Air racing, the sport of racing airplanes. Races are generally either closed circuit or cross-country. Closed-circuit races consist of several laps at low altitude around a course marked on the ground by large pylons; planes compete singly or at intervals for lowestelapsed time or as a group, winner being the first to complete the course. Cross-country races are point-to-point, long-distance contests, such as the women’s transcontinental Powder Puff Derby in the United States and the irregular London—Australia events.History. Planes from the United States and France dominated the first international air meeting at Reims, Fr., in 1909, where new records were set for altitude (500 feet, or 152 metres) and speed (46 miles, or 74 kilometres, per hour). The most prestigious of the races established in succeeding years was the Schneider Trophy Race, an international closed-circuit event for seaplanes, initiated in 1913 by Jacques Schneider, a French weapons manufacturer. The first Schneider race was won by a Frenchman, Prévost, with a speed of 45.75 miles (73.2 kilometres) per hour. Subsequent races were won by Italian, U.S., and British entries. In 1931 the trophy was won for the third successive time and retired by Great Britain. The winner in 1931 reached speeds over 400 miles (640 kilometres) per hour on the straight legs of the course.
During the 1920s and 1930s, closed-circuit air racing became an extremely popular spectator sport, particularly in the United States, with its annual Pulitzer, Thompson, and Bendix trophy events and National Air Races.

Cross-country races of various lengths also proliferated.
Air racing in those years was heavily endowed by aircraft manufacturers, since racing provided them with an opportunity to test and display their aircraft design and engine improvements. As speeds increased, however, low-level pylon racing became more dangerous and the number of fatal accidents increased, spurring public opposition. Costs also increased tremendously and the utility of planes designed to meet the demands of closed-circuit racing declined.
Professional racing resumed after World War II with the addition of events for jets, but the manufacturers and the public had lost interest and the sport soon declined. There was only one entry in the 1951 Thompson Race.
Amateur racing. Air racing continued on an amateur level and entered a period of growth with the revival of the U.S. National Air Races in 1964, after a lapse of 15 years. Pilots competed in aircraft classes for Formula One (midget monoplanes of limited engine size), sport biplanes, and unlimited (mostly modified World War II fighters). Many of the Formula One and sport biplane racers were homemade. Classes added in following years included stock planes (unmodified commercially manufactured aircraft) and T-6s (an obsolete U.S. military trainer).

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