Plane crash may end event and century of United States air racing.

http://www.faa.gov/Accident_incident/preliminary
The very thing that makes the National Championship Air races so popular -- the thrill of vintage airplanes roaring wingtip-to-wingtip at 500 mph within yards of a cheering crowd -- is the thing that may doom the 48-year-old event.

Friday's crash so far has claimed 10 lives, left two people missing and scores of spectators injured, seven critically. Reno's oval pylon-to-pylon air race, a sport dating back to before World War I, is the last such competition in the nation.

Local and federal officials said the race should be made safer, but an air race historian, who called Friday's crash the worst accident in the history of American air racing, said that probably isn't possible.

"You can move the crowd further away, you can move the course to a remote location, but that defeats the purpose of the races," said Don Berliner, president of the Society of Air Racing Historians and a former Reno Air Races official. "But you can't have an air race without spectators. Who is going to want to see it from a distance?"

Safety could be the main issue in determining the race's future. Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority officials said Monday as owner of the Stead Airport, they will be examining the federal investigation of Friday's crash to determine whether further safety requirements can allow the event to continue. The impact of the accident on the event's insurance remains uncertain, but rates are expected to climb, further burdening an event that has been on a financial roller coaster since the 1990s.

Berliner said the race association could put a speed limit on the planes, but that would eliminate the unlimited class made up of modified World War II vintage aircraft, the event's biggest draw.

Planes are already inspected and tested, he said. Participants could be required to X-ray every part or dismantle every aircraft to check for metal fatigue, but that's no guarantee of safety, he said. In addition, the expense would be prohibitive.

"And new parts can fail, too, as every car owner knows," Berliner said.

NASCAR races can install barriers between the crowds and the autos and other sports can construct domes or glass walls between the competitors and the spectators. But air racing puts both racers and fans in harm's way. Last week's horror may end a century of the world's fastest motor sport, he said.

"After this, the sport has an uncertain future," said Berliner, who noted that the Reno event has lasted nearly 50 years without anyone but the competitors or participants being hurt.

"It's a rare thing, very rare, but now it has happened," said.

Pilots and many long-time fans said they want the races to continue, but the factors now in play are beyond tradition and emotions. In the end, the decision will come down to what is an acceptable risk and whether the Reno Air Race Association can afford the still undetermined financial losses that will follow the worst accident in the history of American air racing.

"I'm surprised that (a major accident) didn't happen sooner," said Gavin Matuzek of Reno, who said he attended some of the annual air races since in the 1990s but stopped going after three pilots died during the event in 2007.

"The crowd is so close to the action and that's the thrill of it. But if something goes wrong the spectators are right there."

The consequences of a pilot's slight miscalculation, a sheared bolt, a defective circuit, or a broken cable can be deadly.

"What's critical is (finding out) not just what caused this, but why," said Mark Rosekind, a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating the crash. "Because if we are going to make safety recommendations, it's not just what but why, so we can make recommendations so that it doesn't happen again."

The safety board can make recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has oversight for all air shows and air races in the country. Those recommendations could come at any time during the board's investigation.

In 1972, the safety board made recommendations about how far the spectators must be from the races, and the FAA responded with a rule that was in place at the time of Friday's crash.

Economic impact

In an interview with the RGJ the night before the fatal crash, Mike Houghton, Reno Air Racing Association president and CEO, said the group was very optimistic about growth. He said the association has 10-year and 20-year long-term plans.

"We feel we have an obligation, a commitment to preserve and support this tradition," Houghton said.

The races also are essential to the local economy, he said. They attract more than 200,000 total spectators per year, including about 90,000 individual visitors, generating about $80 million a year for the region's economy, according to economic impact studies.

The event, which lists about $5 million in gross revenues on its tax statements, has faced financial challenges. In the mid-1990s, attendance slipped generating heavy losses, according to race officials, but the event recovered.

The races were grounded in the days after the terror attacks of 2001, the first cancellation in their history. Last year, the association posted a $90,000 loss.

Before the crash Houghton said the races were "looking good this year. Attendance was down 4 percent last year and expenses have gone up, but insurance rates have come down.

"This isn't a money-making sport like NASCAR can be. These teams run by the seat of their pants. They do this because they love it. They are volunteers."

After the accident Houghton said the association will have "to look at everything we do" and decide whether the event will continue.

Pilots' expenses

Unlike NASCAR, it's not a money-making event for the participants.

Just before the races began last week, Steve Hinton, the pilot of Strega and the reining champion of the Unlimited Class, tore down his P-51 Mustang engine for a tune up. Hinton, the son of previous air races champ Steve Hinton, first won the race in 2009, when he was 22.

"If we win this year, we'll break even," said Hinton, an aircraft mechanic from Chino, Calif. "These races cost (plane owners) $8,000 to $10,000 a lap. No body is in it for the money."

The joke among pilots is that air racing is a great way to turn millions into thousands.

"The attraction is the race itself, the people that gather here once a year," Hinton said. "This is the only place you can see these aircraft still flying€» We'll keep doing this as long as we can do it."

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