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| Lee Behel #5 |
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Lee Behel of San Jose, California is one of the founders of the Sport Class and served as its President from its inception in 1998 until 2003 and then again in 2007. He campaigned a Questair Venture for 4 years before acquiring an Andy Chiavetta built Lancair Legacy in 2002. Lee has managed to squeak a little more speed out of his airplane every year since 2002 and has had the fastest normally aspirated airplane in the Sport Class for the last several years.
Lee’s background includes 24 years with the Nevada Air National Guard where he accumulated 2500 hours of F-4 Phantom flight time and flew other military aircraft including the F-101 Voodoo. He retired in 1996 as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Lee currently holds 3 World Speed Records, 2 in the F-4 Phantom and 1 in his Lancair Turboprop. He is currently retired from a career as a VW, Porsche, Audi Dealer in San Jose and flies for Angel Flight West in his spare time.
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| Dean Berry #45 |
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Dean Berry of Cave Creek AZ, is Aircraft Maintenance Manager. He currently races a Harmon Rocket II that he spent two years building and it is powered by an IO-540.
With 2003 being first race, Dean is new to Sport Class racing, but not to flying. He was Crew Chief on a "gas-passer" KC-135. His fastest speed at Reno is 232 m.p.h. And when not racing planes, he also races a Yamaha FZR1000.
Dean is sponsored by Corporate Jets Inc. and IK2000 engine monitor.
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| Josh Brungardt #23 |
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Josh Brungardt is a native of Kansas and racing in his first season with a borrowed Lancair Legacy. No stranger to this type, Josh has the distinction of holding more hours in the Lancair Legacy than any other pilot and has checked out most all Lancair Legacy builder/pilots. He is affectionately known as "Coach". All this at the age of 27!
Josh is supported by Don Barnes as Crew Chief and his beautiful wife Emily.
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| Mike Dacey #71 |
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Mike Dacey is a building contractor out of Pismo Beach, Ca. With 25 years flying experience he has over 3000 hours in single, multiengine and jet time. He has flown the Venture to 3 first place wins in the Sun 100 race in Florida, and placed 4th in the Sport Class in 1999 at a speed of 282mph.
In 2002, Mike had the second fastest qualifying time of over 330mph before a landing gear failure put him out of the races. During the past two years, working with the help of John Clipperton, a totally new Venture has been built, incorporating a number of speed mods, which should make this Venture the fastest yet, and a serious contendor in the Sport Gold races. When not flying the Venture, Mike owns and flys a L-39 jet.
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| Dante Edwards. #65 |
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Dante has been involved in the Sport Class from the very beginning. In 1998, as a retired FAA Air Traffic Controller, Dante helped to organize the Class before starting his second career as a commercial pilot. He is an Airline Transport rated pilot with 33 years of flying experience.
In 2001, Dante entered the Sport Class as a participating pilot for the first time, and qualified his Glasair III “Third Chance”, Race 65. In the following years he continued to make the aircraft faster. His best finishing was 3rd place in the Silver division in 2004. His fastest speed in that airplane was 280 mph in 2005.
In November of 2005, “Third Chance” was sold and a new partnership with Ian Baker of Australia, was established. That partnership has brought the formation of the “Top Secret” racing team. Race 65 will soon be a new racer, named “Reality Check”. The racer is being built to debut at the 2006 or 2007 Reno Air Races. The aircraft will be an advanced version of the Super Glasair III as introduced in its final form by Stoddard Hamilton. A web site is under construction to introduce the plane and the team at www.teamtopsecret.net. Look for more information in the future on the web site.
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| Kevin Eldredge #42 |
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Kevin Eldredge, an investor and commercial pilot from San Luis Obispo, Ca is looking forward to a repeat appearance of his beautiful NXT ”Relentless”. The stakes are getting high with three other NXTs’ showing up at Reno in 2007. Look for some crazy close racing this year out of the Super Sport gold class, somebody is going to hit 400!!!
Eldredge has been flying since serving in the Air Force as a flight mechanic on Huey helicopters at Edwards Air Force Base in the 80’s. Presently the owner of SLO Air Inc. the exclusive distributor of the Nemesis NXT kit aircraft.
Click here to visit the Relentless team web site.
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| Lynn Farnsworth #44 |
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Lynn Farnsworth is a retired Military/Airline pilot who will be racing a Lancair Legacy. His Legacy is modeled after Darryl Greenamyer's #33 Legacy. It's also powered by a twin-turbo TSIO-550 and built by Performance Engines.
