ArkanSTOL Opens “Ozark Backwoods Challenge” Spectator Registration

Thursday, August 12, 2021 – ArkanSTOL™ has officially opened spectator registration for their wildly different STOL event designed to closer emulate real STOL flying/situations. And for the second year in a row, Aviat Aircraft, Inc., the manufacturer of the Husky series of bush-type aircraft will be the lead sponsor.

Set for September 29^th – October 3^rd, 2021, the ArkanSTOL™ “Ozark Backwoods Challenge” is a unique aviation experience. Inspired by the challenging terrain of the Arkansas Ozarks, this competition tests not only a pilot’s skill, but demands extreme knowledge of equipment and unparalleled judgement. The terrain involves actual backwoods flying while adding the exciting elements of time trials with unpredictable river valley winds. All of these aspects combine to make this experience more complex than the average STOL competition earning the phrase “How fast can you go slow?”.

The event is held at Byrd’s Adventure Center (51AR) in western Arkansas along the scenic Mulberry River. Already famous for its outdoor activities (kayaking, hiking, off-road 4-wheeling, bike and Jeep trails), owners Zen (a pilot) and Pam Boulden carved a series of runways on their property starting approx. 12 years ago for Zen and their pilot friends to visit. These runways became the seed for ArkanSTOL.

Last year (2020) was the first year for the Challenge and its attendance exceeded expectations even though the world environment and the weather were not the most cooperative. The day of the competition there were 26 competing aircraft coming from as far away as California. The event had grown from a local competition to one on a national scale by capturing the attention of the STOL community and the media. This year, the competitor field almost doubles in size to 50 aircraft. Time trials are scheduled to begin on Thursday and go through Friday which will narrow the field to 35 for the final day of competition.

If you are interested in attending, advanced registration is highly encouraged for planning purposes. Visit www.arkanSTOL.com/registration to register.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available. If interested, contact Jack Klein @ (501) 258-6681 or jack@goyoungaviation.com.

For those planning to fly in, all pilots must read and understand the NOTAM for arrival and departure procedures which will be posted in the ArkanSTOL website prior to the event.  The airport is situated in a narrow river valley with unpredictable winds. Pilots are urged to be vigilant and use good judgement when loading and operating their aircraft.

For more information, please contact John Young, Co-Founder @ (913) 210-9793 or john@goyoungaviation.com.