The Aero Experience: 20th Anniversary AirVenture Cup Race: From Mount Vernon to Oshkosh

By Carmelo Turdo

The 20th Anniversary AirVenture Cup Race, the prelude to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017, was launched July 23 from Mount Vernon Outland Airport in central Illinois as a weather front arrived to break the week's scorching Midwest heat wave. The race is the first official event of the nation's largest annual aviation gathering, and the third race in five years hosted by this airport. Including support planes, over 100 aircraft were part of this year's race, the largest turnout in recent years.

(AirVenture Cup Race graphic)

The original AirVenture Cup Race route was from Kitty Hawk, NC to Oshkosh, with a stop in Dayton, OH added for fuel and weather contingencies. The route soon proved to be too long and plagued by weather issues, so it was later shortened to begin in Dayton. Since 2013, the race starting point has alternated between Mount Vernon (odd numbered years) and Mitchell, SD (even numbered years). This year's route begins at Mount Vernon Outland Airport and runs through Lacon, IL, Viroqua, WI, and Black River Falls, WI before finishing at Merrill Municipal Airport north of Oshkosh. Due to the weather front, the official starting point was changed to Sterling Rockfalls, IL following the 9:30am takeoff. Most racers will proceed to Wittman Regional Airport Sunday afternoon to be in place prior to the opening of EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017. As will be evident from the photo essay below, there are numerous aircraft types participating in the race, and so there are multiple aircraft classes to accommodate the differences in performance for each major aircraft type.

The Aero Experience visited Mount Vernon Outland Airport during the airport's open house event on July 22. In this supplement to our original story, we have coverage of the racers at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2017 featuring photos from team member Fred Harl.