Race Beginning June 18th Marks The 90th Anniversary Of The Event

The field is set for the 43rd Air Race Classic (ARC), the annual all-women cross-country airplane race. Fifty-one teams, consisting of 113 women pilots from across the United States and around the world, will take off at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 18 from Jackson, Tennessee, for a 2,538-mile international competition that ends Friday, June 21 in Welland, Ontario.

The oldest race of its kind in the nation, the Air Race Classic traces its roots to the 1929 Women's Air Derby, aka the Powder Puff Derby, in which Amelia Earhart and 19 other daring female pilots raced from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. This year's ARC celebrates the 90th anniversary of that historic competition, which marked the beginning of women's air racing in the United States. Today, the ARC is the epicenter of women's air racing, the ultimate test of piloting skill and aviation decision-making for female pilots of all ages and from all walks of life.

"The ARC Board of Directors and volunteers have been hard at work preparing for our 43rd race," said Air Race Classic President Lara Gaerte. "We look forward to celebrating the 90th anniversary of the Women's Air Derby as we welcome back veteran racers and meet new competitors at our Start in Jackson, Tennessee."

This year's course will take racers through nine states and one Canadian province, from the home of rockabilly and the blues in the American South across Midwestern farmlands and northward around the Great Lakes and across southern Ontario, ending near Niagara Falls.Teams will depart beginning at 8 a.m. June 18 from McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson, taking off one after another, 30 seconds apart. From there, the field will spread out as faster planes move to the head of the pack.

At each of the nine intermediate stops — LaGrange, Georgia; Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Bryant, Arkansas; Lee's Summit, Missouri; Fairmont, Minnesota; Wausau, Wisconsin; Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario (flyby at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan); North Bay, Ontario; and Brantford, Ontario — teams will execute high-speed flybys over a timing line as they race against the clock. Faster planes may cover the course in only two days; slower teams may not arrive at the Terminus, Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport in Welland — named in honor of one of Canada's legendary aviatrixes — until moments before the arrival deadline at 5 p.m. on June 21.

The 51 teams of two or three pilots will have four days to complete the course, flying normally aspirated, piston-powered airplanes in visual flight conditions during daylight hours. Pilots and copilots must have at least a Private pilot certificate and a minimum of 100 hours as pilot-in-command in order to qualify for the race; one of them must have at least 500 hours as pilot-in-command or a current instrument rating. If they wish, the pilot and copilot may bring along a teammate, who must hold at least a student pilot certificate.

Fifteen colleges or universities are fielding teams: Auburn University, Colorado Northwestern Community College, Indiana State University, Jacksonville University, Kent State University, LeTourneau University, Lewis University, Liberty University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, Middle Tennessee State University, Northwestern Michigan College, The Ohio State University, Purdue University, University of North Dakota and Western Michigan University. CNCC and Northwestern Michigan are participating for the first time.

This year's racers hail from 32 states and 1 province, and were born in or are citizens of the U.S., Canada, Britain, Fiji, France, Indonesia, Norway and South Korea.

For some competitors, the Air Race Classic is a family affair. This year's field includes two teams with family members racing together.

There are two military teams on this year's roster.

Because each plane receives a unique handicap, teams are racing against their own best time, not against one another. This creates a level playing field, so slower planes can compete against faster aircraft on an equal basis. Teams strategize to play the elements, holding out for better weather or seeking more favorable winds, to beat their handicap by the greatest margin.

Official standings aren't determined until after the last team has crossed the finish line – the last arrival at the Terminus may, in fact, be the winner.

“We wish blue skies and tailwinds to all the racers, many of whom are WAI members,” said WAI president Dr. Peggy Chabrian. “This year, 17 collegiate teams represent aviation colleges and universities nationwide, and we wish safe landings to all.”

(Source: Air Race Classic and WAI news releases)

FMI: www.airraceclassic.org
www.wai.org