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The 43rd annual Air Race Classic (ARC) marks an unprecedented year for aviation enthusiasts, as it’s the first time the race will finish in Ontario. This year’s competition will wrap up on June 21 at CNQ3, the Niagara Central Dorothy Rungeling Airport (NCDRA) in Pelham. Up to 55 teams of women pilots will test their flying knowledge and skills, travelling more than 3,800 kilometres (2,400 miles) during the competition.
Starting June 18, pilots will leave Jackson, Tenn., veering south to Georgia and westward to Arkansas, before heading north through Minnesota and crossing into Canada through Sault Ste. Marie before landing at the NCDRA. The race team with the best handicapped time wins.
What makes this event unique? For the first time since it began 90 years ago in 1929, Ontario will host the celebrations to end this prestigious racing competition. Registration for this auspicious event opened Jan. 2, and the 2019 Air Race Classic terminus committee is encouraging Canadian teams to compete. The prestigious event costs US$590 to enter, which covers terminus costs in Niagara.
Registration closes March 31, and interested racers are asked to visit www.centralairport.ca for more information. All competitors must have at least 100 hours as a pilot-in-command (PIC), and either the pilot or the co-pilot must have at least 500 hours PIC or a current instrument rating. Sometimes there are three people on a team, and many of the pilots are involved with aviation schools and courses.
ARC’s board of directors and volunteers are, “Thrilled to be celebrating 90 years of women’s air racing,” said Lara Gaerte, president of the U.S.-based ARC. “The women who fly the ARC are as bold and tenacious as the pioneering pilots who competed in the original 1929 Women’s Air Derby. We look forward to welcoming back veteran racers, and meeting new competitors at the 43rd Air Race Classic.”
The race will officially begin at Tennessee’s McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport on June 18, with teams departing 30 seconds apart, and the faster planes quickly leading the journey. At each of the nine enroute stops, teams will execute high-speed fly-bys over a timing line that monitors them as they race against the clock. They may also land to refresh or refuel.
Prior to the race, each plane, depending on its engine size, performance power and speed, is given a handicap, so pilots are racing and challenging their own best time. This also creates a level playing field, so slower planes can equally compete against faster aircraft. Teams have to strategize during the race, as well as consider the atmospheric and geographic elements, in order to beat their handicap by the greatest margin. Official standings aren’t determined until after the last team has crossed the finish line, and the judging is completed. The last arrival at the terminus may, in fact, be the winner, noted Gaerte.
“Competing in a handicapped race is safe, because planes aren’t interfering with each other or zooming across the finish line,” said Peter Van Caulart, co-chair for the 2019 Air Race Classic Terminus Committee. “The race tests the quality of the teams’ skill level, and also gives them the air miles they need to pursue aviation careers, especially for the larger commercial airlines. Winning the Air Race Classic is definitely a feather in anyone’s cap.”
On June 22 following this year’s judging, the public is invited to a posthumous plaque unveiling in honour of Niagara’s local aviation pioneer, Dorothy Rungeling, the airport’s namesake. The local chapter of The Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots, is also making a dedication for its Compass Rose Project at this time.
Demonstrations by Skydive Niagara, career booths on aviation, a meet and greet with the racers, as well as other family-oriented and educational activities will be held on the grounds of the NCDRA. There will also be a Fly Market with local vendors. On Sunday evening, there will be a special dinner and awards banquet. Prizes for the ARC 2019 include medallions, trophies and cash awards of $5,000, $3,000 and $2,000 for the three best scores. The next day, the pilots depart en masse to return home.
The event is expected to generate a $650,000 impact on the local economy as hotels, local restaurants, shops and entertainment spots will be frequented by the pilots and their families visiting Niagara, many of them for the first time.
Historically, the ARC dates back to the 1929 Women’s Air Derby, which included renowned pilot, Amelia Earhart, flying from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland, Ohio. The event was so successful it became a tradition. To date, women are still under-represented in many aviation jobs and careers, and we look forward to promoting aviation to women and youth at the event through demonstrations and exhibits.
The ARC is the epicentre of female air racing, and a non-profit organization in the U.S. The 2019 ARC terminus is supported by a fundraising committee of local volunteers.
The local committee has to fundraise approximately $40,000 to host this event, and is looking for sponsors, contributors and volunteers. Anyone interested in being a part of this exciting event can visit www.centralairport.ca.
The NCDRA is funded by the municipalities of Welland, Pelham, Port Colborne and Wainfleet, and a board of municipal councillors make up the airport commission. Within the next few weeks, Van Caulart’s goal is to address all four municipal councils to ask for funding to assist with the event. To date, and in tribute to the event, the Town of Pelham has declared June 19 to 24 Air Race Classic Days; and Wainfleet council stated it will be doing the same in May.
The NCDRA dates back to the Second World War, when thousands of airports were set up across Canada as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Since then, many of these airports have deteriorated and were subsequently closed. Niagara-area residents are fortunate to still have this historical site, which has since expanded. The 2019 Air Race Classic will also give area residents an opportunity to celebrate this enduring landmark and achievement.
