A Sight No More: Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-300s

It's the end of an era for Southwest Airlines! As of today, the airline is bidding farewell and retiring their oldest planes, the Boeing 737-300, the last of their "Classics" to make way for the new 737 MAX; the airline quietly began taking deliveries of the new plane earlier this month. With the addition of the 737 MAX and retirement of the 737-300, Southwest Airlines now has a modern fleet. The airline has been operating the -300 variant of the 737 family since the 1980s. Introduced on December 17, 1984, the 737-300 gave Southwest the capability and range to become a major airline in the United States and allowed service from coast to coast. It was the plane that helped the airline shed it's underdog status following humble, regional beginnings.

Allegedly, the accelerated retirement of the 737-300 was due to a dispute over training requirements between the airline and the Southwest Airlines Pilots' Union back in April 2016. Because the FAA mandated a varying and independent training requirement for the Classic family of the Boeing 737s versus the Next Generation (737NG) family and with the impending delivery of the new 737 MAX series, the airline suggested separating a group of pilots that would specialize in flying the 737-300s exclusively. Of course, the proposal didn't sit well with the pilots' union and was flat out rejected; there's even speculation that the union believes that such a move was divisive action by Southwest that led to the rapid replacement of the Classic fleet in favor of the Boeing 737 MAX.

Southwest Airlines is the last major U.S. carrier to operate the Boeing 737-300. In tribute of their retirement, here is a photo montage of the all the 737-300s I photographed over the years:

Boeing 737-3H4 (N383SW) "Arizona One."

Boeing 737-3T0 (N697SW). This very airframe was the same one that operated as TACA Airlines Flight 110 that made the famous deadstick landing on a Louisiana grass levee following a dual engine flameout on May 24, 1988.

Boeing 737-3G7 (N691WN).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N622SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N613SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N606SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N635SW).

Boeing 737-3Q8 (N685SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N368SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N643SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N365SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N640SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N394SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N656SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N602SW).

Boeing 737-3H4 (N380SW).

After 32 years of service, we bid farewell to a venerable, classic, old workhorse!

Pilot Life: Slow Flight, Stalls, and Landing Practice.

Things are starting to come together. I'm getting close to being ready for that long-awaited (not to mention overdue) checkride. My instructor and I went up for a short flight. The only things we did today was polishing up on slow flight/slow cruise, stalls, and landings.

Another round with good ole N802CT!

After pre-flight, we fueled up the aircraft and got started up. We taxied, did our run-ups and got airborne before flying south to practice maneuvers. After we got some distance between us and the Spanish Fork Airport, my instructor had me configure the airplane into slow cruise with full flaps extended. From there it was a matter of maintaining altitude, gently banking to the headings my instructor called out, applying power where necessary while cruising at a speed just shy of the stall warning going off. Satisfied, we then did some stalls, both power-on and power-off. After some initial set-ups, I got them done almost flawlessly; I just needed to remember to stay coordinated by maintaining my current heading, which meant making small adjustments with the stick and rudders.

Satisfied with stalls, we headed back to the airport. My instructor also threw a curve ball at me by pulling the throttle back to simulate an engine failure en route. We were still plenty high enough so that gave me a chance to go through the emergency checklist to simulate a in-flight restart. Obviously, we assumed that failed so it was time for a simulated emergency landing, by doing an engine-out landing on the runway! In the end, we made it to the runway by maintaining the airplane's best glide speed and putting in flaps when landing was assured. After touching down, I advanced the throttles and got back in the air and flew the traffic pattern. After doing the simulated engine out landing, my instructor had me do a soft-field landing followed by one last circuit in the pattern to set up for a short-field landing. I pretty much nailed the soft-field landing, but I definitely needed to polish up the short-field landing, so I'll get some more practice on that next week. After the final landing, we called it a successful training flight and returned to the ramp and parked the plane. And I've got the satisfaction of flying five days in a row this week!

Gallery Update: Chasing an Envoy Air ERJ-135 in Provo

Last night, I noticed on Flightradar24.com that an Envoy Air flight was scheduled to fly into Provo this morning. I made a mental note of it and double checked on FlightAware this morning and it was confirmed; an Envoy Air Embraer Regional Jet was inbound to Provo! Considering that I haven't photographed a member of the ERJ-145 family (an ERJ-140 to be exact!) in airline colors nor an Envoy Air jet before, I just knew I had to jump at this opportunity.

Envoy Air, formerly known as American Eagle Airlines is a wholly owned subsidiary of the American Airlines Group responsible for feeding the American Airlines route network under the American Eagle brand along with other regional carriers. The regional affiliate was established on January 14, 2014 when American Airlines Group officially announced the re-branding of its American Eagle subsidiary as Envoy. American Eagle went from a regional airline name to just a brand. Aircraft operated by American Eagle continued to operate under the current American Eagle branding, but an "Operated by Envoy Air" label was added, as is the case when contractors fly American Eagle branded aircraft. The reason behind the re-brand was to avoid confusion when American Airlines announced that other regional carriers would operate on behalf of American as a result of the mainline carrier going into Chapter 11 bankruptcy and reorganization in late-2011. The Envoy name was a reincarnation of the now-defunct Envoy Class of seating on US Airways aircraft.

The reason behind today's Envoy flight into Provo was because of the Aviation Science program at Utah Valley University; the flight school announced a new bridge program with Envoy Air earlier this month. And apparently, the agreement was signed today, hence the appearance of an Envoy ERJ at Provo to commemorate the new partnership. After I photographed the arriving Envoy Air ERJ-140 this morning, I headed down to Spanish Fork to go flying with my instructor. After the flight, I returned to the Provo Airport to catch the same ERJ on its departure flight.

Provo (PVU) 42

Preview:

Envoy Air (d/b/a American Eagle) Embraer EMB-135KL ERJ-140LR (N856AE) on short final for 13 arriving from Dallas/Fort Worth as ENY9800. My first time photographing Envoy Air and first time photographing an ERJ-140!

