The National Advanced Air Mobility Center of Excellence (NAAMCE) at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport in Ohio is gearing up to host the first-ever Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race this October. The Advanced Air Mobility Institute (AAMI) is behind this event, aiming to bring back the spirit of the 1920s Pulitzer air speed races while showcasing the latest in aviation innovation.
Springfield won the hosting spot after a competition with Salinas and Stockton in California. “NAAMCE is a top-notch facility buzzing with innovation, making it the perfect place for our first race,” said Dan Sloat, the AAMI founder and executive producer of the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race. “This event is all about celebrating the rise of electric aviation, honouring our aviation trailblazers, and boosting public interest.”
Any fully electric aircraft can join the race, but hybrids are a no-go. Participants might include upcoming eVTOLs and fixed-wing planes like the Pipistrel Velis Electro trainer, which is already approved for use in the U.S.
The race weekend is set from October 10 to 13, aiming to draw in a crowd. It kicks off with preliminary rounds where up to three groups of eight planes will battle it out to make it to the semi-finals, and then three will advance to the final showdown.
The race itself will happen in daylight under VFR conditions over three laps of a triangular 30-nm course, with planes taking off one minute apart. There are specific entry requirements and pilot qualifications to meet.
Gloria Bouillon, AAMI’s community integration director, mentioned that the event will also feature aircraft demos and a static display to stir up public excitement about electric aviation. The idea for the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race started back in 2022, with the 2023 version originally planned as a 1,000-nm cross-country route from Omaha, Nebraska, to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
The Pulitzer race was originally part of the National Air Races in the 1920s, held in various spots like Mitchell Field in New York. Scott Neumann, the race director, noted that five of these races were run over a triangular course, though the 1924 race at what’s now Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, used a hexagonal course.
In September 2023, NAAMCE opened thanks to a partnership with Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Dayton Development Coalition and JobsOhio. The facility, which has hosted electric aircraft developers like Joby, Beta Technologies, and Plana, features a 2800m² office and lab complex, plus 2300m² of hangar space.
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