Reno 2011

[djpacro]

From a friend there:

 

I was in the grandstands no more than 100ft from the point of impact, close enough to feel the shock waves and get peppered with fine debris. I feel very fortunate to have escaped unscathed.The affects on those in the box seats was absolutely horrific. I can't speak to the number killed and injured, but if anything the press has understated the nature of the carnage. I'll say no more on that subject.

 

I wasn't looking at Galloping Ghost when it went out of control, but spotted it on its upward trajectory after hearing several people exclaim. Even going uphill it was flying as if there had been a major control system failure, and it was hauling ass. Then, so fast that I can't even tell you how it happened, it was coming down very very fast and still gyrating. I believe it was still making full power at impact.

 

For a moment it looked like It would go behind the grandstand, then it headed right for me (about 15 rows up), then it went slightly back towards the runway. Everything happened so fast and the plane's trajectory looked so random that there was no way to move out of the way at all. All I could do is duck and cover.

 

On the one hand, there was obviously some evil luck at work. The spectator area is a small fraction of the 8+ mile course, after all. On the other hand, only those close to the impact point were hurt because the Mustang was headed slightly towards the northeast when it hit, so most of the debris went away from most of the crowd. And that debris went a long ways

 

Pieces of the blue AstroTurf carpet from the box area were blown a good 150 yards to the northeast. I'd guesstimate that the biggest chunk of engine traveled at least a quarter-mile. This despite the fact that the impact was almost vertical. There was a sizable crater in the asphalt.

[fly_tornado]

have a look @ the photos i took http://s880.photobucket.com/albums/ac7/flynow2010/reno2011/

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Up until the accident it was a great event, its just go go go all day with different planes either performing or racing. They even had a U2 fly by after lunch which was different.

 

I would strongly recommend going to Reno for anyone with an interest in aviation as its just an amazing event. The racing is something special though, its just incredible to watch racers pass and repass at speed, especially the jets and unlimited gold planes.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

man that was close, no wonder my brain is wired, I was sitting to the left of that lamp post

 

 

 

[eightyknots]

man that was close, no wonder my brain is wired, I was sitting to the left of that lamp post

F_T: I am so happy for you that you're OK!!! Only a small difference in the flight path and the picture may have been very different.

 

My heart goes out to the injured and the family members who have lost loved ones. Also a special thought for those who were uninjured (i.e., like our very own fly_tornado forum member) because such a shocking event still has a big impact and leaves a mental scar.

 

I hope you will be fine in the days ahead F_T. I am sure that I am speaking on behalf of the RecFlying Forum Family that we are all thinking of you.

 

 

[Litespeed]

Fly-

 

I am saddened by this carnage and hope that all who witnessed it are able to absorb what has happened. It is so far outside the normal human experience that shock and disbelief are quite normal. Many emotions will surface in coming days, weeks and months-this is the only way humans have of dealing with such events.

 

The emotional scars that follow are unique to the individual but can be substantial. You must do what feels right for you and not what others say. By all means if you can talk it over with fellow survivors/witnesses.

 

Never feel ashamed that you survived and others did not- this is a natural reaction, but you had no say in what happened.

 

It is a terrible experience you have had and should never blame yourself if you have difficulty in the future with it.

 

I only hope that the physical and emotional recovery is full for all those involved.

 

Just remember- Real Men do Cry. If you need to cry, punch a wall, kick a can or whatever- just do what you need to.

 

No man is a island and I am sure the community on this forum will help you, just ask.

 

Phil

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

As tragic as it is that is one amazing photo. Unfortunatly it's just the shot that those wanting to close the whole thing down could well use to support their case. A doomed race plane headed for the crowd......................Maj...

 

 

[fly_tornado]

The problem for everyone now is that we where all due to go the racing for the weekend and there is not a lot to do in Reno apart from gamble.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Fly-tornado, A couple of suggestions for you, and I am assuming you have a rent-a car or something. We used to go North after the races to a large lake north of Reno called Lake Pyramid. It's on piute indian land, there's not many up there and it's a great place to kick back for a couple of days. Very spectacular scenery, and it's where many movies have been filmed including some scenes from the planet of the apes. Very spectacular lake in the desert.

 

Or you could drive the short distance up the mountains to Virgina City, a very old well-preserved cowboy silver-mining town. This is where the famous 'Comstock Lode' was found.

 

Or you could go south on Hwy 395 down to Carson City which is the capital of Nevada. Very interesting airport here to explore, with another little private airport just to the west called Parker Carson . I flew the Lazair out of here a couple of times. Gets it's name from the owner who is an aire of the Parker Pen company. ULs here.

 

Just a little south again is Minden, one of the worlds best soaring centers, always a great place to hang around or bum a free ride if your lucky.....................................enjoy.................................Maj...

 

 

[fly_tornado]

I am a bit over America today, just not in the mood for being a tourist. I will take it easy for the rest of the weekend and try and make the most of my 3 days in SF

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Take a tour of Alcatraz prison if you are in SF,..facinating, and of course all types of great resturants in particular great mexican ones down in the Mission district...............................................Maj...

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

I am a bit over America today, just not in the mood for being a tourist. I will take it easy for the rest of the weekend and try and make the most of my 3 days in SF

It's quite a drive, but Yosemite National Park is spectacular. A nice scenic place for a walk beside a mountain river, or a bit of a hike if you feel like it.

I did the return drive from San Hose (just south of San Francisco) in a day with a couple of hours to look around. It was a long day.. Start at 07:00 and return about 23:00, but that was partly because the park rangers told us a short cut back, which turned out to be 200 miles longer! Driving long distances has never bothered me, if it was worthwhile :-)

 

Best wishes to you FT. Not something anyone wants to experience.