Allegiant Air McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (N429NV) on short final for 13 arriving from Los Angeles as AAY344. Another "Mad Dog" equipment substitution in lieu of an Airbus for Provo this morning!

N856AE taxiing on taxiway A for departure back to Dallas/Fort Worth as ENY9801 after spending several hours with Utah Valley University Aviation.

Face-to-face with the ERJ-140!  The ERJ-145 family is unique because it uses the same fuselage cross-section and the same nose for the EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop, which proved to be effective in reducing development costs. The ERJ even shares a 75% parts commonality with its turboprop predecessor.

Piper PA-23-250 Aztec (N18MW) on short final for 13 arriving from Albuquerque.

ENY9801 taking 13 for departure to Dallas/Fort Worth. As a regional jet, passengers often preferred the ERJ over the Canadian CRJ mainly because of the three abreast (2+1) seating configuration and larger windows. The ERJ-140 seats 44 passengers.

Pilot Life: Practice on an Overcast Day

Truth be told, I was actually quite surprised that I got to fly today. I woke up to an overcast layer and saw some signs of precipitation on ForeFlight that appeared to be moving in our direction. But there wasn't any rain hitting the ground at the Spanish Fork Airport so we proceeded to continue with what we had scheduled for this morning. I also checked the current weather at Provo as Spanish Fork uses Provo Airport's weather info; the overcast layer was high so visibility wasn't going to be much of an issue.

Took up N802CT up again. At this point, I'm going to try to keep scheduling the very same plane so I can get used to it's performance and be comfortable with it for when I do go on my checkride.

Today, my instructor and I went up to go over a couple of maneuvers we didn't get to do yesterday and review a few other things that needed polishing. I got us airborne with a soft-field takeoff and we flew south; we kept an eye on the weather as well as the outside air temperature and stayed close to the airport just in case... We started with some ground reference maneuvers, which included turns around a point, S-turns, and the rectangular course. It took a little bit but I eventually got a good feel of these maneuvers fairly well; the only things I need to improve on is a better balance between focusing between my instruments, my ground references, and traffic scanning better. Other than that, I felt that I got the maneuver down quite well.

We then ascended to a higher altitude so we could to slow flight and stalls. It's been several flights since I last did these maneuvers and it definitely showed today. After a little tweaking on my part in executing these maneuvers, I eventually got them down for the most part. Again, it was just a matter of polishing up on the little things. Afterwards, while at the higher altitude, we squeezed in some steep turns. The first time was rough and turbulent because we were closer to the mountains so I flew us out into the valley and away from the mountains. I felt that the mountains had a lot to do with me struggling to do steep turns on the first go. And I called it; the second go at steep turns was a lot better and it was noticeable. Even my instructor was happy with it for the most part. Again, a lot small things to polish up and adjust for. And learned something to keep in mind for future flights and for the checkride; if the air is turbulent at where you are to practice maneuvers, go elsewhere!

We headed back to the Spanish Fork-Springville Airport and got in some practice landings, two to be exact. The first touch and go was supposed to be a short-field landing and I was aiming for the numbers to touch down on; I ended up touching down at the 1,000 foot markers... Another area I definitely want to practice is my short and soft-field landings. We got back up in the air and flew a left traffic pattern and set myself up for a soft-field landing. I nailed the takeoff earlier, but the landing I could use a little work on as well as I came in a little too fast on the final approach. I'll get there eventually.

After landing, I cleared the runway and taxied back to the Platinum Aviation hangar. Overall, it was a good flight; I just have all the little things to work on. But I've certainly come a long way since I started logging flight time a year ago.

Pilot Life: A Great Practice Flight

It was another beautiful morning worth flying and I got in some more practice with my instructor as I'm getting ready for the much anticipated (not to mention long overdue!) checkride. Also, I started utilizing the ForeFlight app on my iPad so I took a little time before the flight with my instructor to get a few things set up on it. I guess I'm finally moving into the 21st Century of aviation...

It's been a few weeks since I last flew on N802CT.

After conducting pre-flight, start-up, and run-up procedures, I got us airborne via a short-field takeoff and then we headed south of Spanish Fork to practice maneuvers. To start off, my instructor had me do some simulated instrument flying under the foggles; more than half of today's flight was spent under the hood. We started with some coordinated turns, followed by some practice in recovering from unusual attitudes after my instructor took the controls and jostle me around a bit. And while we were at it, my instructor had me do some VOR tracking via the Provo VOR for the first time in a while; needless to say, I could use a quick refresher on it so we both agreed to review VOR navigation again for a future flight.

My instructor had me take off the foggles and we decided to do a few more things before we've had enough. We decided to do some ground reference maneuvers but also make use of the altitude we needed to lose. My instructor gave me an emergency scenario and had me execute a simulated emergency rapid descent; I banked to the left the pushed the nose forward and we gained airspeed and lost altitude. Once we got to our desired altitude my instructor had me do some turns around a point and some S-turns across a road. For the most part, I had it down; I only had minor things and techniques I still needed to polish up on.

After that, we headed back to the airport. I entered the traffic pattern and set myself up to execute a short-field landing. After landing and clearing the runway, we taxied back to the ramp, shut down the engine, and called it another successful flight. We made a logbook entry and called it good.

Pilot Life: Practice, Practice, Practice!

After yesterday's successful solo cross-country flight out to Delta, I flew once again with my flight instructor at my side.

Today's flight was on N968CT.

After a quick briefing and what the plan was, we got the pre-flight done and got started up. Once we did run-ups, I taxied us out to the runway and we got airborne. We headed south to the usual areas to practice up maneuvers. We did all the usual stuff, including steep turns, power-on and power-off stalls, as well as ground-reference maneuvers, including S-turns across a straight road and turns around a point.

