Here we are, with Uncle Marty, in his box, at the 47
th Annual Reno Air Races. Marty and a group of his friends, each year purchase one of the many VIP boxes on the
tarmac, at the Reno/Stead Airport. Marty describes his group as a "drinking club with an airplane problem". It was good to meet up with Marty who flew his airplane into the Tahoe Airport, and rented a car for the duration of the races.
The last time Patty and I were at these world famous air races, was 15-20 years ago, and we just happened to stumble upon them, while taking a trip in one of our first motor homes. I remember parking on one of the streets close to the airport, and even though the event wasn't as big as it is now, we enjoyed the races, and all of the aviation related events.
When the action officially kicked off with the playing of our National Anthem, Old Glory was brought in by a parachutist, with a fly by of F-16 Fighter Jets. Among several dignitaries introduced, were two of the eight surviving members of the "Doolittle Raid" over Tokyo, during WWII. As you might expect, this type of event honors our military, and it was very gratifying to see the thousands of people standing in appreciation, for the sacrifices that our military veterans have given, to make this the greatest country on earth.
This picture shows Patty standing to the left of Marty (flower shirt with straw hat), in his box at the start/finish line. I didn't see any empty boxes, and with the weekend still to come, it appears that this event is doing very well.
This picture shows a group of T-6 Trainers, as they begin a 5 lap race. There are many different classes of aircraft, and the T-6's are one of the slower classes, averaging about 225 m.p.h. We watched several races and demonstrations, like a jet powered dragster race an airplane already in flight. Perhaps one of the most exciting demos was when an FA-18 Super Hornet Fighter, did a high speed pass, right in front of the grandstands, at about 750 m.p.h. We watched a U-2 Spy Plane do a flyover, a couple of stunt pilots doing amazing things with their aerobatic planes, and the highlight of the day was an amazing demonstration of precision formation flying by the Canadian Snowbirds. This last photo is of the Snowbirds, as they made a pass in a very tight formation. We said adios to Marty, and left the races after the Snowbirds had finished, and sort of beat the traffic rush. By the time we got back to the motor home, one of our 4 legged kids was very glad to see us, probably thinking "it's about time you got back to feed me". This morning, we'll move a few miles south to Carson City, and do some research on a possible train rally we might be putting together for next year.
Here we are, with Uncle Marty, in his box, at the 47th Annual Reno Air Races. Marty and a group of his friends, each year purchase one of the many VIP boxes on the tarmac, at the Reno/Stead Airport. Marty describes his group as a "drinking club with an airplane problem". It was good to meet up with Marty who flew his airplane into the Tahoe Airport, and rented a car for the duration of the races. 
The last time Patty and I were at these world famous air races, was 15-20 years ago, and we just happened to stumble upon them, while taking a trip in one of our first motor homes. I remember parking on one of the streets close to the airport, and even though the event wasn't as big as it is now, we enjoyed the races, and all of the aviation related events.
When the action officially kicked off with the playing of our National Anthem, Old Glory was brought in by a parachutist, with a fly by of F-16 Fighter Jets. Among several dignitaries introduced, were two of the eight surviving members of the "Doolittle Raid" over Tokyo, during WWII. As you might expect, this type of event honors our military, and it was very gratifying to see the thousands of people standing in appreciation, for the sacrifices that our military veterans have given, to make this the greatest country on earth.
This picture shows Patty standing to the left of Marty (flower shirt with straw hat), in his box at the start/finish line. I didn't see any empty boxes, and with the weekend still to come, it appears that this event is doing very well. 
This picture shows a group of T-6 Trainers, as they begin a 5 lap race. There are many different classes of aircraft, and the T-6's are one of the slower classes, averaging about 225 m.p.h. We watched several races and demonstrations, like a jet powered dragster race an airplane already in flight. Perhaps one of the most exciting demos was when an FA-18 Super Hornet Fighter, did a high speed pass, right in front of the grandstands, at about 750 m.p.h. We watched a U-2 Spy Plane do a flyover, a couple of stunt pilots doing amazing things with their aerobatic planes, and the highlight of the day was an amazing demonstration of precision formation flying by the Canadian Snowbirds. This last photo is of the Snowbirds, as they made a pass in a very tight formation. We said adios to Marty, and left the races after the Snowbirds had finished, and sort of beat the traffic rush. By the time we got back to the motor home, one of our 4 legged kids was very glad to see us, probably thinking "it's about time you got back to feed me". This morning, we'll move a few miles south to Carson City, and do some research on a possible train rally we might be putting together for next year.
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