I call The Reno Air Races the “warbird” fan heaven because to me and a lot of other fans, that’s exactly what they are. The Reno Air Races are usually held the second or third week of September and last for a total of five days. There are six classes of planes that race, but by far the most popular class is the “Unlimited” class. They call it “Unlimited” because there are only two requirements of the airplanes entered; they have to have a piston engine and they have to have a propeller. As long as these two requirements are met, what the pilot can do to modify the plane is unlimited.
Most of the pilots have found that a good starting point for an Unlimited racer is a WWII fighter. That’s where the term “warbird” comes in. A warbird is really any aircraft type that was flown during a war, but to most people the term usually means a WWII fighter or bomber.
Probably the most popular WWII aircraft at Reno is the P-51D. Over the years, highly modified examples of this type have turned in some of the fastest laps at Reno and have won a lot of races. Just to show you the level of modification; a stock P-51D has about twelve hundred horsepower. A full race P-51D has about 3,000 hp! Quite a difference!
This results now in speeds over 500mph! Air racing really is the fastest motor sport in the world!
Over the years, there have been some homebuilt unlimiteds. There was one the was made out of aluminum that used a P-51 engine and ended up looking like a highly modified
P-51. Unfortunately, it crashed and was destroyed before its potential was fully realized,
There was another homebuilt unlimited that was made entirely of fiberglass and used two Nissan engines, but it crashed and was destroyed too before it won any races.
It’s always interesting to see what modifications the pilots come up with in their quest for just a little more speed.
I have been interested in airplanes ever since I was about three years old when I would see all the planes flying in and out of the local airport. I finally got my pilot’s license for gliders in 1977 and then for airplanes in 1978. I have been to a lot of airshows, but the Reno Air Races is the best place to see old airplanes.
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