Once done with the maneuvers, we headed back to the airport to practice some landings. We entered the pattern and we did four total circuits in order for me to practice short-field and soft-field landing and takeoff techniques. For the most part, I did fairly well but there's always room for improvement. After the fourth landing, we taxied back to the ramp, shut the engine down, filled out the logbook and called it another good flight.

Pilot Life: Solo Cross Country to Delta

According to my instructor I still needed to log an additional three-tenths of an hour of solo cross country flying; I don't know how that is considering that my previous instructor told me I got the hours I needed for cross country flying, but I wasn't going to pass up an opportunity to refresh myself as pilot-in-command on a longer flight! After getting rained out all last week just waiting for an opportunity to get this flight done, today was the day!

I took N968CT to Delta and back for the solo cross-country flight.

I wrote up my flight plan up last night and I woke up first thing this morning to make edits and finalize it. Once I got to Spanish Fork, I presented my flight plan to my instructor so he could go over it; he was fine with the flight plan and endorsed me to take this flight. I called up the Cedar City Flight Service Station and filed my flight plan; I also requested the standard briefing on weather and relevant flight information while I was at it. I practically remembered everything I needed to apply for a long-distance flight, so everything was running smoothly!

Once my flight plan was filed, I headed out to do my pre-flight on the airplane. My instructor gave me a few reminders and he cut me loose. Once I was done with pre-flight, I hopped in, turned on the engine, taxied, did my run-ups, taxied some more, and then took off. Once airborne, I followed Interstate I-15 below me southbound, called up Ceder City Radio, and activated my flight plan.

The flight went off without a hitch as I made my way to Nephi, my main waypoint between Spanish Fork and Delta. I checked weather there and made my position call on the airport's CTAF. Once past Nephi, I turned to the southwest towards Delta. Again, I checked weather and wind conditions there and began making my position calls on the Delta Airport CTAF. Using my GPS, directional gyro, and magnetic compass for navigation assistance, I eventually spotted the Delta Airport; winds were favoring Runway 35 so I flew overhead midfield 500 feet above pattern altitude and turned to the right to enter the left-downwind leg. I also happened to share the airspace with a Cirrus SR-22 from Southern Utah University so that made things a little more interesting!

I established myself on the downwind and once I saw the traffic pass below me, I began my descending and throwing in the flaps as necessary and turned onto the base leg. Once on final, I made my to the runway and touched down. I throttled the engine forward again and got back in the air. I climbed away from Delta and headed back towards Nephi to do the inverse of the route I've taken to get down there to return home.

And just like that, my solo cross-country flight has hit the halfway point. I navigated my way towards Nephi and applied everything I was taught do. Once past Nephi and Payson came into view to the north of me, I called Cedar City FSS and closed my flight plan. From there I called up the Spanish Fork CTAF and made my routine position calls. I flew overhead from the south midfield and 500 feet above pattern altitude; once I was a mile northeast of the field I circled back to the right and descended to pattern altitude on the 45 degree entry to the downwind.

From there, it was a routine landing from the pattern as I was able to kiss the ground and the cross-country flight came to an end. I taxied back to the ramp and parked the plane, satisfied that I was able to do this successfully. With this cross-country flight checked off, I only need to brush up on my maneuvers and keep the skills sharp until the checkride.

Gallery Update: 54th National Championship Air Races Recap

Last weekend, I attended the Historic Wendover Air Show. One week later, I found myself in Reno, Nevada with my sister, Dad, and uncle attending the National Championship Air Races this weekend! It was great to be back in Reno for a few days after not being able to attend last year's races. Unfortunately for me, I need to be back in Utah by Sunday night so there will be no opportunity for me to attend the final day of the races this year. Had I thought about it, I would've gone yesterday (Friday). So I ended up having one big day and attended the Saturday portion of the races and got my fix in; that meant going early when gates first opened in order to be able to watch the races and air show performances I wanted to see as well as checking out the static display and race pits. It was one long day, but I got it done! This year's highlights (at least the things I was able to see) of note consists of the following:

• Exciting races from the all the race classes I managed to observe (T-6 Class, Sport Class, Jet Class, and Unlimited Class)!
• This year, the Reno Air Races family celebrated and honored the life of Bob Hoover as we quickly approach one year since his passing; this year's air races would be the first since losing Bob Hoover. Before the opening ceremony, Unlimited Class Pace pilot Steve Hinton led a formation of warbirds in a emotionally-riveting Missing Man Formation to the sound of "Taps" in remembrance of one of the greatest pilots to have ever lived... We love you, and miss you, Robert A. "Bob" Hoover!
• The United States Air Force A-10 Heritage Flight Team, my first time seeing the A-10 Thunderbolt II perform at an air show; unfortunately, the heritage flight never took place as the P-38 Lightning that was supposed to fly with the A-10 was down for mechanical problems.
• Following the A-10 demonstration, the 152nd Airlift Wing of the Nevada Air National Guard brought one of their C-130H Hercules from the Reno Air National Guard Base for a few fly-by passes along with a tactical demonstration by air-dropping cargo out of the rear ramp!
• Honda Aircraft Company also did a short demonstration with a Honda HA-420 HondaJet, marking my first time seeing and photographing one in flight!
• The Texas Flying Legends Museum brought six of their iconic warbirds (with four of them racing in the Unlimited Class!) for a one-of-a-kind performance showcasing some of the most iconic and legendary aircraft operated by the Allies.
• The United States Marine Corps also participated this year by bringing their AV-8B Harrier II for a short demonstration; Reno was one of only four air shows this year to receive this coveted military performance!
• And as always, unique and interesting things to see both in the military Static Display area, Jet Pits, and Main Pits.

