Air Race Classic Team 38, Penguin Power, Makes Impressive Finish at Air Race Classic

By Carmelo Turdo

The 2025 Air Race Classic ran June 17-20 involving teams from across the country flying from Fairhope, AL to Spokane, WA with intermediate navigation points at airports along the way. Samy-Rae Strausbaugh, a CFII/MEI at St. Louis-based Piston Aviation, flew the race with Elizabeth Menozzi in a Cessna 172 Skyhawk as Team 38, Penguin Power, on this recent cross-country adventure. Piston Aviation was a major sponsor of Team 38, and Strausbaugh can be seen often instructing her students in Piston's Tomark Viper fleet training aircraft based at Creve Coeur Airport.

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The Air Race Classic is an all-female aviation event that continues the tradition of the Golden Age air races using current flight standards to promote opportunities for women pilots. It is not the wind in your hair speed dash of yesteryear, but a true test of flight planning, navigation and in-flight decision-making as teams plot their course to each waypoint. The teams compete against the speed handicap for their actual aircraft, with the results depending more on precision and adaptability than sheer speed.

The 2025 Air Race Classic results are in, and Team 38 placed eighth of eighteen teams in the Competition Class. They averaged 111.588mph compared to the 124.800mph handicap speed, with an elapsed flight time of 16:40:22.065 hours. Yes, it's that precise! Other team classes included Non-Competition and Intercollegiate. 

The Aero Experience met with Samy-Rae Strausbaugh at the Piston Aviation Live Studio prior to her departure for the race, and then again after her return. Here we feature some photos she provided along with our post-race interview video below.