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2020 Reno National Championship Air Races Canceled
July 2020 www.inflightusa.com
2020 STIHL NATIONAL
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The Reno Air Racing Association has announced the cancellation of the 2020 STIHL National Championship Air Races originally scheduled for Sept. 16–20.
The Reno Air Racing Association Board of Directors reiterated their principal concern for the safety and health of all involved and in light of continuing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus and government-imposed restrictions for large-scale events has decided to turn all efforts to 2021.
“This decision was not made lightly. It’s difficult to capture the sadness we feel for our September Family who we won’t have the chance to see this year. However, we need to approach this with safety for all involved as our highest priority,” said Fred Telling, CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association. “We recognize and appreciate the great responsibilities Nevada’s government leaders bear as they weigh health concerns against economic well-being for Nevada as a whole. With the June 24th announcement that the state of Nevada will remain under Phase Two guidelines for the foreseeable future we cannot feasibly move forward with planning our event.”
Recently, the University of Nevada, Reno conducted an economic impact study of the 2019 STIHL National Championship Air Races which found that the event hosts nearly 70,000 total unique attendees generating over $100 million in total economic impact to the Reno-Tahoe region by non-local visitors. The Reno Air Racing Association remains proud to offer free entry day for military members and veterans as well as inspire the next generation through STEM education giving more than 7,000 students free entry to experience the GRADD-NVBAA STEM Education Discovery Zone at the races each year.
“We are deeply conscious of the cultural and economic loss to the community due to the cancellation of so many special events this year. We look forward to hosting the 57th STIHL National Championship Air Races Sept. 15–19, 2021 but know we will need the continuing support of our fans and community more than ever,” said Telling.
According to Tony Logoteta, COO of the Reno Air Racing Association, many considerations were factored in to making the decision to cancel this year’s With the cancelation of the 2020 races, the Reno Air Racing Association sets sights on 2021 event Sept. 15-19. (Courtesy RARA) event. Besides the uncertainty around the state of the pandemic in September and safely hosting a large event in that climate, they took a hard look at the longterm ramifications.
“Beyond health and safety, our primary focus has to be the long-term viability of this iconic event rather than a highrisk gamble on the current year,” said Logoteta. “It’s been a challenging year for everyone and we have seen the financial effects across all revenue streams. It’s time for us to take a step back and assess our situation so that we can work toward ensuring the future of air racing beginning in 2021.”
According to Logoteta the organization saw an 80 percent overall decrease in revenue from March to June 2020 compared to 2019. As a 501(c)(3), the Reno Air Racing Association relies on donations, in addition to ticket sales, sponsorships, concessions and merchandise sales to host the event.
“We typically have a no refund policy on tickets because they are so essential to our ongoing operating income but given the circumstances, we will be providing more options for those who have already purchased tickets,” said Logoteta. “With that being said we are hoping that patrons will rollover their ticket purchases to the 2021 event or, if they are able, donate this year’s purchase as a taxdeductible contribution to help keep the Reno Air Races alive.”
The Reno Air Racing Association is asking that ticket holders submit their preference online by July 15, 2020. Requests will be collected and evaluated, and processing will begin later in July. If no request is made, the purchase will automatically rollover to the 2021 event. Please visit AirRace.org to learn more.
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Cover Story: Heart of the Lightsport World
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are not as robust as the Cessnas. I was not sure the landing gear would withstand hard landings. I could fly a Bristell for 10,000 hours and not have any maintenance problems because I know how to land. Then I thought that if I could teach the students to land like me, Bristell would be a great training aircraft. That is when I devised “The Landing Doctor” program. (www.thelandingdoc tor.com). Bad landings come in the beginning of training. They are the result of a balloon when the student applies too much backpressure. After the balloon the aircraft loses its energy and lands really hard. We teach students energy management by using ground proximity awareness training (GPA). This helps with energy management and teaches students to do a goaround when they balloon. Our GPA keeps our students from making hard landings and protects the aircraft. We have been using GPA in New York and Florida without a single incident. Unlike most schools, we seek out crosswinds so that our pilots learn how to land with crosswinds.
IF USA: Tell me more about your training program. Bristell Aircraft set up a flight academy in Sebring, FL, for a one-week accelerated training program. The key is to fly everyday throughout the training period. (Courtesy Bristell Aircraft)
LM: When you learn to fly, you must fly everyday. Many people start flight training, but they don’t fly everyday. That is why we set up our training academy and bought an affordable house near the airport in Sebring, Fla. Things are very economical there. We provide lightsport training with housing for only $30 per night and then we charge $135 per hour wet for the instructor and the Bristell (dual). It’s a pretty good deal. There is no reason people can’t come and stay with us for a week to get accelerated training. It does not take nearly as long because they are flying everyday. Once a week certainly will not cut it.
IF USA: Tell me about the 915 Engine. What is special about it?
LM: The Bristell was designed by aeronautical engineer, Milan Bristela, who owns the BRM Aero Factory in the Czech Republic. Milan focuses on keeping the plane light. A 915 with loaded avionics panel only weighs 852 pounds, well under the 900-pound ASTM legal limit. It can get a true airspeed of 170 knots at 12,500 feet because of the turbo which is managed by Rotax electronic control unit (ECU). The turbo is fully automated. There is also an intercooler that cools the Turbo charged hot air. The result is cooler temperatures and more power. The Rotax 915iS Turbo produces 135 HP up to 15,000 and the Bristell 915iS Turbo has a service ceiling of 25,000. (my Sky Ox portable oxygen bottle holds 13 hours of oxygen and is certified to 18,000 feet). There is no workload. Everything is controlled electronically.
IF USA: Is the aircraft capable of being a seaplane as well?
LM: No, it is not. Everybody wants to have a seaplane and land in the water. It’s just a hoot. I love it. I thought about getting an ICON, but I never did as it was too expensive. I ended up with an Aero Adventura and we are also the exclusive USA Sales agent for Aero Adventura. This will be the seaplane in our school in Sebring, and it is a third of the price of the ICON.
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1975 PIPER CHIEFTAIN PA-31-350 1985 CESSNA CITATION 501 – N361DE
N66AT - 12,100 TT, 1470/1495 SMOH (2007), 488 SPOH (2014), King digital, 160 radar, aux heat, last flown July 2013.
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