Two Kent State pilots will represent the university at the 46th annual Air Race Classic taking off Tuesday.

Laura Wilson, 2022 ARC defending champ and current Kent State flight instructor, will pilot the race alongside her copilot, junior flight technology major Peyton Turner. Together, the two will strategize through changing terrain, weather, wind, technical issues and more.

This year, the ARC will challenge teams of two female pilots to race over 2,400 miles through varying conditions. Each team will have up to four days to complete the course and nine optional airport stops to make.

Wilson and Turner will fly a Cessna Skyhawk 172SP through Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Alabama before crossing the finish line in Homestead, Florida.

Those interested in following along with team No. 52, aka the “Flying Flashes,” can get live updates on the Air Race Classic website and ARC official social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The race will also be shown in the Aeronautics and Engineering Building and at the Kent State Airport in the FedEx Aeronautics Academic Center.

Caroline Willis is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].