For over twenty years my camera took a back seat as I hauled the video cam around at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. I jokingly dubbed my yearly video chronicles of the races "BradFire", making fun of the professional "SkyFire" videos that came out every year. Many copies of my various tapes were distributed over the years to friends and family, but I finally decided to start downloading some of these videos to RU-vid. These were shot from the pits, grandstands, out on the ramp, in the Valley of Speed, and out at the pylons themselves. I shot them for 'me', so there was rarely any narration....mostly letting the sights and sounds of the races speak for themselves. They are almost exclusively shots of the Unlimited Class. I hope you enjoy.
Last update I see is that it was purchased by a gentleman in Michigan and is in storage. I hope it’s still flying. It’s a rare two seater. Many average joes and celebrities have flown in that Mustang to date.
Great video! Do you by chance have any other footage from the 2000 Reno Air Races? My Grandfather is Tom Cassutt, Designer/Builder/Pilot of the Cassutt 111 & Cassutt Special II. I'm making a documentary and book on him and he was honored at the 2000's air races so im trying to find footage of it.
If you trace the course back out of the valley of speed up the hill where they begin gaining all that momentum coming down the hill. On top of that hill is outer 4. That is where im sitting as your filming. At that pylon as the planes approach at one point your standing above the planes. So they appear to be coming up at you. Every time i had a new crew member ( I was Bill Chapman 's gofor. ) I'd take them to watch at that pylon. Every single one would hit the ground thinking the planes were going to crash into the hill side. That never stopped being funny.
Rare Bear was the only plane that wasn't a Sea Fury in this race! Whoops! I just saw for the opfirst time Czech Mate! A Russian Plane! Wonder why I didn't see it before the last lap??!!
I just was reading an out AOPA article on her you an really see the lear jet wing and tail on her and that Griffon and counter rotating props just awesome. Is it still around??
I saw Mr. Levitz back when he was still racing his P-38 in 1971 I believe. Got my picture taken with him although that pic is long gone. The event was a 500 mile race at Brown's Field in San Diego, Ca. During that race a Bearcat crashed killing the pilot. If anyone knows more details about that event I would love to hear from you. I was 12 years old at the time.
An old Reno illusion, a racer passing another racer but not really. Strega gets inside Rare Bear's line and looks like he passes but it's an optical illusion. It even fooled Sandy Sanders. I do miss those days at Reno when they really went at it on Sunday afternoon. This is over 33 years ago yet it seems like only a few years. Glad I was there to see it, almost every year, from 1976 on.
New subscriber and thanks for breaking out these videos! I was a regular at Reno from '74 to '86. Steve Hinton in the Red Baron or Lyle Sheldon's Rare Bear were my favorites. Again thanks.
Spent my years out by the guide pylon from 91' to 2005'. Now I hear you can't even get to the valley of speed anymore. Glad I was able to enjoy it during the glory years. I remember one year that Bill in Risky Business flew so close we felt the water from his spray bar system. I think Skip flew the widest arc in Critical Mass and Dago Red. Great times.
Reno is at ground level, but WW2 fighters like the Bearcat were designed to fly their fastest at about 30,000 feet, for dogfighting and to escort bombers. So what top speed would Rare Bear be able to reach at 30,000 feet, a/ if no adjustments were made to its current engine and b/ if it were adjusted to give its best at 30,000 feet?
Nice to see Huntress 111 ! Beautiful plane after being rescued from the back lot of the Mash set. Owner and driver is Robert Converse whose mother Diana flew Huntress 1and Huntress 11, a Mosquito and an A26 in point to point speed runs and around the world attempts, of which Robert broke Van Nuys to Denver record in Huntress 111. It was set up for dual and I flew to Merced with Robert to attend their air show. L H C on the fuselage was coined by Tiger = Long and Hard Converse. The plane was hangered at Quarter. RIP Bobby. The plane reportedly now is in Sweden in bare metal finish.
Was part of SPAR {Santa Paula Air Racing) F1 POGO N8787 in 1988 89 with Kathy Grey and was with Converse when he bought the Okie Streaker F1 in Reno. Nicknamed the Okie Dozer it was slow. Converse ended up in the river bottom at SZP with it and it was wrecked. He soon after bought then which became Huntress III soon after. Good times and fond days.
Apparently bobby ran out of fuel and went down on a sand bar in river bottom. I was in the group waiting for him to return that late afternoon. Before Bobby bought the mustang, he was looking aTigercat. Glad he didn't.
Love all the Cats. We used to run a Tiger Cat here in the UK at Duxford . I believe it now lives in the USA. 2 huge engines and a pencil fuselage shes a beauty and climbs like a beast.
