Registration for the 2023 Air Race Classic begins Jan. 3.
The 46th annual Air Race Classic, which will be held June 20-23, 2023, is scheduled to begin in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The planned route includes stops in Mankato, Minnesota, Ottumwa, Iowa, Kearney, Nebraska, Herington, Kansas, Ponca City, Oklahoma, Sulphur Springs, Texas, Jonesboro, Arkansas, Pell City, Alabama, Cross City, Florida, and end in Miami, Florida.
The Air Race Classic website has more details about the 2023 race, including everything prospective racers need to know about flying the race and how to register.
Air Race Classic, Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to:
- Encouraging and educating current and future women pilots
- Increasing public awareness of general aviation
- Demonstrating women’s roles in aviation
- Preserving and promoting the tradition of pioneering women in aviation
ARC fulfills its mission in many ways, with the culmination its annual cross-country air race, according to officials.
Women of all ages, backgrounds, and professions, flying a wide variety of airplanes, continue the tradition of women’s air racing, they noted.
Racers arrive a few days prior to the start of the race for pilot briefings and airplane inspections. The actual air race is four days, with every team taking off in order, 30 seconds apart.
After the takeoff, teams strategize on how many legs of the race to fly each day, and which stop they are planning on spending the night along the route.
Weather, wind, terrain, and airplane performance all play a role since the race must be flown in daylight hours.
In some years, a team finishing the course in two days may be the winner. In other years, the team that arrives at the last stop just before the official deadline is the winner. The teams race against their own handicap, so whichever team beats their handicap speed by the most wins.
After two days of inspections, debriefings, and meetings with the scorer and judges, the winners are announced at the final banquet.
I always thought it a mistake to drop the name “Powder Puff Derby” from this iconic event. Of course, nowadays some people, including high-ranking government folks, have a hard time defining the word “woman”. Life sure was simpler when the Powder Puff Derby was first organized.