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A lot of things make Las Cruces unique, but did you know Las Cruces International Airport is home to the only three courses in the world certified by the Federal Aviation Administration for air races?
The airport will host the second annual Las Cruces Air and Space Expo, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 19-20. The event will include air racing, aerobatic performances, airplane displays, aerospace exhibits, live music, food trucks and a kid zone that includes STEM activities.
Twenty-four sport-class planes with pilots from across the United States and one from Canada are expected to participate in the races, with four competing in each race on Saturday and Sunday, said expo volunteer and New Mexico state Sen. Bill Soules of Las Cruces, who is a certified pilot and former member of the Las Cruces Airport Advisory Board.
Soules said some of the planes participating in the expo are capable of flying at more than 400 miles an hour, and others can fly 300-350 miles an hour. Planes will race 50 feet above the ground around pylons.
“These are the fastest motor sports in the world,” Soules said.
The planes will arrive beginning Monday, Oct. 14, he said. They will conduct practices on Thursday and time trials on Friday in preparation for the two-day expo.
The Las Cruces chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association will host a sport class air racing meet-and-greet beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, that is open to the public, he said. An RSVP is requested by those planning to attend the open house, which will be held at EAA’s hangar at the airport. Food and drinks will be available for the first 125 who attend. RSVPs can be registered at Sportclass.com/rsvp.
Last year’s event was attended by 7,000 people, Soules said.
The airport will be closed Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 17-20, for the expo, said Soules, who has a hangar at the airport that is home to Soules Aero-Knowledge Center, which Soules created “to introduce kids to and get more people involved in avionics projects,” he said.
General admission tickets to the expo are free if reserved in advance at LCairAndSpace.com. They are $5 at the door. VIP tickets are also available.
The airport is located about nine miles west of downtown Las Cruces via Interstate 10 or by traveling west on Picacho Boulevard and following the access road all the way to the airport. The street address is 8990 Zia Blvd.