Lynn is a Vietnam era fighter pilot. He flew F-100s and F-4s in Vietnam and Thailand. He was a Misty FAC and was shot down twice (the 1st time on his birthday and the 2nd time exactly two months later) while performing that mission. If you care to read about the exploits of Lynn and his fellow F-100 Misty FACs, they published a book named "Misty". It is available online or at many fine bookstores. After exiting active duty he joined the Air National Guard and flew F-105s and F-4s. His money making job was Airline Pilot, but his fun job was Fighter Pilot. After retiring from airline flying he started looking for some way to get back to the fun flying.
His Super Legacy, named Miss Karen II (Miss Karen was an F-100 Lynn flew at Phan Rang AB, Republic of Vietnam) is named for his wife Karen, who has tolerated his Fighter Pilot act all these years. Miss Karen II's race number, 44, is in honor of his youngest son Kyle, who wears that same number as a pitcher for the Chicago Cubs. Lynn has never raced before, so will be going to "Rookie School", at Reno, in June.
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| Phillip (Earl) Hibler #7 |
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Earl Hibler races a Glasair 11 S TD powered by a 300hp IO-540 with a prop designed by Hartzell and built by Sullivan Propeller of Hayward, CA. IT has earned him 6th place Silver in 1999, 4th place Silver in 2000, 2nd place Silver in 2002 and 7th place Gold in 2003. Currently, his fastest speed at Reno is 270 m.p.h.
Earl's pilot experience includes time in 60 types of certified and experimental aircraft totaling almost 12,000 hours. He also has raced in the Formula class from 1984 through 1989 and placing 1st in Bronze.
He is sponsored by Aero Dry Wall, Sullivan Propeller, Western-Allied Service Co., Cross City Express, J & R Electronics, Turbin Air, Concret Wall Saw, PHL, Professor Tom Sigmon, ERA helicopters Reno and Allison Sierra Co.
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| Mike Jones #10 |
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ike completed building his Glasair III in July of 1994 and immediately began racing it in Shirl Dickey's RACE Series the following September. It has won the Super Glasair Class Championship every year since.
October of 1994 saw the aircraft take the Grand Champion and Best Composite awards at the Copperstate Fly-in. Grand Champion- Kit Built trophies followed at Sun-N- Fun and Oshkosh along with the Wright Brothers award in '95.
Mike was one of the pilots who initiated Sport Class air racing at Reno in 1998. Best placings to date have been winning the Silver competition in 1999 and in 2005. Modifications to his airframe and normally aspirated engine have produced a forty mile per hour increase in speed over the past nine years at Reno. His fastest race speed so far is 301 mph.
Mike was entrusted with the presidency of the Sport Class in 2003-2006 and has been an instructor pilot for the Pylon Racing School the past six years.
Mike shares Lycoming & Hartzell sponsorships with John Sharp’s NXT.
Race 10 also transports Mike to job-sites associated with his interior design firm. It is doubly useful when he and his wife Charle visit their four grown children at their various locations. Mike and Charle live in Fullerton where the airplane is hangared.
He is a 2000 hour, instrument rated pilot whose current ambition is to become the fastest normally aspirated aircraft in the Sport Class. Anecdotal information: Sport Class Vice President, Director, and instructor/evaluator pilot.
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| Gary Lee Mead #47 |
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Hey, I'm just a pizza guy!” Remember these words when you see this years' Sport Class Racer, Glasair III - Luckymojo #47, Pilot Gary Lee Mead at the stick as he rips around the pylons at speeds in excess of 300 mph. Mead, 46, is making his rookie debut this year at the 2007 Reno Air Races. After making his mark as a successful multi unit pizza restaurant owner/operator and expert marketeer for over 18 years, it seems Mead will now be wearing yet another hat, or should we say,“helmet”.
Born and raised in Southern California, Mead has always had an entrepreneurial spirit about him. By age 11, he had already entered the restaurant business as a “go-for” for a well known food chain. Mead later worked his way through College as a Manager of a local Italian Restaurant. After pursueing his Bacholars Degree in Psychology from California State University Fullerton and a short stint at a clinic in Irvine, California Mead took a job as head of operations for a Italian Restaurant Chain. Eventually, this lead to his current status as owner/operator of his own highly successful business’. Mead now resides at his Ranch in Arroyo Grande, California. He has always enjoyed a passion for flying and calls San Luis Obispo Airport in California his home! His aspirations now include building a new brand air racing team. So, look out all you pizza lovers, because this September he is sure to come out piping hot! guaranteed!
Luckymojo experimental Glasair III powered by a lycoming TIO-540 engine—twin turbo—with previous Reno visits piloted by Kevin Eldredge in 2006, 2004 and 2003. In 2006 Kevin recorded a top speed of 315 mph on the course in the Gold Class.
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| Dave Morss #99 |
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Dave Morss of Redwood City, CA is a Three time Sport Class Gold Champion who currently flys his own Lancair Legacy he built over a one-year period. He is a test pilot and has amassed an amazing 24,000 hours in over 300 different types of aircraft including 31 prototype first flights.
