Father, Son Headed To Reno Air Races
August 25, 2016 at 4:51 p.m.
By Jennifer [email protected]
The local residents will stoke their love of aviation by competing in the 2016 National Championship Air Races.
Alan, 65, Winona Lake, and Brian, 41, Warsaw, will travel to Reno-Stead Airfield, Reno, Nev., Sept. 14-18 for the competition.
Alan, the organizer for the Warsaw Air Show for three years, is a retired pilot, flying with Southwest for 23 years. He also was a fighter test pilot in the Air Force for 24 years.
Alan graduated from United States Air Force Academy in 1973, and earned his bachelor’s degree in aeronautics. He attended Purdue where he received a master’s degree in aeronautics.
He worked for NASA from 1987 to 1990 as a test pilot.
Brian has been an airline pilot since April for Endeavor Airlines, Detroit, Mich., a commuter airline for Delta.
Brian is a former corporate pilot and earned his aviation computer science degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1998.
Alan will compete flying his 84 Pitts S1S , and Brian will fly his dad’s 32 Pits S1C.
Alan will began his flight to Reno Sept. 1 for the competition taking off from?Warsaw Municipal Airport. It is a two-day flight, but he will plan using four days to fly there in case of bad weather.
He will fly back to Warsaw and pick up the second airplane, and take it to Nevada because Brian has to work. Brian will meet Alan in Nevada.
“I will fly two hours at a time and it’s a 14 hour flight totalling 1,800 miles,” Alan said.
This is the third year for the father and son duo competing in the race.
Last year at the air races Alan placed sixth out of eight flying the 84 PITTS S1S.
Brian placed third out of eight in the silver races flying the 32 PITTS S1C.
There are 127 certified race pilots who will compete in this year’s races.
There are cash prizes for the winners.
Alan and Brian said they enjoy competing in the races.
“I love the competition and the low altitude speed. We fly at over 200 miles an hour at 50 feet in these races against seven other airplanes. It’s just like Nascar. We race a three-mile course with left turns just like a Nascar race,” Alan said.
Alan said flying has brought he and his son together.
“My passion is flying and planes and my son’s passion is racing. He was a crew chief on a race team for five years and we have been able to combine our passions in racing airplanes,” Alan said.
Alan’s wife, Lauri, will be on the crew to prepare the airplane with taping up the seams on the plane and keeping the canopies clean, She slso will help hold the plane’s wing while its engine is warming up and while engine checks are being conducted.
Alan and Brian are the first father and son duo to compete against each other during the races.
They have done aerobatic competitions together with their airplanes in Kokomo and Jackson, Mich.
Brian said he is excited to compete in the competition in Nevada with his father and was busy getting his plane ready at the Warsaw Municipal Airport Wednesday afternoon.
“It is the best week of the year for me,” Brian said.
The local residents will stoke their love of aviation by competing in the 2016 National Championship Air Races.
Alan, 65, Winona Lake, and Brian, 41, Warsaw, will travel to Reno-Stead Airfield, Reno, Nev., Sept. 14-18 for the competition.
Alan, the organizer for the Warsaw Air Show for three years, is a retired pilot, flying with Southwest for 23 years. He also was a fighter test pilot in the Air Force for 24 years.
Alan graduated from United States Air Force Academy in 1973, and earned his bachelor’s degree in aeronautics. He attended Purdue where he received a master’s degree in aeronautics.
He worked for NASA from 1987 to 1990 as a test pilot.
Brian has been an airline pilot since April for Endeavor Airlines, Detroit, Mich., a commuter airline for Delta.
Brian is a former corporate pilot and earned his aviation computer science degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 1998.
Alan will compete flying his 84 Pitts S1S , and Brian will fly his dad’s 32 Pits S1C.
Alan will began his flight to Reno Sept. 1 for the competition taking off from?Warsaw Municipal Airport. It is a two-day flight, but he will plan using four days to fly there in case of bad weather.
He will fly back to Warsaw and pick up the second airplane, and take it to Nevada because Brian has to work. Brian will meet Alan in Nevada.
“I will fly two hours at a time and it’s a 14 hour flight totalling 1,800 miles,” Alan said.
This is the third year for the father and son duo competing in the race.
Last year at the air races Alan placed sixth out of eight flying the 84 PITTS S1S.
Brian placed third out of eight in the silver races flying the 32 PITTS S1C.
There are 127 certified race pilots who will compete in this year’s races.
There are cash prizes for the winners.
Alan and Brian said they enjoy competing in the races.
“I love the competition and the low altitude speed. We fly at over 200 miles an hour at 50 feet in these races against seven other airplanes. It’s just like Nascar. We race a three-mile course with left turns just like a Nascar race,” Alan said.
Alan said flying has brought he and his son together.
“My passion is flying and planes and my son’s passion is racing. He was a crew chief on a race team for five years and we have been able to combine our passions in racing airplanes,” Alan said.
Alan’s wife, Lauri, will be on the crew to prepare the airplane with taping up the seams on the plane and keeping the canopies clean, She slso will help hold the plane’s wing while its engine is warming up and while engine checks are being conducted.
Alan and Brian are the first father and son duo to compete against each other during the races.
They have done aerobatic competitions together with their airplanes in Kokomo and Jackson, Mich.
Brian said he is excited to compete in the competition in Nevada with his father and was busy getting his plane ready at the Warsaw Municipal Airport Wednesday afternoon.
“It is the best week of the year for me,” Brian said.
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