Globe with the words Around the Pattern cured around the top half.

Pylon Racing Seminar

by

Being retired has it’s advantages in that I can pretty much guarantee that I will be in town for events that I would like to attend. Sometimes the home projects even line up with the right free time.T-6 class rounding the home pylon.

I was working in my hangar the week that this year’s Pylon Racing Seminar was being conducted at the Reno-Stead Airport. If you are not familiar with the Seminar you can check out this article I wrote on PRS after the session in 2009.

There seemed to be a lot more Sport planes and jets at the Seminar this year. I heard that there were about 120 people registered for the event – including both pilots and ground crew.  I didn’t see too many unlimited racers in attendance. There was a Corsair, a couple of Mustangs a Tiger Cat, the Precious Metal racer and Rare Bear.

I had the chance to talk with some friends that I hadn’t seen since Last September. We used to live in Northern California and had the Swift based at the Nut Tree Airport (KVCB) in Vacaville. The owners of the P-51 racing as “Jelly Belly” were a couple of hangers down from us, so we got to know them – as well as some of the local airport regulars who we now see working in various race pits.

Here are some of the photos I took during the week. You can see additional photos on the new site belonging to the Stead Airport Users Association.

 

Jet Racers at the Pylon Racing Seminar

 

A couple of the planes from the jet racing class.

 

Sport Class racers at PRS 2011.

Sport Class planes attending PRS 2011.

 

Radial Rocket preparing for a practice period.

 

A Radial Rocket racer was one of this year’s PRS entrants.

 

Lancair Sport Class Racer.

 

There were several Lancairs   and RVs attending the Pylon Racing Seminar this year.