Springfield, Ohio, has been chosen as the host city for the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race, slated for Oct. 10-13, 2025, at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport (KSGH).
The 100-year revival of the 1920s speed competition that bore the Pulitzer name has been reimagined, bringing together electric flight innovations from countries around the world.
According to race organizers, 24 race crews will fly aboard any form of zero-emission, fully electric aircraft (eCTOL, eSTOL, eVTOL, eHelicopter, electric seaplane, etc.) to increase public awareness of Advanced Air Mobility technology.
Those interested in participating in the race must express their intent by April 13, 2025.
Organizers note that the 1924 Pulitzer race took place at Wright Field, now part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
“In that time Ohio has upheld its role as a leader in aerospace innovation and has become a trailblazer in the third revolution of flight,” explained Ted Angel, executive director of the National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE), which is on the airport.
“NAAMCE is a world-class facility with a thriving ecosystem of innovation and it will prove to be the perfect inaugural host,” added Dan Sloat, executive producer of the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race and founder of the non-profit Advanced Air Mobility Institute (AAMI). “The race will celebrate the dawn of electric aviation, pay homage to our aviation pioneers, and drive positive public awareness.”
About the Race
The race is a closed-circuit 90 nm air race. The triangular course is reminiscent of the race courses flown during the original Pulitzer Races held in the 1920s, organizers said.
The race is open for all aircraft powered by a zero-emission, fully electric means of propulsion. Since some contestants may be using experimental aircraft, and in the interest of safety, the races will be conducted during day visual flight rules (VFR) conditions, according to organizers.
The race will be conducted as a series of three-aircraft preliminary and semi-final heats leading to a final race for the Pulitzer Trophy.
Each individual race will consist of three laps of a 30 nm triangular course. The contestants with the three fastest speeds in the semi-final heats will compete in the final race. Each contestant’s speed will be calculated by dividing the total distance of the direct triangular course between the Start Point/Finish Point and the two Turn Points by the actual cumulative flying time. The contestant with the fastest speed will be declared the winner.
For more information: PulitzerTrophy.com
This event can never take place since zero-emissions are impossible. Battery planes are charged from power plants. Especially the production and operation of solar and wind farms is heavily dependent on oil to create the materials used, and additional backup fossil fuels powerplants are always needed to balance the intermittent nature of solar and wind. How about a contest that rewards the lowest cost aircraft?
Instead of the lowest cost or the fastest, I would propose a contest for the most efficient in terms of energy used given a minimum speed or a maximum time allowed to get around the course. I believe that Rolls-Royce already had a battery electric aircraft that would go somewhere around 400 mph. Anyway, a battery electric aircraft would probably still be the most efficient.