The field is set for the 48th Air Race Classic (ARC), the annual all-women cross-country airplane race. Forty-three teams, including a K-State Salina entry, will compete. The teams consist of 96 women pilots from across the United States, and will take off at 8 a.m. Tuesday, June 17 from Fairhope, Alabama, for a 2,426-mile national competition that ends Friday, June 20 in Spokane, Washington.

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 96th 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 48th race,” said Air Race Classic President Donna Harris. “We look forward to celebrating the 96th anniversary of the Women’s Air Derby as we welcome back veteran racers and meet new competitors at our Start in Fairhope, Alabama.”

This year’s course will take racers through ten states, from the Gulf Coast in the American South, over Midwestern farmlands, across the Continental Divide, to the Pacific Northwest, ending at Felts Field in Spokane, Washington. Teams will depart beginning at 8 a.m. June 17 from H L Sonny Callahan Airport in Fairhope, Alabama, 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 eight intermediate stops — Starkville, Mississippi; Harrison, Arkansas; McPherson, Kansas; Sterling, Colorado; Gillette, Wyoming; Rock Springs, Wyoming; Jerome, Idaho; and La Grande, Oregon — 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, Felts Field, in Spokane, until moments before the deadline at 5:30 p.m. on June 20.

The 43 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.

Twelve colleges or universities are fielding a combined total of 18 teams in the Intercollegiate Class: Auburn University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Prescott, Indiana State University, Jacksonville University, Kent State University, Kansas State University Polytechnic, Liberty University, Middle Tennessee State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, Purdue University, University of North Dakota and Western Michigan University.

There are also individual racers entered in the Competition Class from Auburn University, Liberty University, Middle Georgia State University, and Minnesota State University Mankato.

This year’s racers hail from 29 states. For some competitors, the Air Race Classic is a family affair. This year’s field includes two teams with family members racing together.

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 airplanes 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!