Air Racing: Competition Continues to Improve Design
By Alan Smith
The Lancair “Legacy” races at Reno in the Sport Class. (Jan Peters)Any kind of motorsport provides a form of on-site engineering test and function improvement, and air racing has definitely contributed to the development of high performance aircraft. During the so-called Golden Age of air racing that went on for ten years prior to the second World War, wing flaps, retractable landing gear, engine superchargers and variable pitch propellers all came from determination to win the Thompson and Greve trophies. Even the high performance monoplane came out of that period in a racer named the Mystery Ship that won the first Thompson trophy race in 1929. Designed and built at the Travel Air company in the American Midwest, it defeated some of the best military aircraft the armed forces of the United States could come up with.
Kit-built Nemesis NXT raced by Kevin Eldridge at Reno. (Courtesy of Alan Smith)Now, at the National Championship Air Races held each September at Stead airfield just north of Reno NV, seven racing classes compete during a four day meet. They include sport biplanes, little formula one racers, the venerable AT-6 class (the only “one design” class at Reno with severely limited refinements allowed) and two “sport” classes, (sport and super sport) that represent both kit built and manufactured high speed personal aircraft for individual travel.
It is these classes that are benefiting from the sport of air racing. Each engineering team in each company wants to show up as “top gun” and enhance sales to private aviation customers.
There are two more classes, the jet class mostly populated by retired Russian jet trainers, and the unlimited class that consists of restored and modified World War II fighter aircraft. Some of the latter have been so completely modified that virtual redesign is the result. Still, the historic concept of the unlimited racer is antique. There are very few, if any, propeller driven combat aircraft left in the air forces of the world.
With unlimited class speeds now exceeding 500 mp, great care must be taken in inspecting the basic airframe and evaluating any changes in that airframe and the aircraft’s control systems. After the 2011 tragic misfortune, the levels of inspection will be raised to prevent any repeat of that kind of accident.
As the “star of the show” we are sure the unlimiteds will continue to thrill the spectators with high speed, sound, and great pilot skill. But notice should be taken of the other classes too where design growth and improvement is continuing. There one can watch airplanes built for high-performance personal use. Some of them can be built from a kit in a two car garage and then taken to a general aviation airport for final assembly and flight testing. With that done, the owner/builder will be ready for personal transportation at 200 mph or better without astronomical cost.
And, the world’s fastest motorsport will continue to provide color and thunder to September afternoons and be a real test environment for new ideas.
