Unlimited class pulling out of Reno/Roswell Air Races

I have some insight.

First off, RARA is a horrifically run organization. Poorly managed with incredibly poor decision-making would be an understatement. Roswell was the worst of the choices presented in a number of ways. A complete and total lack of airline service, hotels, rental cars, attractions for spectators, and the list goes on. The most important element, though, was that very, very, very early on in this process, several classes raised concerns about the course, namely, powerlines that run through the course, AND, no relief runway on the back end of the course that would allow an emergency aircraft to land. Sport class pulled out, jets pulled out, and now unlimited. That airport presents a lot of challenges for racing. The weather (namely, wind) is, on average, much worse there than in Stead.

This year will be such a revenue loser, that I highly dought RARA will survive it.
 
Inverted said:
The course has already been encroached with development. Stead is done.
Click to expand...
Bill Odom in Beguine in Cleveland has entered the chat. As for people buying and developing property by an airport that has been there for decades...
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Inverted said:
I have some insight.

First off, RARA is a horrifically run organization. Poorly managed with incredibly poor decision-making would be an understatement. Roswell was the worst of the choices presented in a number of ways. A complete and total lack of airline service, hotels, rental cars, attractions for spectators, and the list goes on. The most important element, though, was that very, very, very early on in this process, several classes raised concerns about the course, namely, powerlines that run through the course, AND, no relief runway on the back end of the course that would allow an emergency aircraft to land. Sport class pulled out, jets pulled out, and now unlimited. That airport presents a lot of challenges for racing. The weather (namely, wind) is, on average, much worse there than in Stead.

This year will be such a revenue loser, that I highly dought RARA will survive it.
Click to expand...
I've heard many of the same concerns, not so much about accommodations but more about the safety aspects of the course. Stead was perfect for air racing with three runways all forming a triangle roughly in the center of the course, if you blew an engine and still had some energy you had a pretty good chance of gliding to a landing on a paved runway. But as some have stated urban expansion crept into the safe area around the race course. I watched MAII disassemble itself on the front straight and its Griffon engine landed in a neighborhood that hadn't existed when racing started there and I think that was truly the beginning of the end for air racing. When the "Galloping Ghost" went into the crowd I thought for sure it was over but it limped along as a very diminished version of what it had been for a few more years. It's a dangerous sport that needs to be conducted far from any populated area. Bonneville Speed Week manages to put on a race every year without any grandstands because the audience is all participants. It's the same thing but it happens on the ground, the egos involved are very similar when it comes to going real fast. People die on the salt flats and it barely makes the news, for instance the fastest piston powered car ever was aiming for 500mph this year and it crashed fatally injuring the driver just a week or so ago. There's a certain kind of person that wants to pursue these seemingly pointless endeavors and caging them is ill advised, they need that outlet. I hope they find another place to race airplanes safely.
 
knot4u said:
I've heard many of the same concerns, not so much about accommodations but more about the safety aspects of the course. Stead was perfect for air racing with three runways all forming a triangle roughly in the center of the course, if you blew an engine and still had some energy you had a pretty good chance of gliding to a landing on a paved runway. But as some have stated urban expansion crept into the safe area around the race course. I watched MAII disassemble itself on the front straight and its Griffon engine landed in a neighborhood that hadn't existed when racing started there and I think that was truly the beginning of the end for air racing. When the "Galloping Ghost" went into the crowd I thought for sure it was over but it limped along as a very diminished version of what it had been for a few more years. It's a dangerous sport that needs to be conducted far from any populated area. Bonneville Speed Week manages to put on a race every year without any grandstands because the audience is all participants. It's the same thing but it happens on the ground, the egos involved are very similar when it comes to going real fast. People die on the salt flats and it barely makes the news, for instance the fastest piston powered car ever was aiming for 500mph this year and it crashed fatally injuring the driver just a week or so ago. There's a certain kind of person that wants to pursue these seemingly pointless endeavors and caging them is ill advised, they need that outlet. I hope they find another place to race airplanes safely.
Click to expand...
Could they do it where they did the Mojave races?
 
Inverted said:
I have some insight.

First off, RARA is a horrifically run organization. Poorly managed with incredibly poor decision-making would be an understatement. Roswell was the worst of the choices presented in a number of ways. A complete and total lack of airline service, hotels, rental cars, attractions for spectators, and the list goes on. The most important element, though, was that very, very, very early on in this process, several classes raised concerns about the course, namely, powerlines that run through the course, AND, no relief runway on the back end of the course that would allow an emergency aircraft to land. Sport class pulled out, jets pulled out, and now unlimited. That airport presents a lot of challenges for racing. The weather (namely, wind) is, on average, much worse there than in Stead.

This year will be such a revenue loser, that I highly dought RARA will survive it.
Click to expand...

accurate but afaik the jets, biplanes, F1 and T6 are still running

conditions were reportedly not good at PRS, a lot of blowing dust and high winds scrubbed course time for many of the classes with the vis restrictions associated

I did not attend because I knew the course layout would not leave viable options for landing in my speed range- most would be survivable, but i'm not interested in trashing an airframe for $1100 and a beef jerky.
my colleagues’ evaluations came to the same conclusion
 
bp said:
accurate but afaik the jets, biplanes, F1 and T6 are still running

conditions were reportedly not good at PRS, a lot of blowing dust and high winds scrubbed course time for many of the classes with the vis restrictions associated

I did not attend because I knew the course layout would not leave viable options for landing in my speed range- most would be survivable, but i'm not interested in trashing an airframe for $1100 and a beef jerky.
my colleagues’ evaluations came to the same conclusion
Click to expand...

My bad, I had heard that jets were on the fence and thought they had pulled too.

Yea my buddy races the biplane class and said it was very very challenging.


BTW this highlights the poor and arguably, criminally negligent behavior of RARA. The city paid RARA a lot of money to have them bring the races there, then basically proceeded to crap the bed when it came to actual support. This is looking more and more like a money grab for RARA.
 
The Reno Air Races never had mass appeal and its successors will never have mass appeal. It never did and never will.

At its height, ABC Wide World of Sports could spend a couple of weeks editing and overdubbing “play by play” for an hour broadcast and hold market share … when there were three major networks.

It’s not a good event to experience live, in-person or watching a broadcast. Now, a compelling broadcast is possible, leveraging all the broadcast technology. The technology is there, sponsor interest isn’t there.

I have attended two Reno races. I was planning on being a team go-fer with a team this year but they cancelled even before the class was canceled.

Myself, I love the mythology. Obtaining low-level VIP status was all I needed to love Reno. That said, that was really a pit experience and the thrill of a few conversations with pilots and mechanics.

Watching the races was a bad airshow with no situational awareness without monitoring the radio feed and viewing with binoculars until nauseous.

Publish a nice coffee table book and spend a couple of years making an IMAX film, I’m a buyer.

I have romanticized Reno. The truth is I’ve had more fun watching DCA traffic at Gravelly Point after 12 beers.
 
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