Helio Alaska co-founder and CEO Lukas Stutzer won the Heavy Touring class at the Valdez STOL competition in aircraft equipped with Beringer Aero wheels and brakes. [Credit: Beringer Aero]
Key Takeaways:
Lukas Stutzer won first place in the Heavy Touring class at the 2026 Valdez STOL Competition, flying his 1972 Helio H-295 with a total takeoff and landing distance of 244 feet.
The Helio H-295 is an aircraft specifically designed for short take-off and landing (STOL) operations, known for its ability to operate in tight spaces and off-airport environments.
Stutzer's winning performance was partly attributed to his aircraft's Beringer Aero 10-inch wheels and brakes, engineered to deliver shorter rolling distances and enhanced heat dissipation crucial for high-performance STOL operations.
Lukas Stutzer, a fourth-generation Alaskan and co-founder and CEO of Helio Alaska, finished in first place in the Heavy Touring class at the 2026 Valdez STOL Competition on May 9-10.
Flying his 1972 Helio H-295, Stutzer won with a total takeoff and landing distance of 244 feet. He used the same aircraft to claim the same class at Valdez, Alaska, in 2021 at 197 total feet.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
