Air Race Classic

Air Race Classic

Description

The Air Race Classic is an annual transcontinental air race for female pilots. Route lengths are approximately 2,400 statute miles (3,900 km). All flights are conducted in day visual-flight-rules (VFR) conditions. Each aircraft is handicapped for speed and engine power. The goal is to have the actual ground speed be as far over the handicapped speed as possible. This women’s-only air race was originally started by pilots including Amelia Earhart back when women pilots were banned from competing against men.[
Detailed Information
Detailed Description
Women’s air racing all started in 1929 with the First Women’s Air Derby. Twenty pilots raced from Santa Monica, CA to Cleveland, OH, site of the National Air Races. Racing continued through the ‘30’s and was renewed again after WWII when the All Women’s Transcontinental Air Race (AWTAR), better known as the Powder Puff Derby, came into being. The AWTAR held its 30th, final and commemorative flight in 1977. When the AWTAR was discontinued, the Air Race Classic, Ltd., (ARC) stepped in to continue the tradition of transcontinental speed competition for women pilots and staged its premier race.
Location
United States
Documents
Today in Aviation History