In 1929, 20 female pilots, including Amelia Earhart, set off to fly from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, in the first Women’s Air Derby. Nearly 100 years later, female pilots from across the nation are carrying the torch and continuing the tradition with the 49th Air Race Classic.
Read more Today in History: June 20, race-related rioting erupts in Detroit
This month, Central Florida pilots Doralisa “Chady” Sherrod, 67, and Jemayla Nelsonwood, 28, will fly about 2,700 miles, making stops in 11 states to demonstrate their aviation abilities. The race starts at the St. Louis Regional Airport and ends four days later at the Mt. Vernon Outland Airport, both in Illinois.
Sherrod said she’s eager to meet the more than 100 fellow female aviators competing in the event.
“I’m excited about meeting new people, flying longer than I’ve ever flown at one time and flying fast,” she said. “This event is really to promote women in aviation and promote camaraderie around the world with women in aviation. It’s great to introduce the world to women who fly.”
Nelsonwood, a flight instructor who’s training to fly with Alaska Airlines, met Sherrod while volunteering at Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland. They talked about the idea of competing in the women’s air race as a dream they could work together in achieving.
“There still aren’t a lot of females in aviation. Meeting each other and hitting it off was cool because neither of us knew a ton of females in aviation,” Nelsonwood said. “I feel like we both learn from each other, help each other and are both willing to work together and listen to each other.”
To start the four-day race on June 23, 46 teams will take off from Alton, Illinois, in 30-second intervals, making the “sky come alive with a symphony of piston engines roaring, painting a picture of determination and grit,” according to the event organizer.
“This isn’t just a race; it’s a celebration of women’s prowess in the skies and a testament to the indomitable spirit of aviation,” said Donna Harris, president of the Air Race Classic, in a news release.
Pilots will stop at nine pre-determined airports in between the start and finish line with stops in Kentucky, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Wisconsin.
The race isn’t about competing head-to-head to see who has the fastest plane; it’s about trying to beat the unique handicap speed given to each plane before the race. The handicap is determined by a volunteer gathering data in the air and a committee that calculates the maximum airspeed of each craft. The race is won by the team that beats their handicap speed by the greatest margin.
Read more Commentary: School nurses help drive the future of America’s health
Pilots will strategize to work with the elements, finding more favorable winds and weather to test skill, ingenuity and flight planning. At each stop, the planes will make low-altitude, high-speed flybys for the on-ground team to log their times.
Pilots must also navigate during daytime hours only, presenting an additional challenge.
“You have to think and plan. You have to know the weather and the airports and the area. It’s just sunrise to sunset that we can fly, so we have to make sure we’re at an airport by sunset,” Nelsonwood said. “It plays into so much execution of flight planning, not just who can fly the airplane the fastest.”
The pair of pilots will use the orange- and brown-accented 1979 Grumman Tiger owned by Sherrod and her husband for this challenge. Sherrod’s passion for aviation has been passed down by her family, including her mother and stepdad, both of whom were pilots.
During this race, she hopes to continue exploring her passion for aviation and improving her flying skills.
“I’m not in it to win it, I’m in it to experience it. It will work on our knowledge of weather, knowledge of the airplane and ability to fly the airplane at those speeds safely,” Sherrod said. “It’s great because we get to meet all these women pilots and make connections that last a lifetime.”
Follow along with the teams starting June 23 at airraceclassic2026.maprogress.com.
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: [email protected]. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
Read more Commentary: Sojourner’s truth