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The tradition continues, as the 29th annual Air Race Classic, renamed in 1977, is set to take off Tuesday.
The first stop in this all-woman race, which starts and ends at Purdue University, in Lafayette, Ind., will be Winona Municipal Airport.
This is the first year Winona has been involved in the race, and according to George Bolon, director of operations at Win Air, Winonans can thank La Crosse, Wis., for that.
"The race was originally scheduled to go to La Crosse," Bolon said.
He said the race organizers were unable to obtain the necessary waiver to shut the La Crosse airport down for the amount of time necessary.
Not all of the planes will land at all of the stops; it depends on their supply of food and fuel and whether a bathroom stop is necessary. Other stops along the race, which will feature 87 participants in 43 aircraft, include Beatrice, Neb., Shreveport, La., Walnut Ridge, Ark., Tullahoma, Tenn., Athens, Ohio and Frankfort, Ill.
Bolon said that most of the aircraft will feature a pilot and co-pilot, there will only be one solo flight and the majority will not have passengers.
This is not just a "who has the fastest plane" contest. Instead, the race scores planes using a handicap system, based on the speed of each plane.
Bolon described the system, using an example of a 100-mile race.
Imagine a plane that can travel at 100 mph and one that can travel at 50 mph. If everything goes as planned, the faster plane will reach the finish line in an hour, the slower in two.
However, in the Air Race Classic,the first one to cross the finish line does not necessarily win. For the above example, if the faster plane arrived in an hour and 15 minutes, and the slower plane arrived in an hour and 55 minutes, the slower plane would win even though it finished 40 minutes later, because it got there faster than it should have.
The unique nature of the scoring system is one reason Bolon is excited about Winona being part of the race.
"It's great that the city has been so supportive," he said.
Looking at Winona's history, from Max Conrad to the current aviation programs at university, Bolon said it's fitting, not only that Winona is a part of this race, but that the community is as supportive as they have been.
Bolon said he looks forward to "watching the people of Winona watching a very unusual event."
If You Go
The Air Race Classic should begin crossing through Winona between 9:30 and 10 a.m. Tuesday. For the best view, go to
the main parking lot of Max Conrad Field.