A Pylon racer since 1980, Dave has raced in Biplane, Formula One, Unlimited and Sport Class. He won 1st place Gold in 1998, 1999, 2000; 3rd place Gold in 2002 and 1st place Silver in 2003 all in Sport Class. His fastest speed at Reno so far is 331 m.p.h. flying a Lancair IV.
Dave has won many awards including the NAA Pulitzer Award 1998, 1999 for Sport Class records, Spirit of Flight Award 1998 (Society of Experimental Test Pilots), a two time recipient Bob Downey Memorial Award for most inspirational competitor (IF1) and the George Owl Outstanding New Design Award (IF1). Additionally, he holds thirteen world speed records.
Lancair, Continental and Hartzell have sponsored Dave and you can read more about his flying and past experiences on his website: www.davemorss.com
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| Scott Nelson #7 |
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Scott Nelson is living in San Luis Obispo, CA where he is the chief pilot for a 135 operator. In September he calls Reno his home and races a Glasiar III. His plane is powered by a normally aspirated IO-540 and was built by Jerry Linthicum in 1993. This aircraft was purchased from Jerry a few years back and showed up to race for the first time in 2006 where it placed second in the bronze with a speed of 272mph.
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| John Parker #351 |
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Three-time Formula One Champion, John Parker, has dedicated his life to air racing, much to the chagrin of his wife Jan. They make their home together in Reno, Nevada.
After John was placed on reserve status from the Air Force in 1965 he joined American Airlines. Soon John found himself building engines for Formula One race teams, working as a mechanic at the air races, and assisting racers as a “Speed Merchant”. John’s passion for air racing quickly turned into a business, and in 1967 John founded American Air Racing.
American Air Racing has evolved over the years to include aircraft and equipment leasing and technology development. But the main focus of American Air Racing is to offer complete builder support and to perform speed modifications for kit-built aircraft. John and American Air Racing are dedicated to the development, improvement, and building of Thunder Mustangs, and also specialize in Glasairs and Lancairs
Winning his first Reno Formula One Championship in 1977, John continued to add to his trophy case with Championship victories in 1978 and 1980. His scratch-built Formula One racer, American Air Racing Special, now resides in the EAA Museum in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. John placed second in the original CAFÉ 250 and won the CAFÉ 400 in the twin-engine division in 1983. In 1988 John was the third person to enter a scratch-built aircraft in the Unlimited Division at Reno. John placed fourth in the inaugural Sport Division Gold final at Reno in 1998 in his kit-built Glasair, race 300. The past years have seen John campaign his Thunder Mustang, Blue Thunder, in a relentless search for increased performance. With John at the controls, Blue Thunder captured second place in the Sport Division Gold final in its first year of racing.
The American Air Racing team supports and participates in Sport Racing to demonstrate its sponsor’s products, such as Hartzell Propellers and Snap-on Tools, in a real world environment. Through racing, American Air Racing is able to display its capabilities to the sport aviation community. American Air Racing is committed to promoting enthusiasm and interest for the sport of air racing.
From a humble beginning, John has become an air racing icon. For John Parker, air racing is not a sport; it is a way of life. www.americanairracing.com www.bluethunderairracing.com
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| Jon Sharp #3X |
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Jon Sharp of Mohave, CA has been on the racing scene since he began riding tricycles. His trophy case is packed with memories of slot cars and go carts. But these trophies pale in comparison to what he has achieved in his later years in air racing.
1981 marked the beginning of the AEROMAGIC/NEMESIS® Dynasty. Since that time, he has been a contender for the Reno National Championship every year, with wins in ‘82, ‘86 with AEROMAGIC, and ‘91, ‘92, ‘93, ‘94, ‘95, ‘96, ‘97, ‘98 & 1999 with Nemesis. His team has taken home the “ Fastest Qualifier” trophy at Reno 9 times. Twice with the Cassutt racer, AEROMAGIC, once with a Sport racer called BLUE STREAK and six times with the Nemesis. In addition, Nemesis has set speed records on every course she has flown, has been victorious at every regional race throughout the United States and Canada, and holds the Fastest Qualifier Trophies at each of those races.
Jon works at the fabled Lockheed Martin Skunks Works Company as an Advanced Composites Engineer. This job is the result of almost 20 years of work in the composites industry, starting with George Applebay building Zuni gliders in Albuquerque NM, and including work for his arch rival Jim Miller. Much to Mr. Miller’s disgust, the engine that has beaten him for the last eight+ years began as one that he sold to Jon in the mid-80’s. This is the same engine that Jon races with to this date.
The introduction and victory of the Nemesis racer in 1991 marked a triumph of engineering and technology in the sport of air racing. It was the first time in the 53 year history of the class that a brand new racer has won the National Championship.
