For the first time in 100 years, the Pulitzer Trophy was awarded to a flight team, and for the first time to a team flying an electric aircraft. Since the Air Race itself was spread over a 50 mile course, spectators could only view the participating aircraft when they departed, passed overhead at the end of one lap of the course, and landed at the end of the race. This is similar to a longer run for Green Flight Challenge aircraft in 2011. Spectotors at the Pulitzer Trophy Race would have seen the aircraft a similar number of times, allowing for time to visit the static displays, which included an Opener Blackfly (now called a Pivotal Helix) and a Beta Alia. The event seen in this video was bigger than the small crowd shown, with different groups competing a worldwide series of simulated flights on personal computers. Middle and high school students, “along with aviation-focused youth organizations,” participated, using X-Plane …
Electric Air Racing News
Electric Air Racing is a modern take on an age-old idea. Ever since people tamed horses, the idea of comparing their speeds became important. Boats, cars, and aircraft followed the same path. As with horses, the idea that “racing improves the breed” held sway. Now, one Australian company and a major aeronautical organization hope to make air racing a path to the future. Alauda Aeronautics Matt Pearson founded the Airspeeder racing program with the credo, “Competition accelerates progress.” Toward that end, he partnered with Alauda, an Australian firm, to develop a group of high-performance aerial racers. Looking somewhat like the vehicles flown by Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars films, the “flying cars” certainly evoke a performance image. The team recently flew three Airspeeders via remote control with First Person View (FPV) technology helping ground-based pilots control their craft around a Alauda unabashedly uses the term “flying cars,” as in, “Racing to deliver a revolution in personal air mobility so …


