Meet Me in St. Louis: Teams Arrive for Midwest-Style 2026 Air Race Classic

By Carmelo Turdo

Teams from across the country have arrived at St. Louis Regional Airport for the start of the 2026 Air Race Classic. The race will officially run from Tuesday through Friday, and local sponsors, aviation nonprofits and volunteers in the St. Louis Metro-East Illinois area have joined together to provide a warm welcome leading up to launch day. This year's Air Race Classic has a distinctively Midwestern flair, beginning and terminating in Illinois. Teams will complete their pre-race requirements by Saturday and begin a series of formal briefings on Sunday and Monday. 

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. There are minimum qualifications for entering in the Competition and Intercollegiate classes, while the rules for the Non-Competition class are more flexible. 

(Air Race Classic graphic)

This year's race includes 46 registered aircraft, including 23 flown by college and university teams. The route includes 11 locations: 

St. Louis Regional Airport, Alton, IL: Start

Capital City Airport, Frankfort, KY (246nm)

Spartanburg Downtown Memorial Airport, Spartanburg, SC (242nm)

Douglas Municipal Gene Chambers Airport, Douglas, GA (211nm)

Pryor Field Regional Airport, Decatur, AL (280nm)

McComb - Pike County Airport, McComb, MS (274nm)

Russellville Regional Airport, Russellville, AR (278nm)

Ameilia Earhart Memorial Airport, Atchison, KS (277nm)

Rosecrans Memorial Airport, St. Joseph, MO (17nm)

Prairie du Chien Municipal Airport, Prairie du Chien, WI (259nm)

Mount Vernon Outland Airport, Mount Vernon, IL (300nm Terminus)

The Aero Experience coverage of the 2026 Air Race Classic includes a look at Friday afternoon arrivals along with the EAA Chapter 864 Fly-In and the youth STEM event on Saturday. Our first pictorial from Friday shows some of the team aircraft already on the apron and those arriving during our visit. Airport Director Danny Adams and Assistant Director Drake Blackwell directed the crews to their designated parking area. Shortly thereafter, the aircraft were given a safety inspection by Air Race Classic staff and the pilots settled into their accommodations for the weekend. Some of the great moments captured here include Director Adams collecting team autographs and helping with aircraft tie-downs while the Liberty University "red, white and blue" teams jump for joy in anticipation of a fun week ahead! 

On Saturday, several more teams arrived before the 10:00 A.M. deadline, including The Real Housewives of KCPS. We met them as they taxied to their parking area, and we also visited briefly with the Billiken Blues from St. Louis University. Throughout the morning, team members decorated the outdoor picnic area with chalk art before enjoying their buffet lunch.

On Saturday Afternoon, the St. Louis aviation community joined the Air Race Classic teams to provide a STEM opportunity for area Scouts and other youth organizations registered for the event. EAA Chapter 864, Chapter 32 and other volunteers provided hands-on activities and demonstrations of the scientific principles and hardware used in aircraft design and operation. Here we include an aircraft pre-flight inspection, introduction to aircraft instruments, piston engine and propeller demonstration, lift/thrust/drag experiments, aeronautical chart reading and air traffic control script exercise. 

The Aero Experience thanks St. Louis Regional Airport Director Danny Adams and is staff, the Air Race Classic organization, the EAA Chapters, Southwestern Illinois College, Women in Aviation St. Louis Chapter, the Air Race Classic team participants and everyone who contributed to making the pre-race experience smooth and enjoyable. We will cover the Saturday Fly-In and pre-race interview with one of the local St. Louis teams, The Real Housewives of KCPS, in separate posts.