News/Press Releases

In what would have been the 44th annual Air Race Classic, teams of racers would have gathered in Grand Forks, ND to fly 2,300 nm in four days to Terre Haute, IN. Many past racers have come from countries that include New Zealand, Italy, Germany and Canada to learn and join in the experience of the Air Race Classic.

Instead, teams of volunteers gathered across the United States to welcome students ranging in age from 8 to 18, to the 1st Air Race Classic Virtual Race Camp! Over 20 participants joined from countries as far away as Malta, Pakistan and India.  Several international campers woke daily just before their 1:00 a.m. start time! Over the course of a week, students were introduced to airplanes, weather and navigation. They met women racers who have worked as Air Traffic Controllers, airline captains and aircraft mechanics, as well as female pilots who volunteer with the Civil Air Patrol. They were given, and met, challenges to learn the phonetic alphabet, make clouds and identify symbols on navigation charts. At the end of the week, students who participated in the camp were given certificates of participation and those who successfully completed the challenges were awarded ARC patches and race charms.

The enthusiasm and interest was evident in their questions! These included, 1) "You said it's ok for the pilot to eat while flying; then what about the crumbs? How do you deal with that?" 2) "I saw your plane and it does not have any stairs. For adults it's easy to climb on that; what about kids? When I go on big planes they have stairs for us to climb." 3) "Can we use geospatial technology and remote sensing to analyze emergency situations and improve the navigation?" 4) "Can we measure an aircraft's speed using the Doppler shift?"

Students and parents alike gave great feedback.

• I just wanted to say that this week has been absolutely wonderful! I had a lot of fun! 
• I enjoyed learning about aviation and different jobs in aviation. We were able to ask many questions and received valuable knowledge.
• "Nancy" got so much out of this week and I am now looking into flight lessons for her. As the mother of two girls, I firmly believe the importance of female role models fulfilling goals and making dreams come true cannot be understated. Thank you for showing the camp participants that becoming pilots is within their reach.
• Thank you again to everyone who organized the camp and shared their experiences with the kids.
• The Virtual Aviation Camp has increased my admiration and respect towards the aviation industry and the incredible aviators!

For others missing the camaraderie of the Air Race Classic, volunteers also put together several videos of races from 2011 - 2019, as well as arranged for a private screening of "Beyond the Powder" and a Facebook Live Q&A event with the movie's producers. Race week culminated in a virtual "banquet", with ARC history trivia, Parade of Racers, introductions of the ARC Board, special thanks to our sponsors, and a preview of the 2021 Air Race Classic Route. The evening ended with a video montage called "Sisterhood", looking back at many of the racers who have been a part of the legacy started over 90 years ago.

Although we missed seeing all of you this year, we look forward to 2021, meeting new friends and catching up with those we've met before.