Links:

Reno 2017 - Jet Pits

Reno 2017 - Static Display

Reno 2017 - Flight Ramp

Reno 2017 - Main Pits

Reno 2017 - T-6 Class 1 vs 1 Drag Race

Reno 2017 - Jet Class Bronze Heat Race

Reno 2017 - Unlimited Class Bronze Heat Race

Reno 2017 - Bob Hoover Missing Man Tribute

Reno 2017 - USAF A-10 Thunderbolt II Demo

Reno 2017 - NVANG C-130 Tactical Demo

Reno 2017 - Unlimited Class Silver Heat Race

Reno 2017 - HondaJet Demo

Reno 2017 - Sports Class Silver Heat Race

Reno 2017 - Jet Class Silver Heat Race

Reno 2017 - Texas Flying Legends Museum Warbirds

Reno 2017 - USMC AV-8B Harrier II Demo

Reno 2017 - Sports Class Gold Heat Race

Reno 2017 - T-6 Class Gold Heat Race

Reno 2017 - Jet Class Gold Heat Race

Reno 2017 - Unlimited Class Gold Heat Race

Preview: Note, that I will be including favorites and highlights and not including every event this time around; be sure to check out the links for the photos not included in the preview!

Jet Pits
While waiting for the military static display area to open, I checked out the Jet Pits and saw a couple of things to note.

De Havilland DH.155 Vampire (N172LA) Race #44 "Stealth." Zachary McNeill would race this fine British design in the Gold Heat Race for the Jet Class.

Aero L-39 Albatros (N757SF) Race #15 "Darkstar II." Vicky Benzing would take this jet out for the Gold Race for the Jet Class.

Soko G-2 Galeb (NX90SR) Race #107 "Wildest Dreams." The G-2 Galeb is a Yugoslav single engine, two-seater jet trainer and light ground-attack aircraft. This type of jet saw much action during the Yugoslav Wars and is a very rare jet warbird. There were two racing this year and I've never seen one before! Robert McCormack would race this rare Eastern European jet in the Bronze Race.

Military Static Displays
Once the military static display area opened up, I wasted no time in checking out the aircraft there. And there were quite a few things there that I have never seen before.

Louisiana Air National Guard McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle (80-0035) from the 122nd Fighter Squadron, 159th Fighter Wing, Louisiana Bayou Militia out of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans.

United States Air Force Air Reserve Component (ARC) Northrop T-38C Talon (66-4361) from the 340th Flying Training Group out of Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. 

Nevada Air National Guard Lockheed C-130H Hercules (79-0480) from the 152nd Airlift Wing "High Rollers" out of Reno Air National Guard Base.

Idaho Air National Guard Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (80-0218) of the 124th Fighter Wing from Boise, Idaho.

United States Marine Corps Boeing AV-8B(R) Harrier II+ (165397) currently reinforcing Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 163 (VMM-163) "Ridge Runners" out of MCAS Miramar California. 

United States Marine Corps Boeing T-45C Goshawk (167084) of Training Air Wing Two (TW-2) out of NAS Kingsville.

United States Navy Boeing EA-18G Growler (168932) of Electronic Attack Squadron 139 (VAQ-139) "Cougars" out NAS Whidbey Island. My first time seeing the Growler, a new variant of the Super Hornet family!

Royal Canadian Air Force McDonnell Douglas CF-188B CF-18B (188925) of 410 Tactical Fighter Operational Training Squadron "Cougars" out of CFB Cold Lake. This was my first time seeing a Canadian Hornet!

Royal Canadian Air Force BAE Systems CT-155 Hawk (155220) of 419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron out of CFB Cold Lake.

Idaho Air National Guard Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (78-0625) "Pride of Coeur d'Alene" of the 124th Fighter Wing from Boise, Idaho.

Royal Canadian Air Force Raytheon CT-156 Harvard II (156116) of the NATO Flight Training in Canada (NFTC) out of CFB Moose Jaw.

United States Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-28 Northrop F-5N Tiger II (761578) of Fighter Squadron Composite (VFC-13) "Saints" from NAS Fallon. 

United States Navy Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet (166802) of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 (VFA-22) "Fighting Redcocks" out NAS Lemoore, California.

Grumman (G-123) E-2C Hawkeye 2000 (164112).

United States Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III (05-5153) of the 535th Airlift Squadron out of Hickam Air Force Base, Honolulu, Hawaii.

Main Pits
As always, many unique things to see throughout the main race pits. And once again, there were quite a few notable sights that were a first for me.

Honda HA-420 HondaJet (N426HJ).

A look at the HondJet engines and where they're positioned.

Stratos 714 (N403KT) anAmerican very light jet aircraft under development by Stratos Aircraft of Redmond, Oregon.

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (N534BE) "The Duchess of Dakota."

Lockheed P-38J Lightning (NX138AM) "23 Skidoo" from the Planes of Fame Air Museum out of Chino, California.

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat (N777L) Race #77 "Rare Bear." This is such a sad sight! As of last year's races, the "Rare Bear" has not been racing. It's sign that Unlimited Air Racing is a dying sport...

Grumman TBM-3U Avenger (N73642).

North American P-51A Mustang (N51Z) Race #6 "Shanty Irish." Truly a rare sight to see an A-model Mustang! Formerly known as "Polar Bear" before restoration occurred.

Supermarine 361 Spirtfire LF.IXc (NX959RT) Race #84 "Normandy Split" from the Texas Flying Legends Museum. Another rare sight at the air races this year!

Curtiss P-40E Warhawk (N2416X) Race #42 "Texas Warhawk" from the Texas Flying Legends Museum. Gotta love that shark mouth!

Aero L-29 Delfin (N29AD) Race #77 "Viper" tucked away in the pit area. Rumor has it that this L-29 is currently banned from racing with the Jet Class because it is too fast.

Grumman (General Motors) FM-2 Wildcat (N5833) Race #41 "Martlet" of the Commemorative Air Force.

