Though air racing started in Europe during the early days of flight, it was during the 1930s that the idea of unlimited, anything goes, high-speed aero racing became part of Americana. It was during these events, some of them pylon races and others cross country events, that real gains in aeronautical engineering took place. It was probably the only time in aviation history where civilian aircraft were actually faster and more advanced than those operated by the military.

World War II stopped those glory days right in their tracks, and the evolution of aircraft returned to the military where it has basically been ever since.

Post WWII, the racing started again, but this time there were few if any new-build air racers, the majority of pilots, if not all, choosing surplus WWII fighters like the Bearcat, Mustang, King Cobra, Lightning, Corsair and others in which to battle the events. Following some rather horrendous accidents, the sport died in the very late 1940s only to be resurrected in 1964, again, with old WWII fighters that had been stripped out and modified. This time, the racing was strictly around pylons and the name synonymous with air racing has become Reno.

Now I've been to two major air racing events in my life. One in 1973 at Reno and another in 1976 at Mojave. Both times I was impressed with not only the aircraft, but the ease at which I was able to view them close up, talk to the pilots if I wanted to, visit the various booths, and sit pretty much where I wanted in the grandstand so I could enjoy the racing portion of the event. The air show atmosphere was relaxed with no hype; just men and women who liked airplanes of all sorts. All of the classes of 1973; Unlimited, Formula 1, Biplanes, and T-6 are still around with the addition of a Jet class for Aero L.39s and a Sport class for what are mostly kit planes with a maximum engine size of around 650 cubic inches.

Author Handleman uses this book to mostly showcase his own photography and so most of the more than 135 color photos in the book are from the last year or so at Reno. There are images from some previous events; mostly used for the historical introduction.

The book covers a bit of history, a look at how the sport has evolved over the years and then there are descriptions and photos of the aircraft that fly in the current classes at Reno. The photography is superb as Philip Handleman is an accomplished aircraft photographer. As a reader, you get drawn into the work and it gives you a great look at what goes on, without the noise or the often cold of Reno during race week. In addition to covering all the classes quite extensively, there is an appendix of all the race winning aircraft that have flown at Reno since racing started there in the early 1960s.

If you are looking for a historical look at the Reno races and the planes that flew there over the years, well, I have to say that this is not really it. If you want to know what it is like now, in the 21st century, then this is the book to have.

July 2007

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