Article on Reno for Gearheads

[GregP]

The attached article is by Graham White, not me. I thought it might be interesting for those of you interested in racing warbirds but not really into the meat of doing it. Unfortunately, it exceeds the 20,000-character limit for posting, so I put it into a Word file.

Without further ado:

 

[manta22]

The attached article is by Graham White, not me. I thought it might be interesting for those of you interested in racing warbirds but not really into the meat of doing it. Unfortunately, it exceeds the 20,000-character limit for posting, so I put it into a Word file.

Without further ado:

Interesting article- thanks. The air racing community sounds a lot like the land speed racers at Bonneville.

 

[GregP]

Yeah, they try things and remember what works and what doesn't. Unfortunately, they also can't pull over and park when something happens.

 

[manta22]

Yeah, they try things and remember what works and what doesn't. Unfortunately, they also can't pull over and park when something happens.

When something "happens" at 400 mph, you can't pull over and park. You are usually wadded up in a ball.

 

[GregP]

Well, if it structural, anyway.

 

[manta22]

Well, if it structural, anyway.

Lots of other ways besides structural. Bob Herda burned to death from a fuel leak before he could stop his streamliner. Rob Freyvogel received severe injuries from running over a piece of debris that punctured a tire at 432 mph. Others have gone airborne from aerodynamic lift when their car got out of shape. It is more that just pulling over to the side and parking it when things go wrong. Air racing is similar in many ways. As Steve McQueen said in "Le Mans", "Racing is a blood sport. It can do it to you... and then do it to you again."

 

[GregP]

Been racing myself since the 1960s. Have raced cars, boats, motorcycles, and airplanes ... both full scale and RC. Believe me, racing RC airplanes is as competitive as racing anything else. Don't race much anymore, but I still go out and do a track day in my 6-speed Ford Mustang once in awhile. You know, push it to about 90% and don't hit anything type stuff. Road racing doesn't eat up engine parts like drag racing, but it DOES eat up tires, brakes, and water pumps pretty well. If I do 3 days of 4 hours per day on a track, I can easily eat up 4 sets of tires, 3 sets of brake, and 2 water pumps. That assumes nothing serious goes wrong.

About the most unforgiving type racing I ever did was boats. A mistake hurts, physically and financially. Water is pretty hard at 75 mph+. And from first-hand experience, it doesn't take much to make that mistake.

 

[N4521U]

Yeah boat racing. I used to work with Jack Regas of Unlimited fame. He wanted to get back in to them so bad. Kaiser had guaranteed him a job for as long as he wanted after his big crash in a boat. Then when he finally got back in, he hit another hole. He was done. Great guy.

 

[manta22]

Been racing myself since the 1960s. Have raced cars, boats, motorcycles, and airplanes ... both full scale and RC. Believe me, racing RC airplanes is as competitive as racing anything else. Don't race much anymore, but I still go out and do a track day in my 6-speed Ford Mustang once in awhile. You know, push it to about 90% and don't hit anything type stuff. Road racing doesn't eat up engine parts like drag racing, but it DOES eat up tires, brakes, and water pumps pretty well. If I do 3 days of 4 hours per day on a track, I can easily eat up 4 sets of tires, 3 sets of brake, and 2 water pumps. That assumes nothing serious goes wrong.

About the most unforgiving type racing I ever did was boats. A mistake hurts, physically and financially. Water is pretty hard at 75 mph+. And from first-hand experience, it doesn't take much to make that mistake.

Ernest Hemingway once said "There are only three sports- bull fighting, mountain climbing, and motor racing. All the others are games.".