The Decorah Municipal Airport to host 41st Air Race Classic

(Image couresty of airraceclassic.com)

The 41st Air Race Classic (ARC) is an annual all-women cross-country airplane race.  Fifty-four teams, consisting of 118 women pilots from across the country and around the world, will take off from Maryland on June 20th for a 2,648 -mile sprint across the United States. The race ends in Santa Fe, New Mexico on June 23rd.

This year's course will take racers through 14 states and includes an overnight stop in Decorah. Pilots will travel from the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the far northern reaches of the Continental United States, to the high desert of New Mexico. At each of the eight intermediate stops, ARC teams will execute high-speed flybys over a timing line as they race against the clock. Other stopping locations include: Coshocton, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Bemidji, Minnesota; Spencer, Iowa; Abilene, Kansas; Ardmore, Oklahoma; and Plainview, Texas. Faster planes may cover the course in only two days; slower teams may not arrive at the Santa Fe Municipal Airport until moments before the arrival deadline at 5 p.m. on June 23rd.

This year, the ARC counts several aviation celebrities among the racers: U.S. national aerobatics champion Debby Rihn-Harvey and Ariel Tweto, star of the Discovery channel show "Flying Wild Alaska."

The oldest race of its kind in the nation, the Air Race Classic traces its roots to the 1929 Women's Air Derby, in which Amelia Earhart and 19 other daring female pilots raced from Santa Monica, CA, to Cleveland, OH. That contest, which was known as the Powder Puff Derby, 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 airport commission and city staff have been hard at work preparing to host the ARC," said Decorah airport commission chair Brett Willie. "We look forward to welcoming this fantastic event to the community and we are so thankful for the businesses and volunteers that are helping."

If you would like to get involved, volunteers are welcome and needed in Decorah. Please call City Hall at 563-382-3651 to learn more .