Red Bull Air Races in the US for 2015

[AKBill]

Hi

Wondering if anyone has been to a Red Bull Air Race? My wife have enjoyed watching them of TV and were thinking of going to one of the races in the US this year. Probably the Vegas race.

Race dates are

26-27 September, Fort Worth, TX
17-18 October, Las Vegas, NV

We have been to the Reno, air races once and enjoyed it. Looks like the Vegas air track is over the back straight away at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Should be a pretty good view from grand stands. Guess they will fly out of Nellis AFB, since the runway is across the street, could be wrong.

The Air Force Red Flag Operation at Nellis AFB, "I think", is during the week of the NASCAR race in March. It is a lot of fun watching the fighters, bombers, and support aircraft take off and land from 7am till midnight.

We are going to the NASCAR race in March and are RV camping at the race track for 5 days. Depending on the runway they use, the flight path for the (USAF Red Flag) is final or departure approach right over the RV spot we rent. Cant hear yourself think over the afterburners.

Red Bull Air Race comments please.

Thanks
BB (AKBILL)

 

[petrolero]

My bro lives in Dallas. Maybe I can fly in for that event. I've never been to one of these events but given their rarity I imagine they sell out very quickly. How early must one by tix?

Is this a NASCAR-style camp-in-the-parking-lot type thing?

 

[docmirror]

I went to the race in Fort Worth this year. It was fun, but I don't know if I will go again. We had a good time, and there was some pretty interesting racing overall, but it wasn't like car racing with a group of cars on the track. The race is a time trial and only one plane in the course at a time. They keep it moving well, and Red Bull was a good host but ultimately it's single event racing.

 

[Lindberg]

I took the kids to the second day last year at TMS. I thought it was awesome, but each heat is only a few minutes long. The kids thought the races were cool, but it was basically the same thing 12 times over. They enjoyed the entertainment in between the heats as much or more than the racing.

It was no where near sold out.

 

[TEFLONSEAN]

I went to the race in Fort Worth this year. It was fun, but I don't know if I will go again. We had a good time, and there was some pretty interesting racing overall, but it wasn't like car racing with a group of cars on the track. The race is a time trial and only one plane in the course at a time. They keep it moving well, and Red Bull was a good host but ultimately it's single event racing.

Yeah....it would be more exciting like NASCAR if there was multiple planes in the RedBull format so we could see more crashes!!

Cmon....would you want a group in that format???

 

[AKBill]

My bro lives in Dallas. Maybe I can fly in for that event. I've never been to one of these events but given their rarity I imagine they sell out very quickly. How early must one by tix?

Is this a NASCAR-style camp-in-the-parking-lot type thing?

It is a reserved spot in areas around the track. Yes similar to a parking lot. You have excess to track, walking distance from your camping spot. Go in and visit pits, watch the time trials. It's a 5 day tailgate party, grilling out, talking to friends new and old.

I took the kids to the second day last year at TMS. I thought it was awesome, but each heat is only a few minutes long. The kids thought the races were cool, but it was basically the same thing 12 times over. They enjoyed the entertainment in between the heats as much or more than the racing.

It was no where near sold out.

What were the ticket prices and what type of entertainment did they have between heats? Did they have aerobatic flight teams doing demonstrations?

 

[ARFlyer]

What were the ticket prices and what type of entertainment did they have between heats? Did they have aerobatic flight teams doing demonstrations?

I'll have to look at my tickets, but I remember that it was very reasonable. I suggest to anyone that's going to Fort Worth to get the seats underneath the roof. I came back with a horrible sunburn because our seats were just in front of the roof.

It was quite windy the first day so they didn't do much inbetween the races.

 

[docmirror]

Yeah....it would be more exciting like NASCAR if there was multiple planes in the RedBull format so we could see more crashes!!

Cmon....would you want a group in that format???

Ever heard of Reno air races? Staggered starting?

Prolly not.

My post didn't advise either of those, so not sure what issues you have with my post, but meh - whatev.

 

[Frogs97]

I'll have to look at my tickets, but I remember that it was very reasonable. I suggest to anyone that's going to Fort Worth to get the seats underneath the roof. I came back with a horrible sunburn because our seats were just in front of the roof.

It was quite windy the first day so they didn't do much inbetween the races.

Yeah, PLENTY of seats, but get in the shade. We were miserable in the sun.

 

[StinkBug]

Ever heard of Reno air races? Staggered starting?

Prolly not.

My post didn't advise either of those, so not sure what issues you have with my post, but meh - whatev.

It's a little easier to put multiple planes on the same course when they are going the same direction and going around and around in circles. Most RedBull air race courses have them doing acrobatics and doubling back on parts of the course. Kinda hard to have multiple planes coming through the same set of gates in opposite directions.

 

[aggie06]

I flew into Alliance last year for it. Don't ask the FBO to call you a cab though. They told me the only thing available was a guy in a black car they had a special deal with. He spent the whole couple miles to the track complaining about Uber ruining his business and then tried to charge $60 for the ride. We got an Uber back.

Agree on the shade. Those stands would have been brutal in the sun.

 

[Henning]

Yeah....it would be more exciting like NASCAR if there was multiple planes in the RedBull format so we could see more crashes!!

Cmon....would you want a group in that format???

Hell yes, that should be a heads up course with a 12 man dive in start. They should also be burning nitromethane to make the crashes really spectacular and environmentally friendly. It would sound awsome as well. Guys running too hard and exploding in a fireball. Make it interesting.

 

[JB1842]

I was part of the sunburn crowd.

 

[Lindberg]

It's a little easier to put multiple planes on the same course when they are going the same direction and going around and around in circles. Most RedBull air race courses have them doing acrobatics and doubling back on parts of the course. Kinda hard to have multiple planes coming through the same set of gates in opposite directions.

Plus, they finish the course in less than a minute. If they ran the heats simultaneously, the whole thing would be over in an hour, and most of that would be interstitials.

 

[Lindberg]

What were the ticket prices and what type of entertainment did they have between heats? Did they have aerobatic flight teams doing demonstrations?

Reserved seats were $59 for both days. They come as separate tickets, so you could easily split them with someone if you each only wanted to go one day. I remember the Breitling demo, the Red Bull aerobatic helicopter, and a freestyle motorcyclist.

 

[denverpilot]

Would like to see it once in person, at least. Thanks for the reminder. Something else that won't fit my measly vacation time. Maybe by Sept/Oct they'll just fire me for taking too much unpaid time off. They always seem surprised when you say, "I don't need the job but I do need my sanity."

 

[Henning]

Would like to see it once in person, at least. Thanks for the reminder. Something else that won't fit my measly vacation time. Maybe by Sept/Oct they'll just fire me for taking too much unpaid time off. They always seem surprised when you say, "I don't need the job but I do need my sanity."

Yep, more than once I have had this conversation, "I'm taking next week off, I have something important, everything is caught up and under control." "You can't have next week off." "I am taking next week off." "No, you're not." "Look, I'm taking next week off, whether I come back after is up to you, but I will not be here next week."