Martin-Baker MB-5 replica (N445MB) tucked away in the pits. This work has been at Reno for quite a while now...

Flight Ramp
While viewing the static displays, I also took the time to photograph the active aircraft parked on the ramp.

United States Air Force Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (81-0960) of the 355th Fighter Wing out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, Arizona.

United States Air Force Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (82-0648) of the 355th Fighter Wing out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tuscon, Arizona. This jet would later go up for an air show demonstration.

United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II (163868) of Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311) "Tomcats" out MCAS Yuma, Arizona.

Jet Class Bronze Heat Race
The first race I watched was the Bronze Heat for the Jet Class. This particular race had a diverse line-up of Cold War-era jets.

Aero L-29 Delfin (VH-XET) Race #61 "Miss Independence" with Charlie Camilleri at the controls.

Aero L-29R Delfin (N50DG) Race #6 "Sluggo" with Joe Gano at the controls.

Aero L-39C Albatros (N995X) Race #7 "Sarance" with Larry Labriola  at the controls.

Aero L-29 Delfin (N63DV) Race #27 "Starship" with James Beyer at the controls.

Aero L-39C Albatros (NX39MX) Race #32 "Invictus" with Zachary McNeill at the controls.

Robert McCormack taking "Wildest Dreams" with that sexy nose art with the rest of the Jet Bronze Division.

Epic Aircraft AIR Epic LT (N850DV) with pace pilot Douglas King at the controls. Starting with last year's races, the slower jet class began flying with an Epic turboprop for their new pace plane.

Underside profile of the G-2 Galeb. Robert McCormack won this race with "Wildest Dreams!" Top speed was 425 mph!

Unlimited Class Bronze Heat Race
The next race I observed was the Bronze Heat Race for the Unlimited Class. Even though this was was the slowest class of World War II-era stock fighters, this was by far one of the most exciting Unlimited races I've seen in a long time! It was one that consisted of a very diverse line-up and the winner of the race happened to be a fan favorite!

Canadair CL-30 CT-133 Silver Star 3 (NX377JP) "Pacemaker" from the Planes of Fame Air Museum with none other than Steve Hinton at the controls leading the pack of Bronze Class Unlimited Racers!

North American P-51D Mustang (NL151BP) Race #62 "Bunny" from the Palm Springs Air Museum with Mark Moodie at the controls. This crowd-favorite P-51 is named after the wife of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend.

Michael Pfleger taking "Martlet" up for the Unlimited Bronze Race. It's been a long time since I last saw a Wildcat race!

Warren Pietsch taking "Normandy Split," the Texas Flying Legends Museum's Spitfire up for the Unlimited Bronze Race. This is my first time seeing a legendary Spitfire race!

"Texas Warhawk" with Bernie Vasquez at the controls getting airborne for the Unlimited Bronze Race. This is also my first time seeing a P-40 race!

North American P-51D Mustang (NL51PE) Race #22 "Little Horse" from the Texas Flying Legends Museum with Alan Miller at the controls.

Vought (Goodyear) FG-1D Corsair (NX209TW) Race #85 "Whistling Death" from the Texas Flying Legends Museum with Michael Schiffer at the controls.

Mark Moodie maintains first place with "Bunny," and he would win this race, much to the delight of many fans! Top speed was 306 mph!

Michael Pfleger making a pass in "Martlet." The race's 1nd place placer with a top speed of 282 mph.

Alan Miller in "Little Horse," who would place 5th place with a top speed of 267.2 mph.

Bernie Vasquez in "Texas Warhawk,"who would place a respectable 3rd place with a top speed of 267.5 mph!

Warren Pietsch in "Normandy Split," who would place 4th place with a top speed of 267.5 mph.

Michael Schiffer in "Whistling Death," who would place 6th with a top speed of 266.5 mph.

Shots like this make air racing exciting! And it's not every day that you get shots like this!

Love the sight and sound of two Merlin engines!

Two Merlins and an R-2800!

"Bunny" landing to cheers!

"Texas Warhawk" landing.

"Normandy Split" moments away from touching down.

"Little Horse" rolling out.

"Whistling Death" back on the ground.

"Bunny" taxiing to the starting ramp.

"Martlet" landing.

"Texas Warhawk" taxiing to the ramp.

"Normandy Split" taxiing back, engine already shut off!

Steven Hinton on landing roll-out in "Pacemaker."

"Little Horse" taxiing to the ramp.

"Whistling Death" taxiing back to the ramp.

"Martlet" taxiing back to the ramp.

Steve Hinton taxiing back to the ramp in "Pacemaker."

In Memory of Robert A. "Bob" Hoover
Following the first Unlimited Class Heat Race, it was time for a very emotional opening ceremony as the Reno Air Race family commenced the first air race year following the passing of Bob Hoover just one year ago. In tribute, three Unlimited Class racers led by Steve Hinton flew the traditional "Missing Man" Formation to the sound of "Taps." We love you, and we miss you, R.A. "Bob" Hoover! Thank you for your continuous inspiration!

Not long after finishing pacing the Unlimited Bronze Class, Steve Hinton gets back in the air with "Pacemaker."

Hawker Sea Fury T20 (N924G) Race #924 with Mark Watt at the controls getting airborne.

North American P-51D Mustang (NL7715C) Race #0 "Wee Willy II" with Robert Patterson aborting takeoff due to mechanical problems. The Missing Man Formation was supposed to have four aircraft, but obviously ended up with three.

North America P-51D Mustang (N5441V) Race #14 "Spam Can" with John Maloney at the controls getting airborne.

Three different warbirds, three different sounds, but they all represent a time and era where Bob Hoover worked his "pilot magic!"

This was clearly the most appropriate way to remember Bob Hoover after his passing last year...

Steve Hinton breaking away from the main formation in a climb. Well done, gentlemen!

