Reno air races 2018
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j89dQkV0AVg

This isn't the final race. :rock:
Still waiting for Unlimited Gold to get posted.

Oh man I love it. Been there twice myself and the sound is just unbelievable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00SaRYm3Rc

The Sea Furies are back. :D:yep: :salute:

Did I miss something or what the heck happened to Straga and the other Unlimited Mustang (#5)?

That is one airshow I would dearly love to attend :yeah:

BTW, before the Brits get too worked up ("Pip pip, wot?"), Dreadnaught and some of the other Furies from that Unlimited Gold race aren't pure Hawkers. :o
For starters, they are the T20 variant which is a two seat trainer. The trainers are slightly lighter than the single cockpit fighters and that second canopy also gives the T20 a slight edge in aerodynamics. :yep:
The first two planes were also converted to run Pratt and Whitney radial engines (I think they are the same engines that were used in the Connie?) which work better at lower altitudes and are easier to tweak for racing. They also turn a custom 4 blade prop vs the traditional 5 blades.


:O:

The key word is unlimited. The race is not restricted to wardbird canon and where else will you ever witness such aircraft piston fury? After the first time I went, I couldn't get the sound out of my head and kept trying to hear it in every motor sound I heard.

It's not a huge ordeal to attend, or at least it wasn't the last time which was four or so years ago. You can stay in Reno/Sparks and drive to the event without much trouble.

Actually, the key words are "Bristol Centarus" and those engines and parts are becoming VERY hard to find. :o The same thing was happening with the Packard Merlin V-12's until a NASCAR team owner (I think it was Jack Roush?) converted one of his engine shops to work on only the Merlins and started producing parts.

Like you said, you fly a vintage warbird differently than a pylon racer. In a warbird, the engine has to last for an entire maint. cycle and then everyone starts acting nervous. With a pylon racer, the engine has to last for a week- maybe. :D

That was why they started to convert the Furies to run the big P&W radials. While P&W stopped making the engines years ago, they built a lot more of them than Bristol and I think they still produce parts for rebuilds.

Reno is definitely on my bucket list. :up:

Another death at the races last Sunday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKYa41V5xwQ
https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/l...266025756.html

Sadly, I think the Unlimited classes are coming to an end. :yep:

The price to enter has gone through the roof as the parts become more rare and the speeds are getting too high to remain safe(ish) on the "long" course. :doh:

IMO, The Unlimited community has been a little tone deaf when it comes to "top speed vs safety" and I don't think the fans are showing up to watch a blood sport (heck, there are always the Bum Fights in Reno).

Aviation Racing
 

I love to look back at the days of the Gee-Bee racers and later - in Europe - the Schneider Trophy seaplanes. I stood next to the Supermarine S.6B in a huge hall at the London Science museum many years ago and was able to run my paws over one of its floats

https://i.imgur.com/UcmldUD.jpg

Here's the very first aviation painting I ever did, so not my best work. It shows a precursor to the S.6 - the Supermarine S.4