Pylon Racing Seminar, known as PRS, has been a hallmark of the Reno Air Racing Association since the 1990’s. It’s where rookies go to get certified for the STIHL National Championship Air Races and certified racers go to hone their skills each year. This year’s event was a huge success, with a record-breaking 28 students receiving their new certification to participate in the 58th STIHL National Championship Air Races! This includes the Unlimited Class, which had the largest turnout in memory with ten participants overall, and added 3 new certified racers for September. One of the three, Robert “R.T.” Dickson, owner and pilot of the P-51 Mustang “Swamp Fox” was exuberant after his last practice around the pylons. “That is the most incredible thing I have ever done,” said Dickson. “I can see what everyone who has done this means now when they say it’s a life-changing experience. I can’t wait to do it in September.”
Continuing with the exciting news, in addition to the 28 new students, we also had 53 pilots receive their renewal certifications. This new PRS student record and high number of renewals shows promising growth for the races, and means that the 58th STIHL National Championship Air Races are going to be bigger and better than ever! We can’t wait for you to witness the thrill of the world’s fastest motorsport this September. See you at the races!
2022 VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DINNER
photo credit: Joanne Murray
Every year during PRS in June, RARA celebrates its many wonderful volunteers by holding the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. Due to unfortunate world events, we hadn’t been able to hold this special dinner since 2019. This year marked a return to form for us, as we were able to host a successful dinner to honor our volunteers for the first time in 3 years. Volunteers are the lifeblood of our event and we couldn’t hold this event without them. As part of the celebration we present the Volunteer of the Year awards, where we honor those who went above and beyond in volunteering the previous year. With more than 1,000 volunteers chipping in annually, it’s always tough to narrow it down to a few, but this year the following exemplary individuals received the award:
Dean and Lyn Patmor, Pylon Judges
Jack Roche, Pilot Resources Support
Flip Gilbert, Security
Virginia Buchold, Pilot Resources Support
Judy Sherman, PRS Service and Golf Cart Manager
Jeanne Dickson, Office Support
Gloria Wattam, Office Support
Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers!
