Aberle sets qualifying record in Reno

Tom Aberle and his plane Phantom set a new qualifying record for the Biplane class at the National Championship Air Races in Reno.

During the Sept. 8 qualifying session, Aberle and Phantom averaged 274.091 mph. Aberle broke his own record of 260.801 mph which was set in 2010. “It’s a wonderful thing to have the numbers continue to escalate,” he said.

Phantom’s first flight took place in August 2003 after Aberle, who owns Aberle Custom Aircraft and Fallbrook Air Service, designed and built the plane over a seven-month period. In the 2003 Reno air races Phantom had the division’s top qualifying...