Getting Some New Lift for STOL

The skill associated with flying STOL aircraft in challenging locations, often where go-around is not an option, has long been associated with bush pilots. However, mastering STOL aircraft capabilities and piloting techniques can make any pilot more confident, agile, and safe.

And now it’s a fun new sport.

In the 1980s, STOL competitions began appearing at airshows like the annual event hosted by the Alaska Airman's Association. Since then, competitions have grown, both in the number of pilots participating in the sport and the enthusiastic fan base that eagerly awaits the chance to watch the next race.

And like all things in aviation, an exciting evolution began to take shape. STOL competition formalized and began to morph into a new genre of sport—the STOL drag race.

STOL Drag, which creator Kevin Quinn calls “drag racing with planes,” thrills spectators around the country, and this month will be a part of the 60th anniversary festivities of Nevada’s Reno Air Show.

STOL Drag began at the High Sierra Fly-In, where it attracted the attention of the organizers of the National Championship Air Races at Reno. That event first added STOL Drag in the demonstration class and then added as a new racing class in 2020, the first since organizers added the jet class in 2002. 

By the time National STOL completes the 11 events in the 2024 aviation series, it will have given hundreds of thousands the opportunity to enjoy the sport from Sodbusters in Hartford, Wisconsin, and Appalachian Mountain in Clarion County, Pennsylvania, to Rocky Mount in Pinedale, Wyoming, and Oregon Trail in Ontario, Oregon.

National STOL plans each event in collaboration with the hosting airport, and, occasionally, with local tourism boards that help to promote the events. The series also reaches 70 million each year through its social media platforms and about a half-million through its long-form broadcasts.

“We’re family oriented and family friendly,” said Tom Wolf, a member of the National STOL Series. “One of our tenants is to bring as many new pilots to general aviation as possible, and we invite children 12 and younger to attend for free. We want to inspire the next generation of pilots.” 

Both National STOL and STOL Drag are highly safety focused.

STOL Drag spent the pause in airshow events during the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve FAA accreditation as a racing class and for its training course. The two-day course, required for all pilots participating in its races, focuses on spot landings, power and energy management, and directional and altitude control. STOL Drag conducts the courses prior to events, allowing pilots to polish their skills and giving them the opportunity to become airshow pilots. 

Quinn added that in addition to technical skills, the course addresses the psychological side of the sport.

“Everyone has an iPhone, recording races, and STOL Drag can draw 150,000 over a weekend,” he says. “We ask pilots, ‘Will that change the way you fly?’” 

However, the training course isn’t only to prepare pilots for STOL Drag. It helps them build skills they use whenever they fly.

“We focus on getting pilots to focus on proficiency, not just currency,” Quinn said. 

Coming off the Sodbusters event in July, Wolf reports that National STOL has conducted more than 26 events without injury, “and we want to keep it that way.”

The safety team includes air bosses and retired air traffic controllers who bring their experience to orchestrate the competitions. Air boss Jerome Drew  estimates he has 80,000 hours of ATC, including service during EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

“I once did 455 departures on one runway in 54 minutes,” Drew said. “I had a grin on my face for the rest of the day. We said if we could do it for free, we would. Now, we do. 

“At competitions, we’re launching one while one is coming in. We get that flow going. And we emphasize no changes—you never change the game plan. If a pilot comes to another event, they know we’ll do it exactly the same way.” 

To ensure pilots understand that plan, the organization requires that they attend a safety briefing with air bosses and event staff immediately before competition begins. The briefing also includes information on how heats are organized, generally with faster aircraft in front, so they can’t catch a slower aircraft in the pattern and cause bunching.

“We always lead our heats with competitors who have competed before so that others can follow their lead,” said Wolf. “We also follow all FAR standards for airport operations and recommended guidance for airshow operations, like runway widths and crowd setbacks. We always want to go above and beyond these requirements.”

The National STOL staff includes ground operations, a head line judge, and race control, each with primary and overlapping responsibilities.

“Anyone in these positions can call out a pilot for being unsafe and raise their concern to race control, who will then issue a warning to the pilot or disqualify them,” Wolf said. “We also notify the team of safety issues and pause events or stop operations when necessary to rectify a safety issue. For example, at our Swamp STOL event [in Jennings, Louisiana] earlier this year, we paused flight operations because of FOD on the runway. We made sure it got cleaned up before we continued.”

But Drew stresses that STOL competitions are meant to be safe and enjoyable.

“If they aren’t having fun, they’ll get tight and scratch,” he said. “But one time around the pattern, and they say, ‘I got this.’”

When STOL Drag began, the organization tested different distances, settling on a 2,000-foot course.

