This weekly current-events program highlights stories from the pages of the authoritative Aviation Week magazine. From air traffic jams to U.S. military aircraft testing, Aviation Week covers the hottest news through feature stories, interviews, timely footage and discussions of industry issues. The knowledgeable editors of Aviation Week present eye-opening commentary on compelling aviation issues. Each program provides access to the most timely and informative news and technology information available to aviation professionals and enthusiasts. This series tells the story of air racing's progress, from Europe in 1909 to Reno, Nev., today.
Air racing is one of the world's most dangerous sports.
Its entertaining and fascinating history includes courageous male and female pilots with an insatiable quest for speed. Less than six years after the Wright Brothers' epochal flight in 1903, the first air race was held above 250,000 mesmerized spectators in France. Throughout the 1920s and '30s, dynamic aviation personalities like Jimmy Doolittle and Roscoe Turner became national icons for their exploits in cross-country and pylon racing. Today, the Reno National Championship Air Races attract the world's fastest planes flown by people whose only common bond is their addiction to flying. Learn how the reality of the battlefield shaped the development of many of these fascinating aircraft.