Rocky Mountain STOL Competition
August 13, 2022
The Rocky Mountain Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) competition took place Friday and Saturday, August 12 & 13 at Ralph Wenz Field in Pinedale. There were classes for Heavy Touring, Light Touring, Bush, Bush Experimental, Light Sport, Light Experimental. There were eleven entries and about 250-300 people in attendance.
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. STOL performance of an aircraft is the ability of aircraft to take off and clear a 50-foot obstruction in a distance of 1,500 feet from beginning the takeoff run. It must also be able to stop within 1,500 feet after crossing a 50-foot obstacle on landing. These aircraft are used on airstrips with harsh conditions such as high altitude, ice or short runways. These planes need short ground roll to get airborne and capable of near zero ground roll when landing.
The Pinedale event at Ralph Wenz Field was part of the National STOL series, but it did not count towards season points in their annual competition. The Pinedale event was hosted by Emblem Aviation at the Pinedale Airport. Additional sponsors were the Town of Pinedale, Sublette County Travel and Tourism, Rocky Mountain Power Sports, Reed’s Ready Mix, Pinedale NAPA Auto Parts Pinedale/Marbleton, Half Moon Lake Lodge, Joy in the Winds LLC, and the Pinedale Airport.
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