The 49th annual Air Race Classic concluded its flying schedule at Mt. Vernon Outland Airport on Friday, bringing competitors to the end of a nearly 2800-mile journey that crossed through eight states.
Unlike a traditional race, the Air Race Classic wasn’t simply about who arrived first. Each aircraft competed against a performance handicap based on its capabilities, allowing faster and slower airplanes to compete on equal footing.
Officials analyze electronic flight data after the race to determine which team exceeded its expected performance by the greatest margin. That means competitors won’t know who won the event until the awards banquet on Sunday. The official winners will be announced after officials complete the final scoring calculations.
Mt. Vernon has hosted the Air Race Classic four times. Reports said about 95 percent of the competitors this year were visiting the airport for the first time.