Ceremony Held On Final Day Of 2012 Reno Air Races

We all remember the shock we felt last year when we learned that Jimmy Leeward's modified P-51 "Galloping Ghost" went down at the Reno air races, resulting in the fatal injury of the pilot and 10 spectators on the ground. The accident was officially remembered with a moment of silence Sunday, the final day of racing at Reno-Stead Airport for the 2012 edition of the Reno Air Races.

"Today is dedicated to paying tribute to all of those so greatly affected by the cold, unsympathetic and somber hands of fate ... and to memorializing those 11 members of our air race family who are no longer with us," said Mike Houghton, president of the Reno Air Racing Association. The Associated Press reports that as part of the ceremony, the names of those fatally injured were read, followed by a flag presentation and the release of white balloons.

Among those attending the ceremony was the family of a Kansas woman who was killed in the accident, several of whom were injured when Leeward's plane went down. Bill Elvin, who lost his mother in the accident, said "How do you protect people from catastrophic events?" according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Following the accident, the NTSB issued 10 recommendations to improve safety at air races. Board chair Deborah Hersman said late last week that she was pleased that all had either been implemented, or were in the process of being adopted by the industry.

As for the races themselves, they concluded Sunday without incident.

• Steve Hinton of Chino, CA, flying the P51 Mustang "Strega" won the Breitling Unlimited Gold Trophy
• Rick Vandam of Reno, flying the L-39 Albatross "American Spirit" captured the Jet Class
• Jeff LaVelle of Mukilteo, Washington, flying a Glasair III was tops in the Sport Class
• Nick Macy of Tulelake, California, flying "Six Cat, won the T-6 class
• Tom Aberle from Fallbrook, California in Phantom won the Biplane Class
• Steve Senegal of San Bruno, California was tops in the Formula One Class in his Arnold AR-6 Endeavor

FMI: www.airrace.org