After a thrilling and captivating performance at the 50th National Championship Air Races in 2013, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) announced the L-39 Patriots Jet Team is the latest of a number of highly-acclaimed acts to take to northern Nevada’s star-studded skies at the 2014 event. The Patriots Jet Team joins the awe-inspiring F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team and groundbreaking aerobatic pilot Melissa Pemberton as the aviation entertainment headliners for this year’s revamped event, which will include concerts and a more festival-like atmosphere.

“The Patriots Jet Team represents the skill, courage and precision that are associated with the top military demonstration teams in North America,” said Mike Major, chairman of the RARA board of directors. “We received such tremendous feedback from our fans after last year’s performances that it was a top priority for us to bring them back as we ‘race on’ in 2014.”

The L-39 Patriots Jet Team will delight audiences with its display of stunning aerobatic maneuvers, including the signature “Tail Slide,” in which the aircraft slides backwards toward the ground, a move unique to the Patriots. The Patriots Jet Team is a civilian six-ship jet team who are all former military pilots who have flown for the Blue Angels, Thunderbirds and Canadian Snowbirds. In addition to its dazzling moves, the Patriots Jet Team is known for painting the skies with its computerized red, white and blue smoke system.

“We are confident that this year’s event will incorporate the very best in racing and entertainment from previous years, like the Patriots Jet Team and the F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team, along with some new, world-class performers and exciting amenities that will create an event unlike any that has come before it,” said Major.

The 51st annual National Championship Air Races is the world’s premier air racing event. The races kick off Wednesday, Sept. 10, and will continue through Sunday, Sept. 14, at the Reno-Stead Airport. Tickets for the show are 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.