Win a Pulitzer Without Writing a Word
There hasn’t been a Pulitzer Air Race or Prize (Trophy) for 100 years, the last competition taking place in 1925. The revived Pulitzer Trophy Races will differ considerably from the original events. Those races were all flown with military aircraft flown by experienced military pilots. Differing greatly in engines, the earlier contestants all burned fossil fuels: the current competitors will fly on electricity.
A splendid example of art deco and imaginative aeronautical engineering, the Pulitzer Air Race Trophy has a 105-year history
The Original Pulitzer Air Races
The Pulitzer Trophy Races ran only five years, and were also knonw as the National Air Races. Winners during those five years included:
1920: Corliss Champion Moseley, flying a Verville-Packard 600, 156.54 mph, Nov. 25, Mitchel Field, N.Y.
1921: Bert Acosta, flying a Curtiss, 176.76 mph, Nov. 3, Omaha, Neb.
1923: Alford J. Williams, flying a Curtiss R2C1, 243.68 mph, Oct. 6, St. Louis, Mo.
1924: H.H. Mills, flying a Verville-Sperry, 216.55 mph, Oct. 4, Dayton, Ohio
1925: Cyrus Bettis, flying a Curtiss R3C1, 248.97 mph, Oct. 12, Mitchel Field, N.Y.
Source: The National Aeronautic Association
Note in the video that there were several other major air races in that decade, the early part of the often-called “Golden Age of Aviation.” Pilots were heroes and the races were dangerous, making them newsreel-worthy. Note also the impressive performance gains achieved in only five years. Racing does improve the breed.
After Pulitzer withdrew from sponsorship of air racing, races continued in many cities under other sponsors, lasting until the current day, often with heavily modified military aircraft.
Big Plans in the 2020’s
Less dramatic and much quieter, electric air racing has drawn the Puliters back into aerial competition.
Matt Ryan, reporting for AvWeb.com, shares that, “The Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race is scheduled for Oct. 10–15 at Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport, marking the world’s first crewed all-electric air race. The race was first conceived in 2021.”
The planned race and several following in 2021, 2022, and especially 2023 were ambitious , with ’23’s a 1,000-mile course and major sponsorships. It didn’t take place, mostly because battery technology at that time was not quite up to the task.
Pulitzer Trophy Race course for 2023 was ambitious and probably a case of overreach
The 2025 Event
This year’s event will be considerably shorter than the planned 2023 competition, flown in two-lap rund on a 50 nautical mile (57.5 statute mile) course, enabling improved spectator viewing and a short race time for each heat. According to AvWeb, “Races will consist of two laps around the triangular course and will include three-aircraft preliminary and semi-final heats held over multiple days before the final race.”
Gloria Bouillon, race competitor and community integration director for the Advanced Air Mobility Institute, explains, “The goal is to give communities the opportunity to see, touch, and experience these aircraft firsthand, Much like the early days of aviation, this is a chance to make history and inspire the next generation of pilots and innovators.”
Race director Scott Neumann, a former U.S. Air Force test pilot and volunteer with the NAA, reflects on the “newness” of the competition. “Even today, there are not a lot of people who have actually seen an electric aircraft fly. The traveling public has to be willing to buy a seat on an electric aircraft, and they may look and sound very different than the airplanes we are used to.”
He adds, “People will see the planes racing and get close to them to understand the technology. And we’re trying to do it early enough in the technology development curve to help make a difference.”
GlobalAir.com reports, “The Alia CX300 will be flown by a BETA Technologies’ company and the two Velis Electros will be piloted by U.S. Air Force cadets from the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Non-electric aircraft will be flying behind the race to showcase how quiet electric aircraft can be in comparison. Surveys will even be passed around during the race for people to give their reactions.”
“The goal is to give communities the opportunity to see, touch, and experience these aircraft firsthand,” Bouillon said. “Much like the early days of aviation, this is a chance to make history and inspire the next generation of pilots and innovators.”
For more information on the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race and the multiple-day event, visit pulitzertrophy.com.