Annual Valdez STOL Event Brings New Competitors, Former Winners

The accompanying air show also featured a beach landing fly-out.

The annual Valdez Fly-In & Air Show took place May 12-14 at Pioneer Field, Valdez Airport (KVDZ).

Key Takeaways:

The 19th Annual Valdez Fly-In & STOL Competition, a renowned bush flying event, took place in Alaska under uncharacteristically clear skies, attracting a diverse range of pilots and thousands of spectators from far and wide.
Veteran competitor Dan Reynolds secured his sixth Light Sport class win and the overall best score, though his standing 2018 short landing record remained unbroken due to milder winds this year.
Other STOL category winners included Nathan Rehack (Alternate Bush), first-time competitor George Pine (Bush Class), Steven Spence (Light Touring), and Lukas Stutzer (Heavy Touring).
Valdez is celebrated as "hallowed ground" for STOL, influencing the growth of similar competitions across the U.S., with plans already in motion for its 20th anniversary in 2024.

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The annual Valdez Fly-In & Air Show presented by CubCrafters took place May 12-14 at Pioneer Field, Valdez Airport (KVDZ), featuring a beach landing fly-out, balloon bust, flour bombing, aerobatics demonstration and pilot roundtable. But it is heralded most for hosting the world famous Valdez short takeoff and landing (STOL) competition.

Pioneer Field is tucked away in the heavily glaciated Chugach Mountains near the head of a deep fjord in the Prince William Sound, just across from the Port of Valdez, and the Valdez Glacier that sits to the east of the runway. Despite how awe-inspiring this landscape may be, it owns a reputation for creating fast-changing and inclement weather conditions, but it seems the weather gods were smiling down upon the 19th Annual Fly-In & STOL Competition with blue skies and an abundance of sunshine. The conditions could not have been more beautiful for this legendary event. Regular Valdez competitor Dan Reynolds said, “Overall this year’s weather was some of the best I have seen.”