New Texas STOL competition launches in March

The event runs March 12 to 15 and will feature competitors in five classes: heavy touring, light touring, bushplane, experimental, and light experimental. An exhibition class will showcase heavy touring aircraft.

The competition includes a $12,500 purse, with cash awards going to the first-, second-, and third-place winners in each category. The first-place winners also will receive a gold belt buckle (instead of a trophy) with the competition’s logo and title sponsor Aviat Aircraft.

Pilots from as far away as northwest Canada have been reaching out to organizer Doug Jackson to learn more about the event. Jackson, one of the organizers behind the popular Operation Airdrop formed after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, said he anticipates 100 competitors and 1,000 to 2,000 spectators.

After the competition on Saturday, the event will feature a short awards ceremony and then a crawfish boil with live music. Sunday morning flying will be open to pilots who didn’t compete to try their hand at a short-field spot landing contest and a balloon release, in which pilots try to hit a balloon with their prop.

Jackson said he hopes to create a series and host several STOL competitions around the country with a championship in Texas. The next event in the works, he said, is in Florida in October.

Registration is open on the event website.