Scenes from the 2019 Reno Air Races — General Aviation News

Didn’t make it to the Reno Air Races this year? Photographer Bradley Orr was at the 2019 races and sent us these photos. Enjoy!

Dennis Sanders in Race 8 “Dreadnought” rounds the corner past Pylon 4 and begins the downhill toward 5 on Friday afternoon in Unlimited Heat 2A … he qualified at 417.868 mph and was the repeat winner in the Gold Final on Sunday at 403.274 mph, the fourth championship for the airplane that is affectionately referred to as “The Buick.”
The Jet Class Gold Final comes down “The Chute” on Sunday afternoon while the Unlimiteds move up the ramp in the Duck Walk to the lineup for their Gold Final. Pete Zaccagnino in a L-29 Delfin Race 24 “Just Lucky” was the Jet Champion.
Greg McNeely in Race 90 “Undecided” leads John Siegfried in Race 5 “Big Red” and Vitaly Pecherskyy in Race 50 “Abacadabra” to start the White Flag lap in Sunday’s T-6 Silver Final. McNeely won the race at 223.468 mph.
The Unlimiteds lined up and waiting for the Tuesday afternoon Qualifying session under a puffy sky.
Steve Temple in Race 8 “Heat Stroke”, Kent Jackson in Race 26 “Fast & Easy”, and Chris Weaver in Race 47 “Mach Chicken” running up and waiting for the green flag to drop to start the Formula One Bronze Race on Saturday morning.
Sam Swift and crew with four minutes to go before the Biplane Heat 3A on Friday morning. Race 3 “Smokin’ Hot” qualified at 197.918 mph and placed fourth in the class this year.
Andrew Findlay in Race 30 “One Moment” after a test flight on Tuesday afternoon. He qualified at 398.346 mph early in the week and repeated as the Sport Gold Champion on Sunday at 390.744 mph.
Vince Walker in Race 2 “Modo Mio”, Joe Coraggio in Race 611 “Ramp Rat’s Ride”, and John Flanagan in Race 34 “White Lightning” roll past Pylon 8 — two Lancair Legacies and a Glasair III battling it out in the Sport Class.
STOL Drag Race competitors Toby Ashley in Race 56 and Steve Henry in Race 44 get off the starting block. This event was a huge hit and the STOL Drag Races have already been announced for the 2020 schedule.
The SNJ-5 Texan from the CAF’s Southern California Wing in Camarillo arrives in front of a dark sky at dusk. The group’s contingent also included a PBJ-1J Mitchell, P-51 Mustang, F6F Hellcat, F8F Bearcat, and an A6M3 Zero.
The ramp was ecstatic to see Vicky Benzing in her newly acquired P-51 Mustang Race 64. Owned and flown for many years by Clay Lacy, this airframe has a long history at Reno, most notably as the 1970 Unlimited Champion.
Rick Torres arrives at dawn in his pristine 1959 Cessna 175 for the National Aviation Heritage Invitational.
The Jet Class Gold Final comes down “The Chute” on Sunday afternoon while the Unlimiteds move up the ramp in the Duck Walk to the lineup for their Gold Final. Pete Zaccagnino in a L-29 Delfin Race 24 “Just Lucky” was the Jet Champion.