National Air Races for Regular Pilots

Bob Axsom · #1 08-03-2005, 10:08 PM

U. S. Air Race, Inc. is putting together the National Air Races on September 23 through September 30 that gives almost every regular pilot an opportunity to race competitively. There are three races actually and they are all handicapped to give everyone a shot at winning. One race is a 300 mile triangular race out of Mesquite, Texas near Dallas on Sunday September 25. All electronic nav aids will be blocked for this race and you have to fly the course and find the turn points using charts and pilotage. There is also a race following the exact same format out of Monroe, North Carolina on Friday September 30. In between there is a 1,800 mile race with all nav aids available starting on Monday September 26 at Mesquite, Texas and ending on Wednesday September 28 at Monroe, North Carolina. You can enter one, two or all three races and pay the entry fees accordingly. There are trophies for all three races and cash prizes as well as the trophies for the long one. I have entered our RV-6A in all three races and it is the only experimental currently entered. Jay Blum had entered his Long EZ but if you saw his smiling photograph on the inside rear cover of the AirVenture Cup Race Program you know he was killed in a formation flying accident on July 10. It would be good if we could get some more entries. The web site is http://www.us-airrace.org. If you look at the "events" link there you will see much more is going on for the participants than the racing.

Bob Axsom

rv8ch · #2 08-03-2005, 11:09 PM

Just out of curiosity, do they start the faster aircraft first or last? I'd hate to be moseying along in my Mooney and have a faster aircraft, with a pilot trying to find a landmark on his sectional, visit me from behind.

Bob Axsom · #3 08-04-2005, 01:09 AM

I've flown in their races twice before but I'm not certain. As I recall in the long one at least they start in race # order with a 1 minute launch gap -maybe 30 sec. PPURCELLK@aol.com could tell you for sure. I have been passed by faster planes but the rate is not as great as it might seem when you subtract the speed of the plane being passed from that of the passor. There are a couple of Barons entered that are pretty fast but I don't expect a problem. All airplanes are now required to have a crew of two so the extra set of eyes helps avoid the situation where no one in the overtaking plane is looking.

My biggest problem in those pilotage races is finding the turn points at low altitude. You are not given the turn point information in the pilotage races until the night before the race. One thing I observed being done by a couple of SR-71 pilots (Harlon Hain and Charlie Daubs) that might help is to carry a detailed road map that I have coordinated with the sectional. At 1,000 ft AGL if you don't come pretty close to the turn in a part of the country you have never seen before, you probable will not see it at all. It is an attention getting challenge as you suggest and the extra set of eyes may be helpful - it never has been a savior for me but it can't hurt.

They are very safety conscious and have never had an accident in their races. They would probably consider it if it meant they would get more entries. They know the top speeds of all the entries so it is not something that couldn't be dealt with effectively.

Bob Axsom

Bob Axsom · #4 08-04-2005, 01:49 AM

I see at the us-airrace.org website that manufacturers Beechcraft, Cessna and Piper have stepped forward to inspire participation by pilots of their products in addition to the trophies and cash prizes being awarded by the race organizers. Nothing from Mooney or Van's but with only one RV entered I wouldn't expect anything else (well there is another reason). These are the announcements I found at the website:

July 22, 2005
The U.S. Air Race welcomes VAN BORTEL AIRCRAFT,INC. as a sponsor of the 2005 National Cross Country Air Races. Cessna's by Van Bortel is the premier Cessna dealership in the United States. Mr. George Van Bortel is sponsoring a pair of trophies to be awarded to the Highest Scoring Cessna entry.

July 3, 2005
The U.S. Air Race, Inc. welcomes Piedmont-Hawthorne, Inc/Garrett Aviation/Associated Air Center as sponsor of the Highest Scoring Beechcraft Trophy for the 2005 National Air Races. The world's largest Beechcraft dealer is pleased to honor the Beech pilots who can go the distance and have the right stuff.
The big question is....will it be one of the "Battling Barons" that takes the prize or will a very special Bonanza from Florida smoke the field. Maybe this will be the year that 1998 event winner Nancy Toon flies her own Beech Duchess! XC racing counts many loyal Beechcraft owners in it's ranks. If you fly a Beech, join the camaraderie and go for those trohpies.

