.
Kerchenfaut’s contributions to the sport are many, but when he teamed with ‘Tiger’ Destefani and engine builder Dwight Thorn on Strega, they changed history. Kerch was the force that could (mostly) corral these strong personalities and take charge of the airplane’s development. As a result, Strega’s speeds and reliability soared – and so did the wins.
His next major achievement came as crew chief of Dago Red. During the 2003 races, Skip Holm piloted the modified Mustang during Friday’s heat to win at an average speed of 507.105 mph – the first time any racer had broken the 500 mph barrier. Kerch was especially fond of those times, saying that racing team was probably the best the sport would ever see.
For racing fans, speaking with him meant feeling you were part of the event. Kerch always had time for a hello and a chat. “But that’s the one thing you can’t buy or borrow at Reno,” he said. “Time. You have to manage your time.” If he wasn’t physically working on the plane or going over telemetry, he was planning the team’s activities, or watching the competition. If all the work was done, you could find him interacting with team members, other racers, and fans.
“I’m just a guy with a screwdriver,” was probably his favorite saying, but everyone knew this was overly modest. Kerch’s mechanical abilities, which were varied and had unusual depth, actually paled in contrast to his people skills. Kerch could bring the most diverse team together, motivate them, and give them tools they needed for the job. Even the junior member of a team was given a say at crew meetings. He was inclusive, not exclusive. He was ethical and a speaker of the truth; a rare combination that sometimes rubbed the wrong people the right way.
Those that knew Kerchenfaut will remember him, his accomplishments, and time spent together on an entirely different scale. To crew with Kerch meant to truly be part of a team. To be called his friend meant you received his loyalty, trust, and those wide-ranging and deep-thinking conversations. He obviously cared for his friends, and carefully cultivated and maintained those relationships.
While his presence will be missed, all that knew Bill Kerchenfaut will agree they are better people for knowing him.
“We need to take care of each other,” he would say. “We’re all in this together.”
The thousands of people he touched and inspired are, indeed, together as they remember their friend.
Tickets for 2017 National Championship Air Races On Sale Now
Reno, Nev. – The Reno Air Racing Association today announced that tickets for the 54th National Championship Air Races, taking place September 13 – 17, 2017, are on sale at airrace.org.
General admission tickets, pit passes, Chairman’s tent and awards banquet tickets can now be purchased online. Reserved seating will be available for purchase online in early March 2017.
“We are coming off a great year,” Reno Air Racing Association President and CEO Mike Crowell said. “And we are very much looking forward to next year. We are planning for a number of new and exciting additions to race week, so purchase your tickets now and come join us for the world’s most unique air racing event.”
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