Six jets banned at Reno, will not compete

Jets racing at Reno (Photo Dylan Ashe (CC BY-SA 2.0))

Six aircraft that were intended to compete in the Reno Air Races’ Jet class have been banned from racing by the race officials after concerns about safety emerged.

This concerns mostly the Aero L-29 Delfin, five of which have been re-engined with Rolls-Royce Viper engines to compete with the more powerful L-39 Albatros. The sixth jet is a L-39 which is believed to have a substantially modified engine.

Concerns over the safety of these aircraft emerged earlier this year during the Pylon Racing Seminar held at Reno. The aircraft should be allowed to fly next year after these issues have been solved. Most of the pilots concerned have found stock replacement aircraft to race in.