Qualifying

By R.G. “Smokey” Young, #77

Stepping out of my little camp trailer in the gravel parking area that sits just to the west of the RARA hanger on Stead Field, I was reminded of a scene from the movie “The Right Stuff.” I looked around the parking lot at the camp trailers, RV’s, and cargo trailers that had held race planes on their journey to Reno. Little gypsy caravans parked together, each identified with a different racing team. The sun was starting to dip low over the mountains, the wind was picking up and there was a chill in the air. I pulled my jacket tightly around me and started toward the hanger where my airplane was parked in its pit. It was then that I thought of the movie. It begins with scenes of the Mojave and a cluster of leather jacketed pilots and military officers milling about the Bell X-1. I looked around me and saw a similar scene, the high desert, blowing winds and silent figures moving between the hanger and our temporary village. The movie narrator, in his gravely voice describes a secret place in the high desert where the best pilots in the world came to fly the newest airplanes and do battle with the sound barrier. “They were called Test Pilots, and nobody knew their names.” So here we were. Another group of anonymous aviators gathered in the high desert getting ready to fly some of the most high performance, and exotic airplanes in the country. Although what we were doing was soon to be witnessed by over 200,000 people, the scene now was of isolation; pilots and crew chiefs solitary with their machines.

The hanger was well lit and warm compared to the outside air. As I went in the back door the brightly colored biplanes; Pitts, Mongs and an occasional Starduster sat to the left. Off to the right were the Formula 1’s, parked neatly in two rows with their noses pointed towards each other. It was Friday evening, a full six days before the races would officially begin but throughout the day racers and their planes had arrived.

The Reno Air Races take place in mid September each year beginning on a Thursday morning and ending on Sunday afternoon. This is when the crowds are there, the airshow acts perform and the vendors sell their wares. But for those who race the event begins almost a week prior. Airplanes must be assembled and readied for racing. Pilots and crews attend briefings, both by the race organizers and their individual class representatives. Finally, practice runs and time trials are held on the course to tweak every ounce of performance from the machines and to determine field position.

For the Formula 1 pilots the Friday prior to the races are generally spent getting the airplanes together and through technical inspections. Most Formula 1 aircraft arrive in the back of trailers. The wings as well as the majority of the fairings are removed for the journey. Each aircraft has a “pit” area within the big RARA hanger and here the airplanes are wheeled in, wings bolted back into position and preparations begun for racing. Friday and Saturday are spent in Tech Inspection. One of the first things you do on arrival is find the clip board with the inspection schedule posted on it and sign up for a time slot. Every aircraft must be inspected prior to time trials.

The inspection consists of two parts. There is an inspection of the airframe which centers predominantly on safety issues and an inspection of the power plant to confirm compliance with the class rules. Tom DeHart is Formula 1’s Technical Director. He and his team of volunteers are the unsung heroes of air racing. They go over each airplane with a thoroughness and professionalism that is unbelievable. They even do a computerized weight and balance check of each aircraft! I sat and watched as huge graduated glass syringes were used to pour oil into my cylinders checking displacement and swept volume. Another inspector measured my cam profile and another checked the aircrafts documentation.

Once tech inspections are completed the aircraft are reassembled and prepared for flying the course. The Formula 1 and Biplane Class pilots attend a mass brief every morning at 0700 prior to beginning flight operations. At this time the course schedule is given out, weather briefed and any other items of note, like the arrival of military airshow teams etc. is discussed. The first mass brief is on Sunday and for the next four days crews will fine tune and qualify their aircraft. Once the mass brief is completed the Formula 1 pilots will congregate in a circle in the hanger for our own “Ops Brief.” This is conducted by Jeff Gunn, our Operations Director and another unsung hero. Class specific issues as well as the game plan for launch and recovery are discussed at this time. Once the races start there will be an additional “mini brief” at the end of the runway just before the airplanes are pushed into position on the active.

Practice runs and qualifying will consume the next four days. Once the crew feels an airplane is ready to qualify the pilot will take it on the course, having previously let our operations people know that a qualifying attempt will be made. After several laps with engine warmed up and the pilot in his groove the run begins. A qualification lap is identified by the pilot executing a “wing rock” just rounding pylon six. The clock starts crossing the home pylon and the next two laps will be timed. The higher of the two determines qualifying speed.

There is a certain amount of gamesmanship and strategy involved in qualifying. Anyone involved in motorsports knows how important this part of the race can be. In vehicles very closely matched in speed the slight advantage gained through a better starting position can determine the winner of the race. In Formula 1 Air Racing it is especially crucial because the races begin with a “race horse start.” All aircraft are lined up on the runway and launch at once. There are eight aircraft in the field, three in the first row, lined up abreast with only 50 feet separating their wingtips. The next two aircraft are lined up 100 feet behind the first three, laterally spaced between the front aircraft. The last three airplanes are lined up abreast in a row 100 feet behind the middle row. Qualifying speed lets the pilot pick what spot he wants to start from. As you can imagine, a spot in the front row is preferably both from the standpoint of shortening the distance to the finish line and avoiding the churning wake that five propellers turning at 3000+ RPM will generate.

Also, the heat races are separated into classes. The fastest eight qualifiers will race in the Gold followed by the next eight in Silver and last eight in Bronze. The Gold races are held a little later in the day and promise more of a crowd. Each racing Class (Unlimited, Biplane etc.) has Gold, Silver and Bronze heat races.

So from Monday morning until Wednesday afternoon crews will watch the weather, both winds and temperature, trying to decide when to attempt their qualification runs. Mechanical issues will also drive the qualifying attempt. It isn’t at all unusual to see magnetos or even an entire engine being swapped in the pits on Monday or Tuesday night. Crews will work through the night trying to extract every last ounce of speed. In addition, pilots will discuss with their crew chiefs how far to advance the mags and how far back they are leaning on the course. Cylinder Head temps and RPM’s are balanced against each other for optimum performance.

Once qualification is complete, speeds and standings are posted on big “white boards” at the rear of the RARA hanger. Each racing class has a board, lined off into columns with black tape. They show the pilots name, race number, time and speed. After qualifying you amble back to the hanger and mill around as nonchalantly as possible while waiting for the times to be posted. Eventually they are written up and with a bit of a butterfly in your stomach you go back to see how you and the airplane did. Rank ordered and for all to see the times are posted. A few of the aviation press will be there snapping pictures, hard core aficionados will be checking the time of their favorite team and the individual pilots will be there comparing their speed against the rest of the pack. You look up to see what other seven pilots will be in the group you race in. Which one has the fastest qualifying speed? What is the speed differential between your airplane and the others that will be in your heat race? Competition begins here as well as race strategy. Now you can start to think about starting position and who you will be trying to beat come Thursday morning.

Photo 1: Qualifying times, 2003

Photo by Michael Hansen

Photo 2: Tightly wrapped engine compartment of Scotty Crandlemire’s “Outrageous.”

Photo by Smokey Young

Photo 3: Jack, Birch and “Scarlet Screamer.”

Photo by Gary Dalleske