Flying the Reno National Championship Air Races 2006
Bittersweet #9

In 2004 I attended the National Championship Air Races ( www.airrace.org ) in Reno, Nevada to watch a friend, Gene McNeely race his T-6.  I watched all the classes, but the biplanes  ( http://www.airrace.org/classBipe.php ) and formula ones really caught my eye as they were small, quick, and I saw passing!

So, in March 2006 I bought a Pitts S1 to bring to Reno and race myself.  I wasn’t looking for a winner my first year and I thought for my Rookie experience this was a good airplane that could help me learn the ropes.  Although it was in good shape and ran well, it did not have a battery, alternator or permanent radio.  I was just not in love with this airplane so I named it Bittersweet.  With the help of Paul Lopez and other pilots and mechanics at Spruce Creek, I got it ready for Reno after many long hot hours in the Florida hangar. 

To qualify as a pilot, I attended the Pylon Racing Seminar or “Rookie School” in Reno since I had not raced before (or had not raced in the last three years in my class).  I was fortunate to fly with a veteran race pilot in a Pitts S2B, practicing on the course during the Rookie School they hold in June. 

In August, a month before the race I took the blue Pitts S1 from Spruce Creek to Reno, flying 1 hr 50 min legs, stopping 14 times.  It took me 2 ½ days to get there!  I really enjoy flying by myself.  I admit I did first ask a few Pitts pilots to fly it there for me, but one of my acro friends suggested I ought to bond with my airplane, and getting it there would give me plenty of time to do so.  He sure was right, and I’m glad I was the one to fly it to the race.

What I hadn’t noticed a few years ago was the amount of incredible modifications on most of the Pitts biplanes.  Streamlined cowlings, RV type streamlined wheel pants, wingtip extensions, spring gear and even tailwheel pants were added to many.  Some of the mods made it so that the biplanes were no longer capable of flying a competitive sportsman aerobatics sequence, but they sure were pretty and flew fast!  A few veteran pilots even let me borrow their secrets which gave me a couple knots in the last heat. 

Two days before the races, Bittersweet and I qualified second to last, which placed me beginning the first heat 6 out of 8 in the biplane bronze category.  I can’t blame it all on the little blue airplane, but I have to say it was good for aerobatics, and for the race it was slow with clipped Sparcraft wings, four ailerons, and a climb prop!

We started the races from takeoff which was a great deal of fun.  When I bought the Pitts from the high desert of New Mexico, the propeller was pitched to climb.  My original plan was to change the pitch to cruise, but then decided I’d take it out to Reno and see how it did for my first year.  At the end I’m glad I didn’t change it.  Although I was slow around the course on the straight-aways, I was able to get ahead of the person in my row during each start.  By the second heat I learned to climb a little higher using that prop to get ahead, and then slowly descend down to get the much needed spacing. 

During the second heat on Thursday the wind was blowing from the West and we had to change direction for take-off (and of course start direction).  This meant we would take-off and maneuver around scatter pylons so that we could begin the race in the correct direction (turning left).  After take-off we turned slightly to the right for a scatter pylon (pylons we don’t normally fly around in a race), made about a 90 degree turn to the left for a T-6 pylon, and another nearly 90 degree turn to the left to get us back on course towards pylon #1.  These pylons were close to the hangars at the West end of the field which were inside the FAA’s deadline.  If we flew over the hangars we would be disqualified.  I was pretty excited to fly around the scatter pylons and was secretly happy the wind had us reversing course.  I told myself it would be like flying an unknown sequence in aerobatic competition!  Keep your situational awareness high and stay focused.  It turned out to be very fun, and it kept eight airplanes tight on a small course.  I loved it!

My proudest moment was passing a veteran racer and good pilot.  He and I started on the same line on the third and last race.  I was on the outside, and when the green flag went down I climbed high and then slowly descended back down to get away from him.  I still wonder if he was having airplane problems in his pretty plane painted in Gee-Bee colors, or if I was just doing a good job!  That race was definitely my favorite and I came in 4th overall ( http://www.airrace.org/2006ResultsDisplay.php )  in my group of 8 in the Bronze category.  It was a fun category with passing amongst the guys ahead and behind, and it surely was not a parade. 

Four women raced at Reno this year including myself.  I started and stayed ahead of one, and passed another in our bi-plane class.  The fourth woman flew in the Sport class.  There was a lot of talk and a big ta-do with the races that included more than three women, and NBC-Reno came out to shoot us for the news.  We all lined up our airplanes and pretended to wave for the cameras!

2 I couldn’t have flown so relaxed without Paul’s help.  He kept the airplane ready to fly and went along with all our ideas to make the airplane go faster during the race week.  From cardboard cutouts for making fairings, to adding thick washers under the horizontal stab in the tail in order to change the angle of attack, he was always thinking about the little Pitts and never complained.  Thank you!

I gained a little experience running the course, and learned a lot from the veterans.  Next time I would like to go out with a faster airplane.  I don’t know what it will be in yet since the little blue S1S is sold, but it is in the works for the future!

Onward and Upward!
Erica