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 the Heavy Touring class at the 2026 Valdez STOL Competition, achieving a total take-off and landing distance of 244 feet in his 1972 Helio H-295.
The Valdez STOL Competition is an annual international event showcasing pilots' precision short take-off and landing (STOL) skills as part of the Valdez Fly-In and Air Show.
Stutzer's victory was supported by his Helio H-295, an aircraft specifically designed for STOL, and specialized Beringer Aero wheels and brakes, which are critical for enhancing short field performance.
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.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
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.
