|
|
SPONSORS:
|
It was the third fatal crash in four days of racing at the Reno air show.
Hubler, 51, died when his Formula One race plane "Mariah" collided
with a plane piloted by Jason Somes of Simi Valley, Calif., during an
eight-place race.
Somes was able to land his damaged aircraft; he was hospitalized with
injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
Hubler was one of four Treasure Valley pilots competing in the Reno air
races, which were halted for the day. Racing resumes today and Sunday.
Don Waters, an Idaho Statesman circulation department manager, is crew chief
for the team of Boise pilot Brian Reberry racing in Reno this week. Waters
knew Hubler well and had dinner with him Wednesday evening.
Winds were strong Friday morning, but once the race was under way nothing
appeared to be out of the ordinary, Waters said.
‘A split-second thing'
"Gary was up above. The other plane came screaming through," Water
said. "They were banking left, and Jason Somes' plane, Alley Cat, came up
behind. His right wing clipped Gary's left wing. It was a split-second
thing."
Eyewitnesses reported seeing pieces fall from both planes before Hubler's
plane dove into the ground, flipped over and landed upside down.
Waters estimated that the planes were traveling at 200 miles an hour, about
50 feet off the ground.
"At 50 feet, if you crash, you're through," he said.
After witnessing the crash, Waters walked to where Hubler's wife and crew
were gathered.
"Friends and family were around, trying to get through it," Waters
said.
Two judges on the ground were hit by debris and suffered minor injuries.
Students on a field trip from seven elementary schools were among those watching
when the crash occurred. School officials said counselors were being made
available to talk to children.
Top of his class
Hubler was a five-time defending national race champion. Competing in the
Forumla One class, Hubler was flying a Cassutt III M single-seat plane, which is
designed for pylon racing and aerial acrobatics. Hubler competed in the top
class, reserved for the best pilots and the fastest planes.
Hubler started competing in the Reno races in 1984, and in Thursday's first
heat reached a top speed of 259 mph, according to the air races' Web site.
The races are like a car race in the sky, following an oval path over the
airport runway and around pylon markers at various distances.
Hubler was competitive, said friend and fellow pilot Holbrook Maslen.
"He's won the last five races," Maslen said. "I know this
would have been one more."
Maslen had planned to compete in the same race in which Hubler died. But late
Thursday he decided his plane wasn't in racing shape and dropped out of the race
— the first time he's missed the event in 14 years.
After hearing about the crash, Maslen called his wife and his crew chief.
"You just get on the phone. It's a close group of people. A big
concentration of racers are from here. Probably the most professional was Gary.
He was an excellent pilot," Maslen said.
"All of us are torn up about it," said Caldwell Industrial Airport
Manager Curt Hawkins, his voice cracking with emotion.
Flying, a way of life
Being a professional crop-duster all his adult life gave Hubler the
low-flying skills needed for racing. And flying and crop-dusting run in Hubler's
family
Hubler's father, William, started the crop-dusting Valley Air Service at
Hubler Field near Middleton in 1961.
"My family's done this for about as long as I can remember," Hubler
told the Statesman in 1998. "I can't really see myself doing anything else.
Crop-dusting is what I do."
Hubler's son, Jon Hubler, died in 1996 at the age of 16 in a small plane
crash near Caldwell.
Gary Hubler's brother and best friend also died in flying accidents.
Hubler's is the third fatality of the week at the Reno air show. A bi-plane
pilot died in a test flight on Tuesday evening. Thursday, a jet hit another
plane's wake turbulence and crashed, killing the pilot.
Friday's crash was the 18th fatality in the 44-year history of the air races,
and the first race week since 1993 with more than one fatal crash.
Cynthia Sewell: 377-6428 Anna Webb: 377-6431
Associated Press reporter Scott Sonner in Reno contributed to this report.
Gary had flown Mariah to 5 consecutive
First Place Finishes in the Gold in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 & 2006. Mariah broke the course record with a
257.047 MPH time in 2006. Mariah Stats and History: RACE NUMBER: 95 Formula 1 Racing
History and Guidelines:
Formula 1 Class air racing was introduced at the Cleveland Air
Races in 1947. The
Formula 1 class must conform to the following guidelines:
All Aircraft:
1 - must weight at least 500 pounds
2 - must have
non-retractable landing gear 3 - must have a minimum
wing area of 66 square feet 4 – must use a
fixed-pitch propeller constructed of either wood or composite
materials 5 – must have a 100
HP 200 cubic-inch Continental engine.
The 2006 Field
Web Master E-mail Address: webmaster@mariah95.com
| ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Gary D. Hubler Gary D. Hubler, 52 of Caldwell, died of injuries received
in an air racing accident at the Reno Air Races on Friday, Sept. 14, 2007.
A celebration of Gary's life will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 20 at
the Idaho Center in Nampa, Idaho. Private interment will be at Canyon Hill
Cemetery in Caldwell. Services are under the direction of Dakan Funeral
Chapel, Caldwell. Gary was born June 14, 1955 at Caldwell the son of
William and Betty Hubler. He graduated from Vallivue High School where he
met his future wife, Debra Jean. He learned to fly at the age of 17 and,
after a brief career as a mechanic, became an aerial applicator, flying
his first application job at the age of 21. He and Debra Jean were married
on his 18th birthday and they had three wonderful children, Eric, Jon and
then, after Debra Jean learned to fly, Becci. Gary worked for Clark's Air
Service in Nampa until he and his father started Valley Air Service in
1980. He had been a partner with his father in the company since that
time. His love of flying was the inspiration for him to become and
instructor so that he could share his love and talent with others. Gary
began air racing at the Reno Air Races in 1984. From 1984 to 1989 he flew
Formula One planes in races for other people. In 1990 he built what would
become the fastest Formula One plane in the world, "Mariah",
which he raced to five consecutive national championships since 2002. Gary
was a member of Quiet Birdmen, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the
War Birds, and the National Air Transportation Assoc. along with other
organizations and associations. Gary also flew in T-6 and unlimited
classes at the Reno Air Races and other races around the country. Gary
held too many ratings to mention from gliders to DC 3's, having flown more
than 200 different planes. If it was to be flown, he flew it. Gary's
career was flying but his life was his family. He was a devoted husband,
son, father and grandfather. He adored his four granddaughters. Gary is
survived by his wife, Debra Jean; his parents, William and Betty Hubler;
his children and their families, Eric and Genevieve Hubler and their
children, Allison and Piper and Becci and Alex Wade and their children,
Giselle and Evangeline; his brothers, Bob and Nelda Hubler, Terry and
Sheila Hubler and Bruce and Becky Hubler and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by a son, Jon and a brother, Dan. Memorial
contributions may be made to the War Hawk Air Museum, 201 Municipal Dr.,
Nampa, ID 83687. Memories and condolences may be shared at 
