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 & Air Show, particularly its world-famous STOL competition, was a highly successful event held under exceptionally clear skies at Valdez Airport (KVDZ), attracting pilots and spectators from vast distances.
The competition featured various classes, with Dan Reynolds winning the Light Sport class and achieving the overall best score, though his 2018 record-breaking short landing distance was not surpassed this year.
Valdez is recognized as "hallowed ground" for STOL competitions, influencing general aviation events in the lower 48 states, with plans already underway 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.”