Okay, perhaps a popular post. Or perhaps an unpopular post.
I like all kinds of aviation, and all kinds of sport aviation. I love the sound of large V-12's and radials at full bore. I love it.
That said, to me, Reno and the unlimiteds are NOT my aviation or air racing dream. To me, "Air racing" harkens back to the late 20's and 30's before the war. When the Army could show up with whatever airplane they had, and three Bozo's named Lloyd, Clyde, and Walter could show up from something they threw together in a hanger in Wichita and LAP the fastest thing the military had. And Wedell-Williams, Brothers Granville, Benny Howard, Matty Laird, and others. To me that was the innovation - look at the speeds of the Bendix and Thompson Trophy Winners from 1928-1939. And the innovation wasn't military or government funded. It was American ingenuity and know-how. There is something uniquely "American" in that kind of air racing to me. Something kind of cultural. With that in mind, Reno - running a bunch of military machines that have been modified in various ways - didn't scratch the same itch. Just different. MY overall aviation fantasy would be to show up with an absolutely homebuilt Unlimited. Something designed, built and it's not just a chopped up government machine. I would make an exception for the motor because in the 20's and 30's the motors were common between the civilian racers and the military. To race a private airplane against a bunch of chopped up military hardware and beat them would be the dream for me. Sort of like what Travel Air did with the Mystery Ship.
The Sport Class was beginning to look interesting to me, and particularly when the Thunder Mustang raced in it and the unlimited class that one year. The I thought that if you could keep going with the sport class it would ultimately start to maybe rival the unlimiteds. Anyway, even if RARA goes tits up, something will take its place. It won't be the same or maybe as big, but at some point people will gather to race airplanes around a closed course. Because they pretty much always have. As much of a spectacle as Reno is/was, it was nothing when compared to the Cleveland Air Races which were a massive event of a week or so with crowds that dwarfed the Indy 500. But flying was a newer, bigger deal then. Anyway, just some thoughts.