Discover

'Air racing' is a sport that involves small airplanes and is practiced around the world. It is somewhat
similar to auto racing; however, corporate sponsorship and
broadcast media coverage occur at a much lower level than in auto
racing.

Contents

History

Notable air racers

Trivia

External links

History

The first event in air racing history was held in 1909; the Reims Air
Race from Reims, France to England lasted a week, drawing
the most important plane makers and pilots of the era, as well as many
celebrities and royalty. The event was won by Glenn Curtiss, who
outsped the second place finisher by five seconds. Curtiss was held as
"Champion Air Racer of the World". This event was held yearly for many
years.
Later on, the England to Australia air race was instituted, with
commercial airlines such as Air France,
Imperial Airways, KLM, Lufthansa, Pan Am, Qantas
and others participating. The major event was suspended during World
War II and never brought back.
Between 1913 and 1931 there was the Schneider Trophy which was very significant in advancing aeroplane design, particularly in the fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best fighters of WW2.
In 1921, the United States instituted the National Air Meets, which
became the National Air Races in 1924. In 1929, the Women's Air
Derby became a part of the National Air Races circuit. The National
Air Races lasted until 1939. The Cleveland Air Races were one of
the most important events of the National Air Races and outlived the
circuit by ten years, being held until 1949. That year, pilot Bill
Odom suffered a fatal crash during a race, killing himself and two
people -- a mother and her young son -- in a nearby house. In 1947, an
All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race (AWTAR) dubbed the "Powder Puff
Derby" was established. It ran successfully until 1977.
In 1964, Bill Stead, a Nevada rancher, pilot, and hydroplane
racing enthusiast, organized the first Reno Air Races at a small
dirt strip called Sky Ranch, located between Sparks, NV, and Pyramid
Lake. The so-called National Championship Air Races soon moved to
Reno Stead Airport and have been held there every September since
1966. The five-day event attracts attendance totalling about 200,000,
and includes racing around courses marked out by tall pylons by six
different classes of aircraft. It also features civil airshow acts,
military flight demonstrations, and a large static aircraft display.
Other promoters have run various pylon racing events across the nation,
including races in Mojave, CA in 1978; at Hamilton, CA, in 1988; in
Phoenix, AZ in 1994 and 1995; and in Tunica, Mississippi in 2005.

Recently, Red Bull has sponsored a series called the Red Bull Air
Race World Series in which competitors fly singly through a series of
gates, between which they must perform a prescribed series of
aerobatics maneuvers. Usually held over water near large cities,
the series has attracted large crowds and brought substantial media
interest in air racing for the first time in decades.

Notable air racers

★ Péter Besenyei

★ Kirby Chambliss

★ Bessie Coleman

★ Jacqueline Cochran

★ Glenn Curtiss

★ Jimmy Doolittle

★ Amelia Earhart

★ Daryl Greenamyer

★ Skip Holm

★ Bob Hoover

★ Laura Ingalls

★ Charles Kingsford Smith

★ Jimmy Leeward

★ Tony LeVier

★ Charles Lindbergh

★ Mike Mangold

★ Blanche Noyes

★ Bill Odom

★ Susan Oliver

★ Jon Sharp

★ Bill Stead

★ Patty Wagstaff

Trivia

★ Set in the 1930s, the movie ''Porco Rosso'' briefly touches on the
early days of air racing.

★ The Rocketeer features air racing prominently as the story is set
during the 1930's.

External links

★ Reno National Championship Air Races

★ Red Bull Air Race World Series

★ Aero GP

★ Tunica Air Races