News

Air Race News

Wings of Blue

Wings of Blue to perform during the Opening Ceremonies at the 53rd National Championship Air Races. The Wings of Blue have a long standing commitment to personal and organizational excellence as well as a storied history of success. While the airspace that the Wings of Blue operates in is one of the busiest in the world, their drop zone is one of the safest. The primary mission of the Wings of Blue is to run the Air Force’s Basic Freefall Parachuting course, known as Airmanship 490 (AM-490). Members of the team serve primarily as jumpmasters and instructors for this course,…

Air Race News

National Championship Air Races Projects Profit, Success for 2015 Event – Blue Angels Set to Return for 2016 Event –

Reno, Nev. – The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has released preliminary results for the 2015 National Championship Air Races and is projecting a profit of over $100,000. Results will be finalized at year-end. The original budget for 2015 called for a $630,000 loss, so the projected profit is very good news for the event. Over 150,000 attended this year’s event with pilots racing in six classes, an airshow featuring Tora Tora Tora!, a reenactment of the events of Pearl Harbor, and many other displays including static aircraft and the expanded Drone Zone. Mike Crowell was named president and CEO…

Air Race News

National Championship Air Races Projects Profit, Success for 2015 Event

– Blue Angels Set to Return for 2016 Event –

Reno, Nev. – The Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) has released preliminary results for the 2015 National Championship Air Races and is projecting a profit of over $100,000. Results will be finalized at year-end. The original budget for 2015 called for a $630,000 loss, so the projected profit is very good news for the event. Over 150,000 attended this year’s event with pilots racing in six classes, an airshow featuring Tora Tora Tora!, a reenactment of the events of Pearl Harbor, and many other displays including static aircraft and the expanded Drone Zone. Mike Crowell was named president and CEO…

Air Race News

Robert “Hoot” Gibson Wins Unlimited Gold Race in “Strega” at 2015 National Championship Air Races

Gibson unseats six-time gold winner Steve Hinton in “Voodoo” who did not finish the race Reno, Nev. – The 52nd Annual National Championship Air Races came to a close today with Robert “Hoot” Gibson as the winner of the Unlimited Gold Race with a speed of 488.983mph in “Strega.” Stewart Dawson flying “Rare Bear” was second (471.957) and Dennis Sanders in “Dreadnought” was third (420.361). Steve Hinton, flying “Voodoo,” and who had won the Unlimited Gold Race the last six years in a row, did not finish the race. Gibson, 68, is a former American naval officer and aviator, test…

Air Race News

RECORD SPEED IN BIPLANE CLASS SET TODAY AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AIR RACES

Reno, Nev. – The 52nd Annual National Championship Air Races is the world’s premier air racing event, and a new record was set today, Monday, September 14. RECORD BROKEN: Pilot, Tom Aberle, set a new speed record in the Biplane class in Phantom, a Modified Mong Sport, with a speed of 284.454. Tickets for the show are still available by phone at 775-972-6663 or online at www.airrace.org. For more information on the STIHL National Championship Air Races, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. # # # About the STIHL National Championship Air Races: Held every…

Media

NBC Sports to Produce One Hour Special on the STIHL National Championship Air Races

Reno, Nev. – NBC Sports is slated to air a one-hour special on the STIHL National Championship Air Races in February of 2016. This is an incredible opportunity for the Air Races and the Northern Nevada area to be exposed to a national television audience. The one-hour special is being produced by JM Associates, an Emmy Award-winning production company and leader in content development for sports and outdoor broadcasts. “We’ve been producing niche sports for over 40 years and when we were invited to see what the STIHL National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev. were all about, it took…

Media

T minus One Week until Lift-Off at the STIHL National Championship Air Races in Reno

Reno, Nev. – The 52nd Annual National Championship Air Races is the world’s premier air racing event. Tickets for the event are still on sale. WHAT: The 52nd Annual National Championship Air Races WHERE: The Reno-Stead Airport 14501 Mt Anderson St, Reno, NV 89506 WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 16 – Sunday Sept. 20; 8am – 4:30pm The day begins with Biplane and Formula One Class races with the remaining four classes and aerobatic performances and demonstrations following later in the day. Unlimited Class races occur in the afternoon with the last event of the day ending at approximately 4:30 p.m. Schedule…

Air Race News

52nd Annual National Championship Air Races in Reno – Sneak Peek

With the kickoff of the STIHL National Championship Air Races only two weeks away, there are a few highlights to consider when purchasing tickets and coming out to the Reno-Stead Airfield Sept. 16-20. Check out the event information below and mark the calendar for this year’s air race and show. Spectators will see six classes of planes including: Unlimited Class – Stock or modified WWII fighters with the P-51 Mustangs, F-8F Bearcats and Hawker Sea Fury being flown most often. The Unlimited Class flies in speeds exceeding 500 miles per hour. Jet Class – Aero Vodochody L-39 “Albatros”jets, non-after-burning jet…

Media

Embry-Riddle Invites Public to Test Drone Skills at National Championship Air Races

Building on the success of last year’s challenge, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University will host the second annual small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) Challenge at the STIHL National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nev., Sept. 16-20. The 2015 challenge, which is sponsored by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Nevada Advanced Autonomous Systems Innovation Center in partnership with NASA, will be composed of two separate competitions: An “Open Class” where competitors race their own sUAS and the “International Race of Champions” (IROC) format race where all participants race identical drones provided by Embry-Riddle. The competition will take place inside the netted, 40 foot by…