AAM Institute to Honor Pulitzer Electric Air Race Winners

The Advanced Air Mobility Institute will hold an awards ceremony for competitors in the Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race on November 6. The inaugural event was held in Springfield, Ohio, October 11 to 12 and resulted in three claimed World Aviation Records that are now going through the verification process conducted by the National Aeronautic Association and the World Air Sports Federation.

Seven teams entered the race, with six each flying two-seat Pipistrel Velis Electro trainers and one with the six-seat Beta Technologies CX300. The CX300, flown by Tyler Prather, recorded the fastest time on the triangular 44-mile course with a time of 19 minutes 50 seconds and an average speed of 132.97 knots. Taking the silver and bronze positions were, respectively, Jakki Galella whose Electro recorded a time of 26 minutes 38 second (99.85 knots) and Henry Stanley with 28 minutes 56 seconds (91.91 knots).

Beyond the race itself, the organizers said there were three world record attempts as follows: Beta's CX300 for the 100-kilometer and 15-kilometer distances in its weight class, and Pipistrel's Taurus Electro self-towing glider in the 15-kilometer category.

“The AAM Institute is tremendously proud of the race pilots who came together to compete in his historic event,” said Dan Sloat, founder and president of the Pulitzer Trophy organization. “We look forward to awarding our top finishers Gold, Silver and Bronze Pulitzer medallions at the NAA Fall Awards next month in Washington, D.C.”

The Pulitzer Electric Air Race is intended to revive the 100-year-old tradition of the Pulitzer air speed races held in the 1920s, while also promoting innovation in the electric aircraft field.