Air Shows Return to Columbus with STOL Drag Racing Event

Three-day exhibition featuring aerobatics, racing, and military aircraft displays drew more than 50,000 spectators to the Ohio airport.

Josh Richling

Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 12:33 PM ET

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The three-day Columbus Cup event featuring aerobatics, racing, and military aircraft displays. [Credit: Richard Wilson]

Key Takeaways:

The inaugural Columbus Cup at Rickenbacker International Airport was the largest stand-alone STOL Drag air show in history and the first STOL Drag event executed on concrete.
The three-day event drew over 50,000 spectators, featuring major attractions like the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the F-22 Raptor Demo Team.
Pilot Steve Henry won the Columbus Cup, setting a new STOL Drag record with a 51.09-second lap, while Michael Goulian uniquely participated as both a racer and an aerobatics pilot.

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The inaugural Columbus Cup—the first short takeoff and landing drag racing, or STOL Drag, event at Rickenbacker International Airport (KLCK)—over the weekend marked what organizers said was the largest stand-alone air show in STOL Drag history.

Also performing at the event June 16 through 18 was the U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Demo Team and the Navy’s Blue Angels, their first appearance in the Ohio capital in 28 years.