Page 19 - Sept23T

| 12 | A scene like no other in the world. Where can you see a lineup including a Spitfire, a Corsair, a Mustang, a B-25, and a Grumman TBM Avenger? Probably nowhere other than Reno. Nothing more needs to be said.
| 13 | 232 September Fury is a highly modified Hawker Sea Fury. It was bought along with another partial airframe by the Sanders Family in November 1969. Frank Sanders re- stored the aircraft to airworthiness and raced in the California 1000 at Mojave in 1971. The aircraft would later be bought by Mike Brown and rebuilt with a Wright R-3350 engine.
| 14 | The B-25 Mitchell is such a historic and graceful aircraft. This one is part of the Texas Flying Legends fleet, called Betty’s Dream. It’s painted in honor of Captain Charles E. ‘Pop’ Rice, Jr. of the 345th BG Bats Outa Hell, assigned to Betty’s Dream in June 1945. It flew at Reno quite a bit in 2017, and I am hoping to see it more this year.
This is just a little taste of the National Championship Air Races at Reno-Stead in Nevada. I don’t know where the races will be held next, but I am certainly glad that I got to experience a part of it for several years.
Let me know about your Reno experiences over the years, and send some high-quality photos, too. I’d love to see them, especially since we won’t see Reno’s cinematic landscapes hosting the air races again.
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September 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 17