Transcontinental air race to make stop in Mountain Home

Nearly 50 aircraft will fly to Mountain Home this coming Tuesday, June 18, as part of a yearly air race across the United States.

The city is the first of nine stops during the 37th Annual Air Race Classic, which is billed as the longest running transcontinetal air race featuring all-women pilots.

Covering more than 2,100 miles, this year's event starts in Pasco, Wash., on Tuesday and is expected to finish June 21 in Fayetteville, Ark. The pilots are expected to fly over the airfield in Mayfield, Idaho, prior to their stop here.

This year marks the first time that Mountain Home will host the air race. The pilots are expected to land at the city airport around 9 a.m. and depart at 2 p.m.

People are encouraged to come out to the airport and support these pilots. The Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce will serve hot dog lunches during the day for $3 each.

Commemorating the legacy of women's air racing, which began in 1929, the Air Race Classic represents the "epicenter" of women's air racing, according to event organizers. Race teams featuring at least two women pilots navigate the route using visual flight rules during daylight hours only.

The race routes change each year and cover approximately 2,400 miles. Each team has four days to make flybys at each enroute stop before they land at the terminus in Arkansas.

Each plane is flown in race configuration to determine its handicap speed, organizers said. The challenge is for each team to reach actual ground speeds as far over the handicap speed as possible.

"The pilots strategize to play the elements, holding out for better weather, winds, etc.," organizers added. "The objective is to fly your 'perfect' cross-country."

In this type of race, the official standings are not known until the final aircraft crosses the finish line. Simply put, in some cases, the last plane to arrive in Arkansas could end up as this year's winner. The race features a top-10 purse of $15,000.

"There is a spirit of camaraderie in spite of the keen competition, and the Air Race Classic proves a boon to aviation in general," organizers said. "At the same time, it gives the fliers the opportunity to hone their flying techniques."

A non-profit group, the Air Race Classic seeks to encourage and educating current and future women pilots while increasing public awareness of general aviation. The organization also works to demonstrate women's roles in aviation while promoting the tradition of pioneering women in aviation.

Women's air racing debuted in 1929 during the First Women's Air Derby. Featuring 20 pilots, the race started in Santa Monica, Calif., and ended in Cleveland, Ohio. These races continued through the 1930s and were renewed again after World War II when the All Women's Transcontinental Air Race, also known as the Powder Puff Derby, began.

These transcontinental races ended in 1977 before the Air Race Classic stepped in to continue the tradition.