Pilots were to take off in pairs a few minutes apart, they would be competing against the clock but would maneuver around each other much like NASCAR. The proposed "track" for a typical Rocket Race was to have begun with a staggered start. Īft view of the Rocket Racer on landing roll-out at Mojave. In order to provide the airframes, RRL purchased the aircraft's manufacturer, Velocity Aircraft, in April 2008. The Velocity airframe was derived from a commercially available kit plane that traced its design heritage to the Rutan Long-EZ, which had been modified to accept rocket power and custom avionics. The planes were based on the fixed-gear Velocity SE modified by XCOR Aerospace and the retractible gear Velocity XL modified by Armadillo Aerospace for the purpose of rocket racing. The rocketplanes were expected to cost less than US$1 million each. Projected to be an hour and one half in length, the races were intended to be between Rocket Racer planes that used liquid oxygen and either kerosene or ethanol fuel with a burn time of four minutes. The 2011 races were, in the end, never scheduled, and by 2014, the league was defunct. With the addition of venture capital funding in mid-2009, technology development continued and one exhibition occurred in 2010, with another round of plans for an inaugural season of races in 2011. The league had planned to hold its inaugural race season in 2008 with four races, but encountered financial difficulties that delayed fielding of Rocket Racers by the six teams that had been previously announced. Three prototype canard-style Rocket Racer aircraft were built between 20. The "Rocket Racers" were slated to compete in the air and on a virtual racetrack easily viewed by a live audience as well as projected on large screen and handheld electronic displays. Founded in 2005, the league made its first public flights in 2010 and was working to begin regular racing seasons. The Rocket Racing League was a racing league that planned to use rocket-powered aircraft to race a closed-circuit air racetrack. There's also the possibility for Red Bull to continue sending up some of their restored old private aircraft to entertain the crowds before the Austrian Grand Prix, provided the same considerations are taken into account.į1 is open to promoters sending up such planes after details have been clarified and written permission granted, as well as the promoter ensuring that the correct insurance for a commercial flyover is in place and provided by the aircraft operator.The prototype Rocket Racer, a modified Velocity SE climbing to 8400 feet on its first "up and away" flight, Octoat the Mojave Spaceport. This process had already been undertaken by some airlines, with Gulf Airlines performing a flypast at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix of their Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with second-generation biofuel supplied by Neste. What about other aircraft flying over F1 tracks?į1 has left the door open for promoters to continue putting on displays of civilian and commercial aircraft, once certain caveats are met.įor instance, several of the Gulf races do flypasts of jumbo jets belonging to their national airlines – these will continue to be permitted provided that the airlines are using sustainable fuels for such purposes. understands that, aside from environmental considerations, there were also concerns from within the sport that such aerial displays could be seen as military posturing or as giving countries a platform for demonstrations of their military strength. However, in an email sent by F1 to race promoters, seen by, displays of military aviation are no longer permitted.Ĭiting a desire to reduce carbon emissions as part of F1's drive to become carbon neutral, the ban is being introduced to "support F1's sustainability objectives". Race promoters for Formula 1 races in 2022 won't have the option of putting on a military aviation display as part of their pre-race build-up.Ī firm favourite of many promoters, displays of military aircraft flying overhead have become synonymous with certain Grands Prix.įor instance, Monza frequently has flyovers of the Italian Air Force before the Italian Grand Prix, while the Red Arrows, part of the Royal Air Force, entertain the crowds at Silverstone ahead of the British Grand Prix.
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