Since winning the 1991 National Championship, the Nemesis is undefeated in the last 47 of its 50 total starts, giving it the highest winning percentage of any racer active today.
Nemesis retired into the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in July 2000. Its predecessor is the NemesisNXT, a two place, side by side kit aircraft available now.
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| ‘CJ’ Stephens (PACE) |
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C. J. is the Pace/Starter/Safety pilot for Reno Sport Class Air Racing. He has also been a primary instructor and evaluator with the Pylon Racing School since its inception. He is an ATP, CFI, with an All Types Piston Power Single and Multi rating to go with his 12,000 hours flying experience. C. J. built and presently owns a Glasair III.
C. J. is the Test Pilot for C.A.F.E. Foundation and in that capacity he flew numerous flight tests on Experimental aircraft. The reports of those test flights were published in Sport Aviation Magazine issues from 1990 through 2002 and can also be viewed at cafefoundation.org. He flew 3,000 hours in an F-4 Phantom for the USAF and retired at the rank of Lt Col in 1980. During his Air Force career he served two tours of duty in Viet Nam where he flew 232 combat missions.
He raced a Hawker Sea Fury in the unlimited division for 14 years at the Reno, Denver, Phoenix, and Kansas Air Races. C. J. currently flies a P-51 as safety pilot during Unlimited practices at Reno.
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| David Sterling #74 |
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David Sterling of San Diego, CA flies race 8, a Lancair legacy that he built. The airplane construction took three years. David was a graduate of PRS 2006 and entered his Legacy that first year.
He was successful during his first year finishing in seventh place in the Silver Division. His flying experience ranges from sail planes to Boeing 747's. He is currently a Captain for Continental Airlines and has a about 24,000 hours in his log book. He has been a good addition to the growing list of licensed Sport Class Air Racers.
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| Duncun Sutherland #74 |
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Duncan is a retired cardiovascular surgeon from Alto, NM and began flying in 1952. His father, a test pilot and flight instructor in WWII, taught him to fly and he now has over 4000 flight hours in a variety of planes.
Duncan is racing a Swearingen SX 300 built by Doug Poli and Herb Tischler in Ft Worth, TX and is powered by a Performance Engine IO-580. It was the grand champion homebuilt in the EAA Albuquerque air show in 1991. It placed 2nd in the Silver in Reno in 2004 and 6th in the Silver in 2005. It raced in the EAA Airventure Cup race in 2005 and placed 3rd in the sport division. In 2006 it has raced in the Marion Jayne National Air race and also in the EAA Airventure Cup Race and placed 1st in the Sport and 2nd overall out of 61 racers. Its speed in the Airventure Cup Race was 288 mph.
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| Ernie Sutter #66 |
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Ernie Sutter is a new graduate of Pylon Race School and will be out on the course this year in his newly-built Lancair Legacy powered by an IO-550.
Ernie's resides in Woodlands, TX when not off in the usual plane he drives...a Boeing 737.
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| Rod Von Grote #57 |
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Rod has taken over flying for team Aerochia from Darryl Greenamyer. Look for some outstanding racing from this former F-16 pilot.
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| Will Whiteside #16 |
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Introducing Will Whiteside of Santa Rosa, California.
At Reno 2005, 34 year old Will Whiteside made his debut air racing appearance in the Sport Class. In 2006, Will built an exciting Unlimited Air Racing Team around "STEADFAST", a Russian WWII fighter design and one of the most unique airplanes at the races. Will now races the Yakovlev 11 and a P-51 Mustang in the unlimited class as well as racing a Lancair Legacy in the sport class.
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Will is no stranger to going fast and turning left though as he spent his years prior to becoming a pilot as a Professional Dirt Motorcycle Speedway Racer. At the age of Eighteen, Will began a five year motorcycle racing career that ended to pursue his lifelong dream of being a pilot. As a long time model airplane builder and racer he knew what direction to turn and a few months later that became a new career as a professional pilot. Wills resume includes being an Instructor Pilot, Corporate Jet pilot, Airline pilot, Unlimited Race pilot, CAFE Foundation Test Pilot and Commercial Fisherman.
Look for Will in the Unlimited and the Sport Class in future years at Reno. www.teamsteadfast.com.
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| Pete Zaccagnino #28 |
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Pete Zaccagnino of Fleminton NJ is another rookie to Sport Class, but not new as he was our own pace pilot for the 2004 races. He holds an ATP, CFII and MEI.
As a corporate pilot, when he's not flying Gulfstream IVs, Pete is wringing out his Pitts Special and running his other business, High Performance Aircraft Training, that caters to initial and recurrent trainning in Lancairs.
Pete will be flying Lancair's own TSIO-550 powered IV-P. |
More bios to come... |
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