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Jets Celebrate Reno Races As STOL-Drag Class Officially Added

An inexpensive, light taildragger, and terrific stick and rudder skills, are all you need to race in the STOL Drag class at the STIHL National Championship Air Races. Tony Cruz & Mark E. Loper
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The 2020 STIHL National Championship Air Races near Reno, Nevada, were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic but are scheduled to return in September 2021.
  • Despite the cancellation, the FAA officially accredited the new STOL Drag race class, the first addition to the event's categories in nearly two decades.
  • STOL Drag is a backcountry flying duel emphasizing pilot skills, with planes racing back and forth over a 2,000-foot course, open to various skill levels across three categories.
  • To commemorate the cancelled event and engage the community, several race pilots will perform a jet flyover in the Reno area on September 19.
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The 2020 STIHL National Championship Air Races near Reno, Nevada, was set to officially open its doors to spectators on September 16. However, as with all major air-show events planned after March of this year, the coronavirus pandemic put a lid on the excitement for this week. The annual event, in which racers of various airplane types battle in formation around closed pylon courses low over the desert-land adjacent to the Reno/Stead Airport, is scheduled to return next year, September 15 through 19.

Pia Bergqvist

Pia Bergqvist joined FLYING in December 2010. A passionate aviator, Pia started flying in 1999 and quickly obtained her single- and multi-engine commercial, instrument and instructor ratings. After a decade of working in general aviation, Pia has accumulated almost 3,000 hours of flight time in nearly 40 different types of aircraft.

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