“We tried 5,000 feet and other distances, but we found 2,000 feet brings in all aircraft,” Quinn said. “Whether you’re flying a Skywagon, Cub, or Kitfox, everyone is equal at 2,000 feet, and it comes down to pilot skill. They fly 2,000 feet, come to a complete stop, then turn and race to the finish in head-to-head racing.” 

Still, pilots invest a great deal of innovation, planning, and sweat equity into making sure they have the most competitive machines. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean making the biggest financial investment.

“You don’t have to start out in a $500K race plane,” Wolf said. “You could buy a $10K to $20K Champ or J3 Cub and get a private pilot’s license.”

As for design, Wolf says there are two schools of thought: Make your airplane more powerful or as light as possible.

STOL newcomer Jalynn Park, a law firm executive assistant with aspirations of becoming a commercial pilot, modified her Citabria aircraft with larger-diameter tires. “My model came with flaps and 150 hp, so I was lucky,” she said.

 National STOL and STOL Drag competitor Cathy Page, a self-described “aviation junkie” with a background in motocross, flies a 180 hp Carbon Cub Fx2. “It’s a good backcountry and STOL airplane,” she said.

Veteran STOL pilot Dave Kerley wanted to level up his stock Highlander to be more competitive.

“It had a light build and came with a stock Rotax 912 ULS motor, which ran great,” Kerley said. “But when I had a dual-carb engine and competed at the Reno Air Races at 5,000 feet, it lost horsepower compared to people running turbos.”

Kerley explored various options and found a manufacturer in Italy that makes superchargers specifically for Rotex platforms. He turned to Michael Busenitz at STOL Creek Aviation in Whitewater, Kansas, who fabricated some components, including an electronic fuel injection controller.

“That solved the problem of managing the fuel-air mix and delivery timing, and Michael worked up maps to make sure the EGTs and fuel-air mix is right throughout the whole spectrum,” Kerley said. 

Kerley also leveraged the expertise of Steve Henry of Wild West Aircraft in Nampa, Idaho, who designed a leading cuff edge for the Highlander wing.

“It is a nice enhancement,” Kerley said. “We had to move some vortex generators forward on the wing to take advantage of the new airfoil shape. Without that, I lost some performance, but the VGs brought everything back and I got an angle of attack I could hold at lower air speeds.” 

He also replaced the factory header tank with one Henry developed. When STOL pilots race, their main tanks are empty. So, moving the header tank back moves the plane’s center of gravity back.

“In STOL competition, it doesn’t help to have the CG near the nose,” Kerley said. “Mounting it toward the rear lets me have a higher angle of attack and increases general safety.”

He also swapped tires to reduce weight by about 30 pounds, which is a significant amount for a 700-pound plane. Kerley alluded to maybe making additional modifications, but “that’s chasing the nth degree. I’m happy where the plane is now.” 

Henry, who also competes in STOL Drag and National STOL, has achieved extremely short takeoffs with his Highlander. The best takeoff, 2.5 feet in a 15-20 mph headwind, is caught on video, and he has accomplished landings as short as 14-15 feet.

In addition to the Highlander wing extensions he designed, he modified his aircraft with a Hypersport Yamaha engine and ECU out of Arlington, Wisconsin.

“I can raise and lower the tailwheel,” he said. “I have a nitrogen bottle mounted on the tail and have controls in the cockpit so I can get the best possible attack angle.”

 He adds that his plane has spoilers built into the wings to function as air brakes when he’s competing in STOL Drag.

“Except for the spoilers, anyone can build a Highlander like mine,” he said. “I’d help someone else do it.” 

As with any skill, practice is essential.

“The easiest way to practice is to get a friend, grab some traffic cones, and start practicing on any runway,” Wolf said. “When you take off, have your friend write down the distance. Come back around, land after the cones, and record the distance. As you get more used to your airplane, your distances will shorten up, and you'll feel more confident at slower and slower rotation speeds.

“You can practice on a grass runway, which is a little more forgiving. STOL is all about practice and flying your plane safely at slow speeds.”

Pilot Warren Grobbelaar points out that it’s essential for STOL Drag competitors to learn to fly their planes in the slip.

“You want to have that down before going to a racecourse with a competitor next to you,” Grobbelaar said. “My advice is to take it gradually. Don’t jump into trying to fly the plane as slow as it can be flown. It takes time to understand what flying on the edge of the envelope means and be proficient at it. Learn to do it at higher altitudes, then bring it down.” 

For the National STOL schedule and more information, visit nationalstol.com. To learn more about STOL Drag, visit stoldrag.com. 

This feature first appeared in the October Issue 951 of the FLYING print edition.