Enthusiasts of high-speed, head-to-head airplane races are venturing to new horizons as a prestigious national event takes center stage in New Mexico for the first time in its six-decade-long history.

The National Championship Air Races, spanning five days, are underway at a commercial airstrip and a former Air Force base near Roswell. This remote area, known for oil production, is famous for alleged UFO sightings — referred to by authorities as unidentified anomalous phenomena — sparking curiosity about extraterrestrial life.

Most races occur between 50 feet (15 meters) and 250 feet (76 meters) above ground level, as pilots skillfully maneuver around a track highlighted by vintage pylons capped with vividly painted barrels.

Participants will be flying Formula 1 prop planes they built themselves, along with colorful aerobatic biplanes and jets that can reach speeds over 500 miles per hour (804 kilometers per hour).

“Up to eight aircraft compete simultaneously in the sky, racing head-to-head rather than against time, offering a unique spectacle unseen anywhere else globally,” stated Tony Logoteta, head of the Reno Air Racing Association, now overseeing the Roswell event.

The competition relocated from Nevada due to increasing residential and commercial development, which restricted race space and heightened ground safety concerns. The Reno Air Racing Association took a break to establish the Roswell event.

What’s new?

Organizers hope to attract new fans from neighboring Texas and log between 30,000 and 40,000 unique visitors this year. Tens of thousands of tickets were sold before opening day and Roswell’s hotel rooms were tapped out.

In its final decade in Reno, the event attracted more than 1 million visitors and generated more than $750 million for the economy, according to the association.

New Mexico is investing millions of dollars in Roswell Air Center improvements, including grandstands that will hold up to 9,500 when completed.

Cities in six states bid to host the races, which require open land, suitable runways, ramp and hangar space, security facilities, amenities for spectators and more.

Organizers say the Roswell Air Center gives the event room to grow and an uninterrupted view of the course and planes against an ordinarily clear desert sky.

Race finals were set for Sunday. Companion air shows were expected to feature military and vintage planes, and acrobatics displays.

Racing since 1964

The national championship’s only gap years have been due to the Sept. 11 attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic and the move to Roswell.

Races by World War II-era fighter aircraft are a perennial favorite among fans, but won’t take place this year after those participants withdrew for unspecified reasons.

Even so, the event’s new home is steeped in military aviation. The region has three Air Force bases, White Sands Missile Range and Army installations at Fort Bliss.

Ensuring safety

Two vintage planes fatally collided on the final day of the 2023 national championships at the Reno-Stead Airport.

That crash raised the tally of pilots or performers killed in the races to 24. The deadliest day was in 2011, when 10 spectators died in a crash on the edge of the grandstand — the one fatal crash involving spectators.

Organizers say the new location has some inherent safety advantages. The races, accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration, require pilots to attend mandatory training and testing. Spectators are seated along straightaways, farther from hazards of race course turns, Logoteta said.

The course also is far from any neighborhoods at a remote commercial aviation station that spans 80 square miles (207 square kilometers). It was the home of Walker Air Force Base before its closure in 1967.

Fire, rescue and law enforcement agencies are closely involved.

“Safety is always No. 1,” Logoteta said. “And at the same time, we also recognize that there is inherent risk in any motorsport to the participants.”

Crash investigation

Investigators last week released their conclusion into the 2023 crash, finding that two experienced pilots deviated from their expected flight paths and never saw each other before colliding.

While the list of crashes involving vintage planes used or designed for military purposes is long, aviation industry experts said in the days after the 2023 crash that they were dumbfounded that such experienced pilots ended up colliding.

The National Transportation Safety Board report said both pilots failed to fly the standard routes, with one pilot taking a wide turn and the other taking a tighter approach.