United States Air Force A-10 Demonstration
As we always in the aviation community following a somber occasion, it was time to move forward. I finished up strolling through the pits and seeing some of the early events before making my way to the grandstands to watch the remainder of the day's events. Up next was the United States Air Force A-10 demo; after seeing A-10s on static display so many times, I finally get to see and photograph one in flight! It was somewhat a condensed performance because the Air Force Heritage Flight with a P-38 Lightning was supposed to take place along with it. However, the P-38 apparently suffered mechanical issues for today and was unable to get airborne. But it was still cool to see the A-10 Thunderbolt II in action!

United States Air Force Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II (82-0648) getting airborne.

Photo pass by the "Warthog!" Versatile with a steep bank angle!

The Warthog making a pass.

Sneak Pass by the Warthog! Note the false canopy painted on the fuselage.

Rear profile of the Warthog.

Another photo pass with the Warthog!

Warthog on landing roll-out, passing the Home Pylon.

Nevada Air National Guard C-130 Tactical Demo
Immediately following the A-10 demo in keeping with a "ground assault" theme, a C-130H Hercules of the 152nd Airlift Wing from the nearby Reno Air National Guard Base made a couple of passes and even performed a tactical airdrop out of the rear ramp, something I've never seen before!

Nevada Air National Guard Lockheed C-130H Hercules (93-7313) making a pass with rear cargo ramp open. Note the orange "8" on the fuselage and tail; this Herc apparently has also been pressed into aerial firefighting given the large number of wildfires we've seen this year.

Cargo away! I've never seen something like this 

Looks like one parachute opened, but another one didn't...

Making a pass before returning to downtown Reno!

Climbing out.

With a steep climbing bank angle, as if leaving hostile territory. I caught the white strobe light in this shot! 

Unlimited Class Silver Heat Race
Time for some more air racing! This time, it was the Silver Division of the Unlimited Class. Most of the Silver Class consisted of nothing but stock P-51 Mustangs, including a very rare and recently-restored A-model! The other wild card in this race was a Russian Yak, all the way from New Zealand! Like the Bronze, it was another exciting race, with a surprising winner!

Busy day for Steve Hinton, as he gets airborne yet again in "Pacemaker."

"Wee Willy II" getting airborne with Robert Patterson at the controls.

"Spam Can" with John Maloney at the controls getting airborne.

North America P-51D Mustang (N64824) Race #31 "Speedball Alice" with Dan Vance at the controls getting airborne.

Yakovlev Yak-3M (ZK-VVS) Race #35 "Full Noise" with Graeme Frew at the controls getting airborne.

North America P-51D Mustang (NL151D) Race #44 "Sparky/Blondie" with Brant Seghetti at the controls getting airborne.

"Shanty Irish" with John Muszala II getting airborne. I've never seen a P-51A race before!

"Wee Willy II" making a pass. Robert Patterson took 2nd place in this race with a top speed of 344 mph.

"Full Noise" making a pass! Much to everyone's surprise, this little Yak won the race and took 1st place! Top speed 345 mph!

John Maloney took 3rd place in "Spam Can" with a top speed of 335 mph.

John Muszala II took a respectable 4th place while at the controls of "Shanty Irish."

Brant Seghetti took 6th place in his Jelly Belly-sponsored "Sparky/Blondie." Top speed 311 mph. 

"Speedball Alice" making a pass. Dan Vance took 5th place with a top speed of 315 mph.

Mustang versus Mustang! As it should be quite often at the Reno Air Races!

Mustang versus Yak! Who's gonna win???

"Wee Willy II" on landing roll-out.

"Spam Can" on landing roll-out, passing by the Home Pylon.

"Shanty Irish" on landing roll-out, taxiing by the Home Pylon. 

"Spam Can" (a.k.a. Dolly) taxiing back to the pits.

"Sparky/Blondie" on landing roll-out.

"Full Noise" on landing roll-out. Never seen a Yak win a race!

"Shanty Irish" taxiing back to the pits.

"Speedball Alice" taxiing back to the pits.

It's "Sparky" (a.k.a. "Blondie")! Taxiing back to the ramp.

After all the racers are safely back on the ground, Steve Hinton lands the "Pacemaker."

"Full Noise" taxiing back to the ramp! Congrats to Graeme Frew and his crew for a good day of racing!

HondaJet Demo
The time in between each race was filled with air show demonstrations. Up next was a brief demonstration of one of the newest business jets in the market, the Honda HA-420 HondaJet. I actually saw one in Provo before, but I didn't have my camera on me at the time so I had to make sure to catch this demonstration!

Honda HA-420 HondaJet (N426HJ) airborne after takeoff from 8.

First pass by the HondaJet.

Executing a photo pass.

Dirty Pass

Climbing pass in preparation for landing.

On landing roll-out before pulling a 180 to taxi.

Full-frontal view showing podded engine configuration/placement.

Demonstrating its ability to make tight turns while taxiing before returning to the ramp.

Jet Class Silver Heat Race
The next race I want to highlight is the Jet Class Silver Heat Race, which like the Bronze Heat Race from this morning, displayed another diverse line-up of Cold War-era jets.

"Miss Independence" with Charlie Camilleri at the controls going up again.

"Starship" with James Beyer at the controls going up for the second time in the day.

Aero L-39C Albatros (NX139UK) Race #13 "Reality Czech" with Nathan Harnagel at the controls.

Aero L-39 Albatros (N139RM) Race #54 "Robin 1" with Jeff Turney at the controls.

Aero L-39 Albatros (NX139TD) Race #69 "Drop Bear" with Lachie Onslow at the controls.

Soko G-2A Galeb (N196SG) Race #4 "Soko O'no" with Robert McCormack at the controls; McCormack who owns both G-2s at Reno present this year raced both aircraft.

Aero L-39C Albatros (N810RC) Race #10 "Riff Raff" with Pete Savrides at the controls.

