Air Race Classic opens 2024 registration

The race will conclude June 21 at Northern Colorado Regional Airport in Loveland, Colorado. The total course is 2,628 statute miles. The racers will visit airports in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas, where they may perform a high-speed flyby or land for fuel, a break, or an overnight stay.

The Air Race Classic traces its roots to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, also known as the Powder Puff Derby, in which 20 women pilots raced from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio. The 2024 event will honor 95 years of women’s cross-country air racing.

The all-women event is flown in day VFR conditions. Racers are handicapped prior to the event so that pilots are competing against themselves, and pilots flying various makes and models of aircraft can participate on a level playing field.

Registration for the event opened January 2. Each airplane must be navigated by a team of at least two women pilots. For more information or to register, see the website.