After nearly 60 years, this month will mark the end of the Reno Air Races, which is scheduled for Sep 13-17 at the Reno-Stead airport. But the big question is, what comes next? Will the races continue elsewhere?
The Reno Air Race Association (RARA) has not announced anything, but another organization has, and they are aiming for a new air race event outside of Las Vegas next year. But is it all talk?
New spaceport will host the races
The races would be held 65 miles west of Vegas, near Pahrump, at a new Las Vegas Spaceport. The event is scheduled for Oct. 25-27, 2024.
There’s just one problem. The place doesn’t exist yet. The 240-acre area planned for the spaceport has no infrastructure to support such an event, or anything else. There isn’t even an airport, nor full funding to break ground. Yet.
According to Shelter Realty, the commercial real estate developer only recently began trying to get investors for the reportedly $310 million spaceport plan. They would then form a publicly-traded company and start building.
Last year 39 million tourists spent $12 billion in Vegas on gaming alone. The new spaceport hopes to tap into that purse. The facility would have a launching pad, a runway for spaceplanes, control tower, flight school, and a 200-room resort and casino.
The FAA has already licensed over a dozen spaceports around the country, with several dozen companies currently seeking licenses to operate space vehicles.
The new Vegas races
As for the new Vegas Air Races, local Vegas news station KSNV reports that organizers expect more than 500 vendors and 25,000 spectators, with drone races, rocket launch demos and live music.
Organizers also claim racers will push 500 mph, so it’s safe to assume fans will see an unlimited and jet class, same as in Reno.
“Ensuring safety is paramount as we execute our plan to draw visitors to the Las Vegas Spaceport and establish our brand,” said Robert Lauer, CEO of the Las Vegas Spaceport. “Our upcoming Air Races event in the coming year will serve as a demonstration, not only for the FAA but also for the public, reaffirming our unwavering commitment to safety compliance.”
The entire idea spaceport and races is an ambitious plan, and will no doubt cost a lot more than $310 million. Just ask Elon and SpaceX. But the optimistic timeframe seems unrealistic. Even if they had all the required permits and paperwork and funding to break ground today, a proper large runway resurfacing can take up to a year. Any airport in a year would be bare bones.
However, it is great that people are trying. The potential is definitely there. One can hope. But some racers flying other races in the meantime, such as Andrew Findlay, who has dominated in the Reno “Sport Class” for years flying as #30 “One Moment Air Racing”.
“Sport class now has accreditation and will be doing future races. We had one in Madras, Oregon last week,” says Findlay. “We are planning a second location the end of October.”
Findlay and several other races like the Vegas idea, but have their doubts for the reasons outlined above. The event itself is doable if the facility is built, but doing it next year seems far-fetched at best.
We shall see.
