The Future

[John]

Re: The Future

IMHO, as long at there is a National Championship Air Race at Reno there will be Warbirds. It is what draws many if not most of us there. Just watching a Stock Mustang take off and fly the course is a great pleasure -or how feeling the power of a 3350 on take off gets into ones blood. The appeal of the WW2 aircraft is so great that many persons spend huge sums of $$ to keep 'em flying. Many thanks to those men and women.

[supercub]

Re: The Future

Gentlemen..........START YOUR ENGINES .........well, maybe in the future it will be.........Gentlemen...............AUTO START YOUR ENGINES.

[AirDOGGe]

Re: The Future

I've said before turboprops are Reno's future, but I'm in no hurry.

Wait until the last of the warbird owners refuses to race what will become priceless airframes anymore, and THEN turbine-talk will be more accepted. Sooner or later people will want those 450-500+ mph racing speeds again, regardless of what is spinning the propeller.

[supercub]

Re: The Future

The Future is what we make it........I LOVE AIRPLANES........Let's race......can't wait, only 4 more days of work, and I'm in the motorhome off to the RENO AIR RACES.
Brian

[spacegrrrl]

Re: The Future

So back to the original poster's question. I think it would be loss of venue or a major accident that is more likely to kill unlimited than the shortage of WWII hardware to race.

Right now Reno seems to be the only place you can hold an unlimited event as it has the right combination of factors (lodging, easy to get to, safe-ish place for the course). Attempts to have unlimited races other places never seemed to work out. (of course you can make the argument that the real problem is that right now the race teams can't support more than one race a year without major sponsorship and media)

As for the aircraft themselves, we have at the moment a pretty good field of gold racers with a few interesting custom projects still in the works. We also know that if someone is motivated you can build a Mustang from the ground up as an experimental (no Mustangs were harmed in the making of MAII for example! )

I also think there are still some unexplored potential "mash-up" of more common parts to build a competitive unlimited. The R-2800 is coming back in favor and I think very available. Starting with a Yak, an F-190 kit, maybe a small jet airframe or even from scratch you should be able to build something fast enough to be in the gold on Sunday. Just takes $$$ and the right team.

So the question probably should be "will there be a reason to build new racers"? If Reno is the only event and the money stays the same as it is and no sponsors appear (which needs media to happen) I don't see much to motivate someone to build a new unlimited racer at the moment.

If someone really wanted to save the future of unlimited racing they would trying to find a way to bring the event to major media, and not just a half hour overview puff piece, a major full event multi-hour show (similar to the coverage the hydroplane races get locally in Seattle but on a national scale). Air shows are one of the most attended outdoor events and unlimited air racing has to be one of the most exciting of all aviation activities. There is an audience and once you have that audience you can get sponsors which bring in $$$, rinse and repeat!

With all the cable channels and the internet even you think that would happen but I've heard it repeated over and over that the media rights to the air races are in some sort of screwed up state and no one can really get the rights to broadcast the event (in a major way). I'd love to hear if that was and still is the case.

On the related issues like could sport become the next "unlimited". I think the speeds will continue to climb but they will never have the audience appeal of the "big iron". If it were up to me I'd actually introduce a new sport class that had to be powered with automotive engines. They would loud, should be fast and they would be something a lot of morosports enhusiasts would immediately relate to. Nascar with wings!

Turboprops in new airframes is an idea that comes up a lot but I think they would also be less interesting, just as unlimited hydroplanes lost a huge amount of their appeal when they went to the "wooshbox".

Just my 2 cents,

Spacegrrrl

[Fence Sence]

Re: The Future

I agree with this 100%. Safety first and foremost. I do love fast aircraft but, watching people die sucks. It's one thing if its just them but, there are too many bystanders at risk.

[Race5]

Re: The Future

https://www.facebook.com/AirRace21

Think maybe the FAA had something to do with it as well?

They absolutely did. After the safety issues came to light shortly after PRS, the FAA and RARA had no choice but to get involved. The amount of work needed to get the Viper L-29s to a level they could be flown safely, let alone raced safely, could not be completed in time for the races this year. Race 21 has been thrashed on by a VERY capable crew since PRS and they couldn't get all the work done.

[flyingjibus]

Re: The Future

It's a safety issue, guys. And it goes back directly to an incident at PRS and the fallout from the investigation in this by the FAA, RARA, and the Jet Class.

There is nothing horse**** about this.

YOU as a fan may think it's horse****, but what would you say if something happened at Reno this year, and you found out that there was a problem and something HADN'T been done even though they knew about it? Then you'd probably be screaming a different tune.

This isn't coming as a surprise to the participants of the Class, okay?

No I wouldn't. This is racing. Its dangerous.

If this isn't a surprise to to those teams then I would feel a bit different about it,but none the less I'm here for a race, not to be coddled.

[Sky Critter]

Re: The Future

https://www.facebook.com/AirRace21

Think maybe the FAA had something to do with it as well?

[Big_Jim]

Re: The Future

Agree completely. This is total horse****. Way to drop the ball RARA.

It's a safety issue, guys. And it goes back directly to an incident at PRS and the fallout from the investigation in this by the FAA, RARA, and the Jet Class.

There is nothing horse**** about this.

YOU as a fan may think it's horse****, but what would you say if something happened at Reno this year, and you found out that there was a problem and something HADN'T been done even though they knew about it? Then you'd probably be screaming a different tune.

This isn't coming as a surprise to the participants of the Class, okay?

[race9]

Re: The Future

Well, the demise of the jet class may have just started. According to Race 21's FB page, RARA has banned all of the Vipered L-29s from racing this year.

Link?

[flyingjibus]

Re: The Future

1 week before the races, and they ban these guys? What about all the time and effort they've put into making Reno 2011? Seems like if they were going to ban this type of airplane from racing, they'd give them plenty of notice. Like, let them race this year, but starting in 2012, no more. I wasn't aware they were that unsafe.......I guess I wasn't seeing it. Sorry they won't be there, but safety has to be number 1.
Brian

Agree completely. This is total horse****. Way to drop the ball RARA.

[supercub]

Re: The Future

1 week before the races, and they ban these guys? What about all the time and effort they've put into making Reno 2011? Seems like if they were going to ban this type of airplane from racing, they'd give them plenty of notice. Like, let them race this year, but starting in 2012, no more. I wasn't aware they were that unsafe.......I guess I wasn't seeing it. Sorry they won't be there, but safety has to be number 1.
Brian

[Big_Jim]

Re: The Future

Gee. The Viper L-29's were banned, eh?

Hmmmmm....too bad someone didn't see this coming earlier.

Oh yeah...someone did. But when the incident that led to this was brought up for debate on this site a few weeks ago, that someone was beaten down pretty hard for daring to suggest something of that nature. And I think that someone even asked the question "what if".....if that someone was proven right, what then?

Well? What now?

[Sky Critter]

Re: The Future

Well, the demise of the jet class may have just started. According to Race 21's FB page, RARA has banned all of the Vipered L-29s from racing this year.