Air Racers, a breathtaking exploration of the fastest race in the world, is now showing in the OMNIMAX ® Theater at the Saint Louis Science Center. Air Racers provides a unique insight into the legendary Reno National Championship Air Races. Narrated by Paul Walker of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, the documentary film takes moviegoers to Northern Nevada’s Valley of Speed to experience, from inside the cockpit, the intensity and high-speed thrills of a sports event like no other, captured for the very first time for the giant screen.
Air racing dates back to 1909 just six years after the Wright Brothers’ inaugural flight. A young American named Glenn Curtiss won the very first air race in Reims, France, when he completed two laps in 15 minutes with a top speed of 46 mph. In the Thirties the sport evolved into multi-pylon air races that were held in Cleveland and Los Angeles, before being resurrected in Reno in 1964 by WWII flying ace Bill Stead. The concept remains much the same to this day: pilots fly as low as 50 feet above the ground and up to 500 mph and turn left around an 8.5 mile oval course marked off by giant pylons.
“Racing at Reno is unlike any other experience,” said Steve Hinton, air racer pilot, “it’s such a rush! The ground is going by you at 800 feet per second and the adrenaline’s pumping thorough you.” This visually stunning film follows the true story of 23-year-old Steve Hinton, Jr., a rookie pilot from California and son of Steve Hinton, Sr., a two-time National Air Race champion. The younger Steve wants to continue his father’s legacy by winning in the most challenging and unpredictable racer class, the “Unlimited”. At twice the speed of a Nascar® elite pilots fight for position, wingtip-to-wingtip and head-to-head, with Hinton’s WWII-era P-51 Mustang fighter plane in the world’s fastest motorsport.
Air Racers is an action-packed, entertaining and visually stunning film presented in 2D at IMAX theatres and digital cinemas. In the immersive OMNIMAX® Theater environment moviegoers will discover the thrill of air racing from the pits to Reno’s roaring sky, an exceptional world filled with passion, competition and excitement combined with top-notch air show performers, including the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds.
For more information about Air Racers, please visit: slsc.org.