Aberle wins Reno air races, sets speed record

Tom Aberle won the Sport Biplane class at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada, and also set a speed record for his division.

Aberle qualified at an average speed of 249 mph, breaking the record of 241.05 mph he set in 2004. In the Gold Race September 17 Aberle bettered his qualifying mark, establishing a new record at 251.958 mph. Aberle also won both heat races.

“We were using a different propeller this year, which turned out to be the right thing to do,” Aberle said.

The plane also had other minor modifications from its last race, which was the 2005 National Championship Air Races. Aberle co-owns the plane, which is called Phantom, with Andrew Buehler, and in 2005 Buehler piloted the plane during the Reno air races.

Paul Lipps designed the new propeller for Phantom. Aberle’s average speed in the 2004 Gold Race was 237.9 mph, beating the previous record of just over 224 mph.

In August Phantom was flown for testing, and on September 11 the plane flew two qualifying laps over the 3.1-mile Reno course. Setting the average speed record during qualifying wasn’t entirely satisfying for Aberle. “It was a real mix. We sort of anticipated that there was a chance of setting new records, and to that extent we were shooting for 250 miles per hour,” Aberle said.

That made the speed of 249 mph somewhat disappointing. “We ended up overcoming that on Sunday, so it turned out to be a very welcome surprise,” Aberle said.

The top eight qualifying planes competed in the Gold division. All divisions had two heat races prior to the final race. Both heat races and the main race consisted of six laps apiece. A total of 28 planes entered the Sport Biplane division of the Reno air races.

Aberle won the first heat race September 14 with an average speed of 240 mph. The slower speed compared to his qualifying mark wasn’t an area of concern. “We approached the race with a high degree of caution,” he said.

Aberle lapped five of the seven other planes in the heat race. “I remember the days when I was the one being lapped by several other airplanes. I know what it feels like,” said the 63-year-old Aberle, who first flew the Reno course in 1966 and has been competing since 1967.

Aberle also lapped five of the seven plans in the second heat race September 16, which he won with an average speed of 249 mph. Aberle noted that he was more aggressive in the second heat race than in the first. “That’s the biggest difference between all three events, just how hard I was squeezing it,” he said.

Aberle explained that while most of the speed is derived through the plane’s power, some advantage is also gained through leaning. “I became more aggressive with each consecutive event,” he said.

However, Aberle did not want to risk engine damage and took fewer chances until the Gold Race. Even in the Gold Race, Aberle leaned more while avoiding the engine’s capacity. “There was still some power reserved,” he said.

In the Gold Race Aberle once again lapped five of the seven other planes. The second-place finisher was approximately 20 mph slower. “It’s good to finish first,” Aberle said.

Although Aberle’s speed record will likely eventually be broken, he will always have the distinction of being the first pilot to average more than 250 mph in the Sport Biplane class. “I’ve been racing for some time, and I remember very well when it seemed 200 miles per hour was an unsurmountable number,” he said.

Aberle, who owns Aberle Custom Aircraft and co-owns Fallbrook Air Service with his mother, also designed Phantom and built the plane over a seven-month period. Its first flight occurred in August 2003. Phantom weighs 738 pounds and has a wingspan of approximately 20 feet. Its four-cylinder, 360 cubic inch Lycoming engine generates more than 250 horsepower.

In the 2003 Reno air races Phantom posted the division’s top qualifying speed at just over 221 mph, but after one propeller was damaged in the qualifying session and another propeller was damaged in the first heat race Aberle withdrew from the second heat race and the Gold Race.

Phantom’s sponsors and mechanics provided a 27-person presence at the banquet following the races at which Aberle was recognized.

Buehler is scheduled to race Phantom in 2007, so Aberle is not expected to race again until the 2008 Reno air races.