08-24-07  Blue Thunder Pilot and Crew Make Ready For RENO 2007

Engine Problems Foil Speed Record Attempt - See You in September at Reno!

See Us At The Golden West EAA Regional Fly-in & Air Show June 29 - July 01 2007

4/28/07 - Blue Thunder Will Make Run on 100KM Speed Record - Click Here 

9/18/06 - Reno Results - Click Here

September 10, 2006

Greetings race fans. It has been a while since the last Blue Thunder Fan Report and there is much to discuss. Sit back and have a read as we bring you up to speed with Reno less than a week away.

Golden West Fly-In.

Once again John Gibson, Mary Hansen, and the entire Golden West Fly-In crew put on and incredible show at Marysville, CA in June. The kind folks at Red Carpet Aviation made us feel at home. The Golden West Fly-In has truly become one of the premier fly-in events on the west coast. This event will always be very special to Blue Thunder Air Racing for it was at Golden West that we set two world speed records in 2005. Although we did not make any speed runs this year, we can’t help but dream.

Since we already hold the 3km and 15km class C1c records, Blue Thunder Air Racing would like to add the 100km record to the list. Once again we would like to make our record runs at the Golden West Fly-In in Marysville, CA in June 2007.

Pylon Racing Seminar

Blue Thunder did not participate in PRS this year but we did do something special. Blue Thunder was joined at Reno by three other Thunder Mustangs; George Giboney in Rapid Travel, Tom Gaston in Live Bait, and Malcolm Thompson in Only in America. This is the first time four flying Thunder Mustangs have been together and an event that we are proud to say will be repeated. Although we only had enough time to get three in the air at the same time, it does set the pace for things to come. I’m sure next year at PRS we will see some interesting “new guys”.

 

Reno Air Races

As always, everyone is welcome to come by the American Air Racing hangar during the Reno Air Races to visit with the Blue Thunder Air Racing Team. Feel free to look around at what we have going on and maybe pick up a t-shirt or two.

John Parker and crew have been working very hard since PRS to get Blue Thunder dialed in. The engine was sent to Ryan Falconer of Falconer Racing Engines for a little refresher. Some minor modifications have been made to the airframe and we’ve searched around for some extra ponies under the cowl. As always Reno is a very unpredictable event but we plan to turn a few heads this year.

One important fact to get across is that without the support and generosity of our sponsors, none of this would be possible. Blue Thunder Air Racing is proud to announce that General Aviation Modifications, Inc., better know as GAMI, has joined us as a sponsor. GAMI has been working closely with us on some of the modifications to Blue Thunder.

GAMI joins a proud list of sponsors specializing in precision and quality products. We once again thank Falconer Racing Engines for all the hard work on the engine that powers Blue Thunder. We thank ERC Racing Fuels for supplying the magic brew to keep the engine making peak power, the fine people at Hartzell Propellers for tuning that power into thrust, and AeroMag for keeping the life blood of the engine, its oil, clean and metal free. Also thanks go to Aviator Real Estate, Victor Archer, and AAFO.COM.

And a very special “thank you” to all the fans who have continued to support and believe in us as we make aviation history. You are the reason we keep coming back for more. 

See you at Reno!

Click here to download this update as an Adobe pdf file

 

March 28, 2006

With the 2006 air show season just beginning Blue Thunder Air Racing is proud to announce its tentative schedule for the season.

The National Aeronautics Association (NAA) has named Blue Thunder’s speed record runs at Marysville, CA last year one of the Most Memorable Records of 2005. The NAA highlighted the C1c 15/25km world speed record of 376.18 mph, besting the old record by 76 mph. Once again we would like to thank Brain Utley, Art Greenfield, and everyone at the National Aeronautic Association, along with all those involved with the Golden West Fly-in for making those record runs possible.

Since the Reno Air Races are a full 5 months away, we have put up a short video available for download in the gallery section of our website to hold you over. This video was produced by Christopher Webb Films and is part of a documentary that they are doing on air racing. Given the quality of this short, the whole film will surely be a masterpiece.

Thank you all once again for your continued interest in our team and sport. Without our friends and sponsors like Aero-Mag, Falconer Racing Engines, ERC Racing Fuels, Aviator Real Estate, and the O’Brien Family, none of this would be possible. We look forward to seeing you during the 2006 season and who knows, we just might surprise you.

Click here to download this update as an Adobe pdf file