Editor’s note: We let Steve roam freely around the pits in Reno. Besides the stories he posted from around Reno Stead, here’s what he saw through his camera.
Wayne Ishii taping intersection fairings on Race 744 F1 Rocket in search of another 0.1 knot. His son, Tommy, pilots the F1 in the sport class. He has been racing since 2017, starting out in an RV-6, then graduating to an RV-8 and now flying this F1 Rocket.Tommy Ishii, pilot of Race 744, has been racing homebuilts since 2017. He started out in aRV-6In commemoration of the last Reno Sport Pilot class races, Tommy Ishii and his team commissioned a special beer, the Millennial Hazy IPA. It has been a big hit around the pits.In commemoration of the last Reno Sport Pilot class races, Tommy Ishii and his team commissioned a special beer, the Millennial Hazy IPA. It has been a big hit around the pits.Jason Rovey built this RV-8 in 2007 and started racing it in 2013. With it’s Lycoming parallel valve IO-360, Race 76 is the smallest engine in the Sport Racing Class. Nitrous oxide and a water spray cooling system keeps him in the pack.Wrench Julian Arnou prepares F1 Race 21 for the next heat.All that powers these F1 racers is a mostly unmolested Continental 0-200 engine that racers wind up to 3800-4000 RPM with highly tweaked props. Race 21 hides its prop secrets with decorative socks.Race engineers Tom Pecharich (left) and Joshua Stueck work on insulating the intake runners on Race 7, a Glasair 3, piloted by Kevin Eldridge (of NXT fame).Race 7 provides the most expensive hat rack in history.Very rare Faiery Firefly displayed at Reno. This reconnaissance /fighter served near the end of WWI and helped sink the Nazi battleship Tirpitz. It looks a little like a P-51 from the front.But it is all recon business in the back. Note: the Brits were obviously not into macho naming their warbirds.Drag STOL racer Justin Tisdale with his Honda Fit powered Zenith 750 STOL. It is a rare tricycle gear competitor built more for go (and sudden stops) and less for show.One thing Justin did splurge for: 30” main tires and 26” nose tire. These set him back $8,0000. Racer’s tip: you can extend tread life with spray on bed liner. Tough and durable. I kid you not.F-35 Lightning II at Reno. Sadly, disqualified from the Jet class competition.
Heat and avionics don't get along all that well. Rather than installing a fan that runs all the time, Jim Weir suggests building and using a fan that runs only when you need it.
Eventually even the best company founders want to retire, and Dick VanGrunsven of Vans Aircraft is no exception. Editor-in-Chief Marc Cook discusses the succession plan and why the future continues to look bright for this Pacific Northwest luminary.
