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The Reno Air Racing Association is Full Throttle in 2022
The organization is making bold strides with its “Racing for the Future” campaign.
By Greg Gibson
Most people in aviation are familiar with the Reno Air Races as “The World’s Fastest Motorsport”, with seven racing classes and blistering action happening each September in the Nevada desert since 1964. But recently, the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) is on an ambitious new track, blasting into the 58th National Championship Air Races in 2022 with their “Racing for the Future” campaign.
The slogan has meaning on many levels, according to RARA President and CEO Fred Telling. “The National Championship Air Races are alive and recovering from the challenges we faced during COVID along with the rest of the world,” he said in a recent interview. “Racing for the Future” embodies our intent to not only carry on our rich heritage of air racing at Reno, but to expand our horizons by adding layers of engagement that will reach younger generations to instill them with the amazing and fulfilling passion for flight that we have promoted since 1964.” And expand they have, exemplifying the organizations emerging vision to Establish the National Championship Air Races as a pinnacle of inspiration, education, and exhilaration for people of all ages.
In 2015, RARA unveiled the STEM Education Discovery Zone in partnership with Global Robot and Drone Deployment (GRADD) and the Nevada Business Aviation Association (NVBAA). The group’s joint mission is to educate local youth through applications of the latest STEM technology and teach critical-thinking and problem-solving skills through collaborative hands-on projects. The Discovery Zone uses the Air Races as a focal point for these amazing programs and includes a drone flying zone, flight simulators, 3D printing zone, a hydraulic robotic arm, STEM Arcade and much more. Plus, kids who participate in the STEM Discovery Zone are awarded free access to the National Championship Air Races for the remainder of the week. This amazing addition is extremely well attended, hosting more than 6000 students annually since 2018. Additionally, the program offers FREE UAV/UAS Certification for active military, veterans, first responders, high school students and educators during several nine-week sessions held throughout the year.
At the 2021 Air Races, Telling made two milestone announcements regarding the organization’s continued forward thinking and determined action. First, he revealed that the company has partnered with Microsoft to release The Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack and Reno Air Races: Full Collection as add-ons to one of its longest running games - the immensely popular Microsoft Flight Simulator. For more than a year and a half, Microsoft and RARA worked with dozens of race teams and aircraft owners who volunteered their time to help with the project.
“It is incredible how accurately Microsoft Flight Simulator depicts the excitement of the real-world Air Races, and we are excited to reach a completely new audience and inspire millions of young people to explore the field of aviation and maybe one day race here in Reno,” said Tony Logoteta, COO of RARA.
Hot-blooded virtual racers can purchase the Reno Air Races: Expansion Pack which includes the exhilarating, online multiplayer racing phenomenon along with four highly detailed starter aircraft. For the maximum experience, The Reno Air Races: Full Collection is available, which offers 40 unique, officially licensed and carefully modeled planes – 10 North American P-51 Mustangs, 10 North American T-6 Texans, 10 Aero L-39 Albatros’, and 10 Aviat Pitts Special S1S. Among them are many famous “Gold” champions like Miss America, Strega, Voodoo, Baron’s Revenge, Radial Velocity, Six-Cat, American Spirit, and Pipsqueak, and many other top racers from RARA’s rich history.
After almost a year with game sales strong and developing a considerable following, RARA and Microsoft are in discussions to host a Virtual Air Race Championship to coincide with the real thing during the 59th National Championship Air Races in 2023. Logoteta is optimistic and said “We’d love to see how the real racers would fare against their virtual counterparts. I’m sure they would have their hands full and hearts racing!”
The second of Telling’s announcements revealed that RARA would be awarding and administrating up to 10 scholarships for local area students to earn their Private Pilot’s License (PPL). Supported by a fundraising campaign and matching grant from the Ray Foundation, the application window for the scholarships opened to 16–22-year-olds in the Reno region on December 1st, 2021.
“With the success of our STEM education program, it made sense to expand the reach into financial assistance,” said Telling. “Flight training used to be something a summer job could pay for, but in today’s economy that really isn’t realistic. We are thrilled to be able to provide this path to deserving young people to help them realize their dreams of flight.”
This past April 2022, ten aspiring young pilots were awarded scholarships to help achieve their PPL. Modeled after successful programs at SUN ‘n FUN’s Aerospace Center for Excellence, AOPA, and EAA, the program borrows best practices and administrative policies to ensure the best chance of success for the young pilots in training. Mentors are available to help the students with specific challenges during their journey.
Greg Gibson, Scholarship Coordinator for RARA, said “Providing these scholarships not only gives these students an opportunity to learn to fly, but sends the message that the Reno Air Races are fully invested in contributing more to the future of flight than just inspiration on the track.”
Flight training began over the summer months, and several of the students have now completed their training with the rest not far behind. Gibson said the students’ experience wasn’t that limited to just their flight training, and that they acted as official ambassadors to this year’s National Championship Air Races, meeting the pilots and sharing their journey and accomplishments with race fans.
Racing for the Future is full throttle, and with these and other initiatives RARA has set the pace for both self-sustainment and expansion. Telling has been very active in researching additional locations to host Air Racing under the RARA flag, and while those plans are still in development, he hopes to announce new venues soon. “Air Racing has such a rich American narrative, and we’d like to see our Race Classes expand to other venues that could allow more pilots to participate and grow the sport,” he said.
For more information on the National Championship Air Races, scholarships, and other news, please visit airrace.org and follow Reno Air Racing Association on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.