Douglas King pacing the Silver Heat Race in the EpicLT once again.

King getting airborne with the Epic LT and leading the jet racers.

"Riff Raff" maintaining the lead! Pete Stavrides would take 1st place with a top speed of 456.4 mph!

"Soko O'no" trailing in 2nd place. Robert McCormack took 2nd place with a top speed of 456.3 mph!

Lachi Onslow and "Drop Bear" took 3rd place this race with a recorded top speed of 411 mph.

Jeff Turney and "Robin 1" was disqualified this race.

Nathan Harnagel and "Reality Czech" took 4th place with a top speed of 405 mph.

James Beyer and "Starship" took 5th place after a 12 second penalty for a pylon cut. Top speed was 354 mph.

The Aussie took 6th place after receiving a 36 second penalty for three pylon cuts. Top speed was 334 mph.

Jets duking it out!

This was a close race, but Pete Stavrides in "Riff Raff" was slightly faster!

A photo finish between the two Delfins!

"Riff Raff" passing the Home Pylon during landing roll-out.

"Soko O'no" with the Home Pylon during landing roll-out.

"Starship" and the Home Pylon.

"Drop Bear" with the Home Pylon.

"Robin 1" in aerodynamic braking while passing the Home Pylon.

"Reality Czech" and the Home Pylon.

The Epic LT and the Home Pylon.

Texas Flying Legends Museum Warbirds
One of the most-anticipated civilian warbird acts this year was the Texas Flying Legends Museum and their world class line-up of warbirds! Four of the museum's warbirds raced in the Unlimited Class Bronze Heat Race earlier in the day. Once again, they took to the air along with the museum's B-25 Mitchell and TBM Avenger bombers to give an incredible display of some of the greatest aircraft ever used by the United States and its allies during World War II!

North American B-25J Mitchell (N5672V) "Betty's Dream" getting airborne. 

Grumman (General Motors) TBM-3E Avenger (NL7226C) getting airborne. This Avenger used to part of the displays of the Legacy Flight Museum when it first opened. It is believed the George H.W. Bush flew this aircraft on a mission during World War II. One of the propeller blades has Bush's signature on it!

"Little Horse" getting airborne again, this time to perform.

"Normandy Split" getting airborne again to perform. It's always neat to see planes race and then perform!

"Whistling Death" getting airborne.

"Texas Warhawk" getting airborne.

The warbirds entering the show-line in a six-ship formation. I was absolutely blown away by their entrance! Never have I seen such an incredible and diverse formation of warbirds all together in one shot!

Six-ship photo pass! Another one of my favorites!

A symbol of Allied air power!

One of my favorite shots of the six warbirds!

After breaking formation, the Spitfire made a solo pass with that sweet, sweet Merlin sound!

Executing a climbing roll.

The exit of the roll showed just how maneuverable the Spit was. Truly a British hero during a dark part of 20th Century history.

Five American warbirds, five different sounds!

"Betty's Dream" making a pass with bomb bay doors open!

Another solo pass by "Betty's Dream."

Mustang and Warhawk in one shot! Another favorite from this year!

Corsair and Spitfire! Another favorite and talk about odd couples!

The Avenger showing its belly!

The Avenger making another pass with bomb bay doors open.

Another pass by the Mustang/Warhawk duo! I truly live for shots like this!

Solo pass by the Spitfire!

Solo pass by the Corsair!

Solo pass by the Avenger.

Solo pass by the Warhawk!

Solo pass by the Mustang "Little Horse!"

Another pass by "Betty's Dream" with bomb bay doors open!

Climbing pass by the Corsair.

High-speed pass by the Avenger.

Final high-speed pass by the P-40

High-speed pass by the Mustang!

Photo pass by "Betty's Dream."

Climbing pass by the Spitfire.

Another banking pass by the Corsair.

Photo pass by the Avenger.

Photo pass by "Little Horse."

Climbing pass by the Spitfire!

"Betty's Dream" on landing roll-out.

"Whistling Death" on landing roll-out.

The Avenger on landing roll-out.

"Texas Warhawk" on landing roll-out.

"Little Horse" on landing roll-out.

"Betty's Dream" taxiing back to the pits for display.

"Whistling Death" returning to the pits.

The Avenger taxiing back to the pits.

"Texas Warhawk" taxiing back to the pits.

"Little Horse" taxiing back to the pits.

The Spitfire "Normandy Split" taxiing back to the pits. Always a privilege to see the legendary Spit take to the skies!

United States Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Demo
The United States Marine Corps closed out the air show portion of the day's events with the AV-8B Harrier II, and it was freakin' loud! Once again, the Marine Corps is making very limited air show appearances this year (divided between the Harrier and the V-22 Osprey) and Reno is among the lucky few to get the very loud jump-jet, which may not be around for much longer, given that they'll eventually get replaced by the F-35B Lightning II. This year's Reno Air Races is the fourth and final air show appearance of the Harrier for the 2017 season.

United States Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II (163868) of Marine Attack Squadron 311 (VMA-311), the "Tomcats" out of MCAS Yuma taxiing out.

On takeoff.

The first steep-bank pass, showing the underside profile.

Making another pass!

Another pass; is that nose gear open???

Hover demonstration.

Loud and smoky! Just the way we like it!

Spinning while hovering!

Frontal view, which makes the Harrier look menacing!

Throttled full-forward, the Harrier begins ascending.

Accelerating and ascending to prepare for landing.

Clearing the runway after landing.

Taxiing back to the ramp. So glad to see the Harrier again!

Jet Class Gold
The rest of the day's events consisted of Gold Division races from the respective classes. I'm going to skip the Sports and T-6 Gold Heat Races in this year's preview (but be sure to check out the link to the photos from those races listed above!) and go straight to the Jet Class and then Unlimited Class. This year's Jet Gold line-up consisted of many of the usual players, with some adjustments, as well as a wild card in the form of a De Havilland Vampire!

