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Ray Cote's Shoestring, Mojave, 1979. Flown safely for over four decades in the Goodyears and Nationals. Now on display at the San Diego Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park, California, as a direct result.

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This site contains graphic discussions and illustration of Air Racing Safety issues, including non-fatal, fatal and injury accidents, to include photographic or artistic depiction of the same, which may not be appropriate for Loved Ones, Friends, Younger Readers of Tender Years, and so many others. Therefore, this site will require name and age (21 years, unless waived by Moderators) registration, otherwise, you will be blocked from entering select, secure areas.

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"Death Be Not Profitable!"

NemesisNXT at Stead, Nevada, September 5, 2008

Rare Bear, Stead, Nevada, September 5, 2008.

Bill Kerchenfaut & Crew, September Pops Air Racing Team Pit, September 5, 2008.

Jet Class Race 24 over The Valley of Speed, Silver Knolls, Nevada, September 8, 2008

Bird on a Wire: John Penney knows how to navigate an unsafe set of telephone poles installed along the Red Rock side of The Valley of Speed ~ in the 3 km record holder, the Unlimited Class racer Rare Bear, Race 77, a Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, he flies high. September, 2008, Lemon Drive and Red Rock, Red Rock, Nevada.

A sight not often seen in Air Racing ~ the undersides of the Sport Class Race 42, "Relentless," a Jon Sharp-designed NemesisNXT racer.

Will Whiteside in the Yak 3, "Steadfast," Unlimited Class Race 33, over The Valley of Speed, Silver Knolls, Nevada

Business end of an AT-6 Class racer.

Sport Biplane Class Race 10, "Son of Galloping Goat.

Pilot: Leah Sommers.

Brant Seghetti's Jelly Belly-sponsored "Sparky," at rest in the Pits at Stead. Though photographers in general "don't" like to see those cockpit covers on airplanes they're trying to photography, Air Racing Safety takes an opposing view and considers them a good thing and a "Do!"

The reason being, heat has a horrible effect on a cockpit, not to mention ~ The Windscreen ~ and so too, does moisture, dust and anything else that might come into contact with cockpit canopy. Photographers can "arrange" photo shoots with the covers off at the pilot's convenience, otherwise, these covers enhance safety because they extend the service life of the canopy, prevent discoloration, fatigue, cracking, grazing, scratches and save the Team for other areas of safety taken up by needless "polishing" duties.

You will see these covers frequently in our photos. They promote safety, "Protect the Product," and will have a historic significance 100 years from now, so here at Air Racing Safety, they will be seen frequently and there will be a record of them for historians long after these airplanes are retired, in Museums, or are covered with something different.

No offense intended to anyone, however, there will never be a shortage of photographs of these aircraft without their covers ~ only a shortage of photos depicting the aircraft "with." We at Air Racing Safety intend to counter that and promote safety and common sense in the process.

Cudos to Brant Seghetti and Jelly Belly over the concern for Safety!

Night operations for September Fury as the Team as the Team prepares for Race week at Stead.

IF1 Cassutt Race 22, "Dancing Queen," ready for tow to the "Hot Ramp."

Rare Bear at Twilight during a "thrash" to prepare the aircraft for the September, 2008, Stead event.

Jon Sharp's NemesisNXT on final approach to Stead after qualifying, September, 2008

Dennis Sanders' beautiful Warbird racer, "Argonaut," Unlimited Class Race 114, in her Pit during arrivals week preceeding the September, 2008 Stead event.

John Penney and Rare Bear on landing rollout after their early morning "prowl" in the skies over Stead Airport, Nevada, September 14, 2008.

Championship Day...

"Skill, Not Luck" ~ Unlimited Class pilot Mike Brown skillfully navigates a stetch of telephone poles foolishly placed adjacent to the Unlimited course where it enters the fabled Valley of Speed. This shot shows an incredible angle by which you would think Brown, is below the level of wires, might actually strike the poles. The excellence of the pilot is what prevents disaster, however, Air Racing Safety and other ILIPS Group publications are calling for the removal of these poles by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Sierra Pacific Power Company, the Airport Authority of Washoe County (AAWC) and the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA), as these poles should never have been installed in this location in the first place!

The winds and turbulence at Stead are "squirrelly" enough that a pilot navigating these poles could be caught by a major gust and shoved right into them. Then there are the issues of dust storms, "Dust Devils"/Zephyrs, inclement and bad weather, mechanical problems suddenly throwing oil on the windscreens, sunlight being directly in the eyes of the pilots, discolored or grazed windscreens, etc.

Safety in Air Racing requires Preventative Safety Measures, not the Tombstone Mentality that the FAA and the RARA operate with. Furthermore, they require Corporate Concern from the Sierra Pacific Power Company and the AAWC if true Safety is going to occur.

So far, none of these four entities have shown they give a damn about this problem, brought to them several years ago by ILIPS and Air Racing Safety's sister publication, Silver State News Service. In fact, Sierra Pacific Power Company has maintained a position as a member and a person at RARA for some time.

There are other poles elsewhere on the field as well that should also have their wires placed underground and the poles should be removed.

No pilot should have to put up with these unwarranted obstacles! The power lines should have been and still need to be buried under ground and the poles removed.

Bob Odegaard's Thompson Trophy-era Goodyear F-2G "Super Corsair," Unlimited Class Race 57, recently returned to Air Racing and actively campaigning 60 years after its first event.

Steve Hinton Jr., at twenty-years of age, the youngest pilot in the history of the Unlimited Class and the second youngest pilot in the 99 years of the World's Fastest Motorsport, Air Racing. Hinton Jr. eclipsed his father Steve Hinton Sr., as the youngest pilot in Unlimited history.

Gary Dobrenz, of International Formula One (IF1), maintains the "Youngest" record at age 19.

Trained by no less than his father and 2008 Champion Bill Destefani, Hinton Jr. followed his instructions, took no wanton risks, was predictable in his course line by other pilots competing against him for speed and position, and demonstrated to all other Rookies in 2008 and those that will follow in the upcoming 2009 event, just how "Safety" is done!

That's the style, "Stevo!" Don't change a thing unless your instructors tell you to! What you showed us was precisely how Air Racing by Rookies should be done! AND...

...a third place finish in the Sunday Bronze!

Jet Class Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin, Race 12, over The Valley of Speed, 2008

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