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The Reno Air Racing Association may be saying goodbye to the races next year but announced a new airshow coming to the Reno area. On Tuesday, RARA teased the big announcement, sharing a lineup and dates for the new Reno Air Show. The Reno Air Show will take place in October of 2024 and racing is not on the schedule.
The new air show, without any racing, will feature a lineup of thrilling performers. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the Canadian Snowbirds and the USAF F-16 Viper Demonstration Team. The show will take place from Oct. 4-6 in 2024. RARA said this will be a full-featured Airshow, but RARA said racing will not be allowed. The Reno Air Show will feature air race aircraft, pilots and special flying events. The event will celebrate 60 years of aviation in Reno, but the racing that made it iconic in the region will be left in the past.
In March RARA announced that after nearly 60 years, the National Championship Air Races would be searching for a new home. The Reno Tahoe Airport Authority opted to end the decades-long partnership, citing economic conditions, rapid development in the region and public safety. The long-running and one-of-a-kind aviation event needed a new city to host the racing and by June, RARA shared it was officially taking bids for a new hot and that the 2024 show would be the last, celebrating the 60th anniversary with one final racing event. However, one of the final races on Sept. 17 ended in tragedy when two of the planes collided upon landing, killing two pilots. The crash occurred after the pilots finished first and second in the finals and were preparing to land while flying in a cool-down pattern.RELATED STORIES:6 cities bid to be new home of National Championship Air RacesWitnesses reveal position of T-6 racing pilots before deadly Reno Air Races collisionAOPA analyzes deadly collision at final Reno Air RacesFinal Reno Air Races end with deadly collision, killing 2National Championship Air Races looking for a new homeReno Air Races to fly away after this year
The 2023 races ended with the death of two skilled pilots and veteran gold winners in the T-6 class, Nick Macy and Chris Rushing. The death of these two racing pilots shocked the community. The remainder of the races were canceled, with a moment of silence held to honor the men before awards were given out. For the second year in a row, the races featured a tragic crash. In 2022, an Aero L-29 Delfin crashed during the third lap of six, bursting into flames and killing the pilot. Racing aircraft is a dangerous event and after years of hosting such an event, RARA has made extensive changes to improve safety, but these accidents happen and are often difficult or impossible to prevent.
After a modified 1944 P-51 Mustang crashed into the ground in front of a boxed seating area in 2011, killing the pilot and 10 spectators and injuring many more, the NTSB found several problems with the aircraft that led to the crash. Several safety changes were made to the races, including aircraft demonstrating airworthiness before racing and seating spectators farther from the course. These races are the only event of its kind in the country and keeping the event safe is a top priority for the organization. As the races say goodbye to Reno, the organization announced on Oct. 19 that six cities across the U.S. were In the running to be the new home for the event.
Six cities submitted over 1,500 pages of documents to be chosen as the new home of the National Championship Air Races. The event brings over $100 million annually to the host region. The NCAR hosts seven classes of air racing in one venue, featuring six closed-course pylon contests and STOL Drag. In the last year, the event drew in over one million visitors and generated over $750 million for the economy. The six bidding cities include Casper, Wyoming; Buckeye, Arizona; Pueblo, Colorado; Roswell, New Mexico; Thermal, California; and Wendover, Utah. A committee is overseeing the bids and conducting site visits later this year. Choosing a new site involves factors like proximity to hotels, airports and restaurants as well as available land for the courses, suitable runways, ramp and hangar space, and administrative and security facilities.
RARA said it will share details on the event and ticket release soon