Two students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach campus finished first in the collegiate division of the Air Race Classic, one of the oldest and most revered air races for women. Pilots Valdeta Mehanja and Danielle Erlichman placed first among collegiate competitors and third overall in the four-day, transcontinental race, originally known as the “Powder Puff Derby” and first run in 1929.
The competition launched on June 18 from Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, Washington and covered 2,448 statute miles and nine waypoints. The final destination airport was Drake Field in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Competitors included 45 teams from around the world, many from U.S. universities.
