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Stutzer Wins Heavy Touring Class at Valdez STOL

Helio Alaska CEO secures another victory in his classic 1972 Helio H-295.

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.
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]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Lukas Stutzer, co-founder and CEO of Helio Alaska, won the Heavy Touring class at the 2026 Valdez STOL Competition flying his 1972 Helio H-295, achieving a total takeoff and landing distance of 244 feet.
  • The Helio H-295 is an airframe specifically designed for short take-off and landing (STOL) operations, popular with pilots needing to operate in tight or off-airport spaces.
  • Stutzer's winning aircraft was equipped with Beringer Aero 10-inch wheels and brakes, which are highlighted for their precision engineering, delivering shorter rolling distances and enhanced heat dissipation critical for high-performance STOL.
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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.

Meg Godlewski

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.

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