"Robin 1" heading out again, this time with Phill Fogg at the controls.

Because Pete Stavrides won the silver race, he qualified to race in today's Gold Race in "Riff Raff."

Vicky Benzing in "Dark Star II."

Aero L-39C Albatros (N139LS) Race #38 "Dash Force One" with Scott Farnsworth at the controls.

Aero L-39 Albatros (N554RC) Race #8 "American Patriot" with David A. Culler, Jr. at the controls.

Zachary McNeill taking "Stealth" out for the race. 

Aero L-39 Albatros (N139BJ) Race #5 "American Spirit" with Mike Steiger at the controls.

Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 (N900HT) with Jay Obernolte at the controls as the Pace pilot for the Jet Gold racers.

Jay Obernolte getting airborne in the Phenom 300.

Mike Steiger getting airborne in "American Spirit."

Zachary McNeill getting airborne in "Stealth."

David Culler, Jr.  getting airborne in "American Patriot."

Scott Farnsworth getting airborne in "Dash Force One."

Vicky Benzing getting airborne in "Dark Star II."

Phil Fogg and "Robin 1" getting airborne.

Gentlemen (and lady!)! You have a race!

Mike Steiger and "American Spirit" scored 1st place with a top speed of 495 mph.

Zachary McNeill scored 2nd place in "Stealth" with a top speed recorded at a respectable 473 mph! Not bad for World War II-era jet!

David Culler, Jr. in "American Spirit" took 3rd place after receiving a 12 second penalty for a pylon cut. Top speed was 464 mph.

Scott Farnsworth and "Dash Force One" took 4th place at a speed of 462 mph.

Vicky Benzing in "Dark Star II" took 5th place with a recorded top speed of 454 mph.

Pete Stavrides took 6th place in "Riff Raff" this race with a top speed of 453 mph.

"Robin 1" with Phil Fogg took 7th place with a top speed of 426 mph.

Jay Obernolte didn't even wait for the racers to get on the ground!

"American Spirit" with the Home Pylon.

"American Patriot" and the Home Pylon.

"Stealth" and the Home Pylon.

Aerodynamic braking by the Home Pylon with "Dash Force One."

Aerodynamic braking by the Home Pylon with "Dark Star II." These guys (and gal) are pros!

"Riff Raff" and the Home Pylon.

"Robin 1" once again by the Home Pylon.

Unlimited Class Gold Heat Race
And finally, it was time to cheer for the "Bad Boys of Air Racing," the Unlimited Gold Racers and their modified World War II fighters! As previously mentioned, the Bronze and Silver races for the Unlimiteds were a lot more exciting because of the diversity. It's no secret that this aviation sport has been dwindling, and it's been especially showing in the Unlimited Gold Division. This year's line-up consisted of two P-51D Mustangs (with some slight changes) and the four usual Hawker Sea Furies.

Steve Hinton taking "Pacemaker" up one last time for the day.

North American P-51D Mustang (N71FT) Race #7 "Strega" with James Consalvi at the controls.

North American P-51D Mustang (N551VC) Race #5 "Voodoo" with Steven Hinton at the controls. Honestly the only thing worth seeing for the Gold Race was "Voodoo" with the new, simple paint job. Hinton broke a record earlier this month by becoming the fastest piston aircraft in the world. He broke the speed record for an internal combustion engine-powered airplane, Class C-1e, on a 3 km closed course. Over four laps, Hinton took "Voodoo" to an average speed of 531 mph, blowing the previous standing record away. The fastest lap was nearly 555 mph. The reason for the white paint scheme was to save weight for the record-setting attempt.

Hawker Sea Fury T20 (NX20SF) Race #8 "Dreadnought" with Joel Swager at the controls.

Hawker Sea Fury TB10 (N71GB) Race #71 "Sawbones" with Curt Brown at the controls.

Hawker Sea Fury FB11 (N19SF) Race #114 "Argonaught" with Sherman Smoot at the controls.

Mark Watt in Race #924 getting airborne once again.

Gentlemen, you have a race! Honestly though, this race was practically a blow-out between the two Mustangs and their pilots. The four Sea Furies didn't stand a chance!

Initially, Steven Hinton maintained the lead but it was close!

"Dreadnought" and Joel Swager took 3rd place with a speed of 417 mph.

Sherman Smoot in "Argonaut" takes 5th place with a speed of 367 mph.

"Strega" takes the lead!

"Voodoo" in hot pursuit of "Strega!"

Mark Watt in Race #924 took 6th place with a speed of 354 mph.

"James Consalvi" takes 1st place with a speed of 479 mph!

"Voodoo" takes 2nd place with a speed of 467 mph.

"Argonaut" rolling by the Home Pylon.

Race #925 on landing roll-out.

"Argonaut" taxiing back to the pits.

"Strega" with the Home Pylon. Congrats to James Consalvi for the win!

"Dreadnought" with the Home Pylon.

Race #924 taxiing back to the pits.

"Sawbones" and the Home Pylon.

"Strega" taxiing back to the pits.

"Dreadnought" heading back to the pits.

"Sawbones" taxiing back to the pits.

Steve Hinton buzzing by after all the racers landed.

"Voodoo" with the Home Pylon. Even though he broke a record, Steven Hinton wasn't able to break the speed record over a 3 km closed course set in 1989 by Lyle Shelton in "Rare Bear" due to rules and codes being changed. That old record was "retired," and deemed "untouchable." But young Hinton still put himself and "Voodoo" in the record books, a congratulations is order for him!

"Voodoo" taxiing back to the pits.

Father and son, an air racing legacy and lineage.

Steve-o Hinton taxiing "Voodoo" back to the pits. 

Steve Hinton taxiing "Pacemaker" back to the pits.

And that's a wrap! Glad I was able to make it back to Reno again after not being able to do so last year.