 

 

[Bryon]

FT,

 

death is not a pretty sight,

 

being close to death is a reality check

 

Why were you there, because Reno is the epitome of high speed adrenelin rushing low level flying

 

As soon as you can, get in a plane and fly, experience the wonder of flight and ask yourself why those guys were there

 

because they loved to fly

 

Everything we do in life is risky

 

Sometimes the odds are stacked against us

 

But do we stop going to work each day because the stats say that we are more likely to die in a car crash on the way to work

 

Learn from this experience and cherish every moment you have on this earth

 

Take the risks, but manage the risk and enjoy the flying

 

I believe you will become a better pilot because of this

 

Cheers

 

Bryon

 

 

[fly_tornado]

I am over the worst of it now, it hasn't put me of flying, accidents happen.

 

I will have to start planning for my next visit to Reno, it will probably be in 2013.

 

 

[Bryon]

Way to go FT

 

 

[fly_tornado]

SO I will fill everyone in a few details before I forget. I am really bummed about the accident being the highlight of my trip to Reno as apart from the accident it was a pretty awesome trip.

 

So my journey to Reno starts in Lincoln, I went to the SAC museum on the day I left Nebraska and it was a pretty cool museum, definitely worth seeing if you are in Lincoln but probably not worth travelling to it unless its on the way to somewhere else. So I flew into Denver from Lincoln on Monday night, I had a nice chat to a Korean American called Kevin, I never quite worked out the attraction of the name Kevin in Asian culture. I ended taking the bus into Denver and walked to the next bus connect to find the bus stop had vanished due to construction. I jumped on a bus going the wrong way to get directions, inner city Denver looked pretty poor so I grabbed a cab. Next morning I headed out of Denver on the Amtrak headed back into the mountains, the scenery is fantastic and the run into Reno is uneventful. the thing that strikes me about American wilderness is how little wildlife there is there. My tally: 1 squirrel, 1 gopher, 1 deer.

 

So I caught the bus to my motel in the morning and waiting by the side of the road its boiling hot in Reno, 30 plus heat. Reno is a bit of a dive as I notice a heap of pawn shops and pay day loans businesses on the way to my motel. The bus is full of Latinos and everyone looked unhappy or tired, I guess they are on there way home after a night's work.

 

So I spent Wednesday in the motel and ventured out that afternoon to check out Reno. I found a Spanish supermarket complete with a pokies room, beer is $1 a stubby in cases of 12 and 18 bottles. All the staff speak Spanish and their pronunciation in English is a bit hit and miss and its a bit baffling what they are saying half the time.

 

Next day I am off to Stead Field for the first day of organised racing.

 

 

[winsor68]

More please.

 

I am very interested in your trip Tornado... I guess we all let the spectacular results of this years Reno get in the way of actually hearing the story from someone who went. Sorry. Please go on.

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Thursday's big highlight was the Thunderbird's display, which actually turned out to be a bit flat. The F16 has an amazing roll rate, it really is a stunt plane with guns. The choreography of the Thunderbirds was too loose and they didn't have the teamwork that the Blue Angels had, too much "turn and burn".

 

When I left the motel in the morning I wandered over to the 711 next too the motel to grab a cup of coffee and it was truely awful, it ended up in the flower bed at the Peppermill casino. They had 4 pokies in the 711 and a young black guy was getting into it @ 9am. There are 13 pots of this coffee in the 711, I wonder why they bother if it all tastes bad. At the Peppermill, I catch my bus and a decent latte. Walking past the Peppermill is disgusting, the automatic doors open and this foul cigarette smell wafts out of the pokie room. On the bus I ended having a decent chat with Jerry, a retired Dell computers exec who speaks geek and we do the rounds of the casinos to pickup people. Jerry is a first timer and has come up from Texas. I spy 2 Aussies hoping onto the coach with v8 Supercar hats and shirts, I am pleased to see them get on the bus on Friday afternoon.

 

Takes about 30 minutes to get to Stead field and the event is huge. Just massive, its well over a kilometre of planes, planes and planes. I have never seen so many planes and in a carnival atmosphere, you can't help but feel good. One of the nice things is a lot of the locals open their hangars up for their friends and they have other toys in their in the hangars apart from planes. The hangars are huge, all 2 storeys high, its a real contrast to the poverty of downtown Reno.

 

So I head over to watch the racing and there is a F6F Hellcat and a F8F Bearcat parked on the tarmac, they look brand new! Part of the 100 years of Naval Aviation celebration.

 

The Super Sport racing is pretty good, they are flying around 300-350mph laps and they are looking evenly matched.

 

I wander over to watch Rare Bear being put back to pieces, she has had issues and is still not 100%. What is most striking about Rare Bear is how big the motor is in proportion to the wings. They are cut down to what looks like a 30' wingspan but its really thick profile. When its back together, the prop, spinner and motor cowlings look huge.

 

So the next thing I see that was cool was a Predator drone. I wandered over and had a chat with one of the mechanics. I kept thinking that if you ripped out the electronics it would make an awesome 2 seat tandem. The mechanic tells me it has a 900hp turboprop, 170mph cruise, 19 hour range. Drones make a lot of sense for the ADF.

 

I chanced a Burrito for brunch, at $8 and water was $2.50-3.50 a bottle, I felt a little homesick at those prices.

 

So at the eastern end you have the military display. the concourse section and the jet pit.

 

At the western end you have the pits, home to the unlimited and the AT6s and the hangars for the F1, biplane and Supersport planes.

 

From west to east, The VIP section was in the pits and the reserved grandstand was behind the box seats and next to that was the public grandstand.

 

Reserved grandstand was sections A through to I and I was in I, Jerry was in section G.