Reno Air Races: From Biplanes to Jets | Aviation International News

Reno Air Races: From Biplanes to Jets

AIN visited air racing's big league at Reno and recorded these observations

The Reno Air Races attract a big crowd over five days each September.

By Chris Pocock • Defense Correspondent

October 1, 2019

Billed as the fastest motorsport in the world, the Reno Air Races always attract a large crowd of spectators over five days. But entrants in the Unlimited class that prompts that description are dwindling. As a counterbalance, the jet class is growing, and racers exceed 400 mph, as they do in the sports class. The other four classes also boast good participation.

Private pilot Bill Smith Jr. has been attending Reno as a spectator for 50 years. He has seen the Unlimited Class grow and decline, as the cost of maintaining and insuring those sensual warbirds has soared. Over recent time, prize money has dwindled from more than $700,000 to less than $100,000, as large sponsors have pulled out, he says. Still, Smith also enjoys the Sports and Jet classes, and each year brings a reunion of old friends.

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