RENO, Nev. (AP) - The head of the Reno Air Races Association
said Thursday he expects to secure the required $100 million in
insurance and all the permits needed to run the 50th annual
national championships in September, despite a deadly plane crash
at the event last year.

But a longtime critic of air race safety told an airport
authority panel that officials are moving too fast in the wake of
the wreck that killed 11 people and injured more than 70.

Mark Daniels, a former Army helicopter mechanic and air traffic
controller, was the only person to speak during a public comment
session Thursday at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. He said the
races should be put on hold until more is known about a recurring
problem with P-51 Mustangs like the vintage one that crashed in
front of VIP boxes and sent shrapnel into the crowd last year.

The Reno races are the only ones of their type held anywhere in
the world. A group of planes flies wingtip-to-wingtip as low as 50
feet off the sagebrush at speeds sometimes surpassing 500 mph.
Pilots follow an oval path around pylons, with distances and speeds
depending on the class of aircraft.

The deadly crash at the 2011 races was captured on video and
appeared on television and the Internet. The footage showed the
souped-up World War II-era warbird climbing sharply upward at more
than 400 mph, then rolling and plunging nose-first into spectators.

The wreck prompted calls that officials consider ending the
event.

Association President Mike Houghton said earlier this month that
organizers are committed to holding this year's races and have
already booked "some world-class performers to help us welcome
back the world's greatest pilots." He added the association has
enlisted a panel of experts to help ensure the event's safety.

The panel is to report back later this winter with any
recommended revisions.