June 30, 2005
The U.S. Air Race, Inc. is pleased to announce New Piper Aircraft is again sponsoring trophies for the Highest Scoring Piper entry in the 2005 National Air Races. New Piper Aircraft continues to build on its solid reputation and proudly recognizes the accomplishments of their loyal owners with this special award.
Cross Country Air Racing is a complete test of all pilot skills. The aircraft flown in these races are, for the most part, the owners personal planes. Piper has been well represented over our 10 year history. Winning teams have flown Piper Lances, Piper Comanches, a Piper Cherokee, a Piper Arrow and a Piper Geronimo. Competing Piper models have ranged from a 1947 Clipper to a shiney new 2003 Saratoga.
New Piper awarded two very spectacular trophies...they were huge...in 2004. Reports are, New Piper plans to make the winners in 2005 very happy with their awards. If you fly a Piper....here is one more reason to join the fun in September.

Bob Axsom · #5 08-25-2005, 02:48 PM

This appeared in the EAA Hotline today:

U.S. Air Race Events in September
Shelby Bowles and Jim Reed are set to defend their title in the 2005 U.S. Air Races next month. Events include the Cowhand 300, a navigational challenge that starts and ends at the Mesquite, Texas airport on September 25; the 1,800-mile Marion Jayne Air Race and Cruise, September 26-28, from Mesquite to Monroe, North Carolina; and the Carolinas 300 in Monroe September 30. Events are open to all pilots and all piston-powered aircraft. For complete information, including registration, rules, and regulations, visit www.us-airrace.org.

Shelby Bowles flies a Skymaster and has raced it in this event several times. The last time I checked the http://www.us-airrace.org website there were only 13 race numbers reserved and according to Pat Purcell who is putting the event together I have the only experimental entered. Jay H. Blum had entered his Long-EZ #78 but he was killed in a formation practice accident. I never met Jay and it is my loss - he was so popular that a full page is devoted to his memory in the Program for the AirVenture Cup Race. I'm sure that he like myself would like to see this race preserved as more and more are being shut down. If you are thinking about it checkout the website and contact Pat Purcell to get your entry rolling. They take entries right up to race time but there are some hoops to jump through and that always takes time. Hope to see you in the launch queue.

Bob Axsom, Racer #11

Bob Axsom · #6 08-31-2005, 09:08 AM

I was told that another pilot entered in a Cessna 172 but I don't have the details yet. Here is what I have been able to dig out:

Race # Pilot Airplane
3 Marvin Guthrie F33 Bonanza
5 Larry Morris B58 Baron
7 D. Hackler Arrow
8 D. Waters Tiger
11 B. Axsom RV-6A
12 Dale Frump Cherokee 180
21 L. Chubb Skyhawk
22 J. Wigney Europa
25 S. Morse Tiger
29 A. Mott Barron
39 Henry Punzi Mooney M20C
41 S. Bowles Skymaster
53 N/A - Reserved Only No Entry Yet
54 M. Giltner Mooney

N941WR · #7 08-31-2005, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Axsom

22 J. Wigney Europa

I know John and have flown his Europa. Good plane built and flown by a pilot. He will be a tough competitor. It has fallen on his shoulders to hold up the honor of our EAA chapter, or so he claims.

Bummer I have to pay my building bills or I would go out to the airport as they come through this area.

osxuser · #8 08-31-2005, 09:40 AM

When I did this type of race for collegete competition, the faster ones started first.

Bob Axsom · #9 09-03-2005, 08:19 PM

There are three races involved in this event. The two 300 milers and the first leg of the 1,800 miler will start in Race # order with a fixed launch interval. Each airplane has a handicap to level the playing field as much as possible and the throttles are firewalled (these are not rallies or proficiency demonstrations). The 300 mile race in Texas and the 300 mile race in the Carolinas are speed dashes with no stops where the 1,800 mile race (my favorite) consists of several roughly 300 mile straight legs with time lines at the beginning and end of each leg. All of the subsequent legs must be completed in three days (there is a official start and end of each race day - no night flying and no IFR) and the teams get to decide when they fly all but the first leg.

#53 dropped out and #10 has entered Ann Elise and Bobby Bennett in a Cessna 172.

Bob Axsom

Bob Axsom · #10 09-07-2005, 07:09 AM

This change announcement just appeared on the http://www.us-airrace.org website:

SEPTEMBER 6, 2005: The U.S. Air Race has changed a portion of the route of the 2005 Marion Jayne Air Race. Stop #3, Pagcagoula, Mississippi has been ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The relief efforts in that area will continue for many weeks. This stop has been replaced with a stop at Glasgow Municipal Airport, Glasgow, Kentucky.

As of this date, the Official Route for the 2005 Marion Jayne Air Race is Mesquite,TX-Miami,OK-Tunica,MS-Glasgow,KY-Gadsden,AL-Waycross,GA-Monroe,NC.

We look forward to having PQL on a future race route and wish them well during the process of rebuilding.

Bob Axsom