Page 49 - 2008 DT 12 issues

In This Issue !

Featured Article
The Reno Air Races........................1

Special
Quiz................................................9

Departments
News & Notes.................................2
July 2008 Programs & Hikes...........................5
Desk Schedule...............................8
Bulletin Board..............................10

THE RENO AIR RACES and pilots. It became an annual event. racing enthusiast. He had an idea:
. . . High speed, low altitude and sharp Years later, commercial aviation got bring the national air races to Ne-
turns. Wow! involved with an England-to-Aus- vada. The beginnings in 1964 could
by Chuck Kleber tralia race. It was great publicity for hardly have been less auspicious;
famous names like KLM, Lufthansa, a dirt strip at Sky Ranch, scarcely
acing has always been part Air France, Qantas and the old Impe- 2,000 feet long, between Sparks
of human history; from the rial Airways of Britain. In the United and Pyramid Lake. He called it the
Roriginal Olympics in Greece States, air racing began to take shape “Reno Air Races,” then moved the
to racing horses and yachts; we’ve around events like the Schneider Tro- site to Reno Stead Airport, where
raced on skis, in cars and in air- phy, that began shortly before World the races have remained. It took
craft—the ultimate speed machines. War 1. By 1924, there were National the touch of an entrepreneur to get
Admittedly, it’s dangerous, but that Air Races that lasted in various forms things started, drumming up support
has never deterred the from Reno businesses, getting TV
participants. Challenging coverage, and especially, the interest
maneuvers while flying of pilots who had the planes. Stead
several hundred miles an did it. He wisely capitalized on a
hour close to the ground cross-country race that started in
in dangerous competi- St. Petersburg, Florida and ended in
tion with other pilots Reno. This was followed by closed-
. . . it is hard to imagine circuit races of the kind that now
a greater thrill! As in auto characterize the Reno Air Races. And
racing, air racing pilots, there were women pilots, too! Flyers
too, have been killed. For like Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes
them, the risk is worth it. and Jacqueline Cochran had already
For pilot Bill Destefani, broken the ice in air racing.
it’s like “Going to war Bill Stead lived only two years
without firing bullets.” T-6 trainers © Mikael Forslund after creating the Reno Air Races.
And for all this, the com- While testing an air racer over Tampa
petitors may have to shell out over until well after World War II. When Bay, Florida on April 28, 1966, his
$150,000 or more just to be there. the Cleveland National Air Races plane went into a steep dive and
The road to Reno began in 1909, wound down in 1949, air racing crashed. He was just 44 years old.
in Reims, France—an air race from drifted . . . but Reno lay ahead. His creation lived on and today,
upwards of 200,000 people gather
France to England! Here was a lure Bill Stead was a Nevada rancher
great enough to bring royalty and ce- from the Reno area and a pilot, hy-
lebrities, along with aircraft builders droplane racing champion and air Reno Air Races, continued on page 8