The Flying Flashes are once again taking on the Air Race Classic! After the success of last year’s team, Laura Wilson and Peyton Turner will be teaming up to fly in the annual competition of female pilots spanning nearly 2,400 miles. This year is the 46th year of the competition, bringing together pilots of all ages and diverse backgrounds to compete against other passionate pilots for first place.
Wilson is a 2022 graduate of Kent State University, and currently works as a Certified Flight Instructor at the KSU Airport. She competed in the 2022 Air Race Classic alongside fellow Kent State Alumni Alex Johnson. Wilson and Johnson won First Place Overall by less than 20 seconds in a Cessna Skyhawk 172SP. They also won the First Place Collegiate Trophy, and the Fastest Cessna award. Turner, a junior Aeronautics major, will join Wilson on the team this year.
The three day competition begins on June 20th in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Wilson and Turner will make nine timed flybys at airports in Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida before making their landing in Homestead, Florida. Prior to flying, Wilson and Turner will spend three days in briefings to ensure their safety during the course of the competition. The Air Race Classic allows up to 55 competition teams and 5 non competition teams to participate, with the 2023 lineup including teams from Western Michigan University, Indiana State University, and Auburn University.