St. Louis Regional Airport to Host Air Race Classic

BETHALTO/EAST ALTON - In June 2026, over 60 women pilots and their teams will descend on the St. Louis Regional Airport for the 49th annual Air Race Classic.

These teams will fly cross-country routes over a four-day period starting on June 23, 2026. As the starting airport and the host, the St. Louis Regional Airport will welcome participants and officials for pre-race preparations and the takeoff event.

“We couldn't pass up the opportunity,” said Airport Director Danny Adams. “We really want to have the community come out and kind of see aviation and see all these cool pilots that are flying the race and the planes that will be participating as well and enjoy all the aspects that we enjoy about it, too.”

Adams explained that all planes will take off from the St. Louis Regional Airport on June 23, 2026. He predicts one plane will take off every minute for at least an hour. The pilots then have four days to travel 2,300 miles and reach their final destination, with ten stops on the route across the U.S.

The Air Race Classic, Inc. organization, which sponsors the event, is judging pilots based on “the perfect cross-country flight,” Adams added.

“All the competitors, all the racers know where they need to fly and approximately how long it should take them to get where they need to get. But each racer gets to account for weather conditions, plane conditions, altitude,” he explained. “You could be in the slowest airplane with the slowest air speed, and even if you don’t finish first or arrive at the destination first, they account for your ground speed and all the factors that go into planning the flight, and you could ultimately be the winner of the event. So just because you’re the fastest airplane doesn't mean you are the ultimate winner.”

Adams said he read about the Air Race Classic in a magazine and decided to reach out about potentially being a stop on the route. The Air Race Classic, Inc. organization countered by asking if the St. Louis Regional Airport would host. This is the first time since 1994 that the Air Race Classic has included the St. Louis region.

In addition to the takeoff event on June 23, pilots will also complete pre-race preparations and enjoy celebrations at the airport and in the Greater St. Louis region. With several hundred spectators expected, in addition to the participants and their teams, the airport estimates that the region will receive a $180,000 economic boost.

“We see it as a great opportunity for the same reasons that the Air Race Classic organization does the event: to promote aviation, kind of show off the region, what we have, and just give the community knowledge about the airport, what’s going on here,” Adams said. “It’s not just St. Louis, but overall the entire country, as it brings visitors from around the nation to this region for the event.”

Adams noted they are looking for volunteers, and he encourages people to reach out by contacting dadams@stlouisregional.com or by calling 618-259-2537. For more information about the Air Race Classic and the St. Louis Regional Airport, visit the official St. Louis Regional Airport website at StLouisRegional.com.

“We’re just happy and honored to have been selected to get to participate this upcoming year in 2026,” Adams added. “We hope to make it a great experience for the racers, the participants and the community as well.”

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