The Mitchell Race was named for 1st Lt. John Lendrum Mitchell, Jr. who died in France, while flying, during World War I.
On March 6, 2025, after almost ninety years dormant, the Air Force revived an air race—the Mitchell Trophy Air Race—that was last run in 1936. Only this time around, the race was a shade different for its inclusion of the F-22 Raptor, a fifth-generation air superiority fighter. The F-22 of course did not exist the last time the Mitchell was run—nor did any other jet aircraft.
Reintroducing the Mitchell Race
Here’s how the race was structured this time around. Three squadrons, all with the 1st Fighter Wing, speed over two F-22 fighters, stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, to Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. Once on the ground at Selfridge, the two-pilot teams would split up; one pilot would refuel and inspect the team’s two jets; the other pilot would make a 1.6-mile run on foot to the Selfridge Military Air Museum to sign the guest register, which has apparently been signed by “former presidents, high-ranking military officials and aviation heroes dating back to 1987.” Then, the running pilot would return to his/her aircraft, and both pilots would race their F-22s back to Virginia.
Granted, the race is structured differently than the last time it was run in the 30s. The F-22 inclusion is new, yes, but also, in years past, the race was a simpler five-lap affair around a twenty-mile course marked with pylons that would be navigated in open-cockpit biplanes.
The Mitchell Race was named for 1st Lt. John Lendrum Mitchell, Jr. who died in France, while flying, during World War I. John’s brother, Col. Billy Mitchell, “introduced the trophy to commemorate his brother’s legacy and promote airpower innovation,” the 1st Fighter Wing wrote in a press release. “The competition was fierce, and winning the race was one of the greatest honors a pilot could achieve.”
Why now?
After nine decades dormant (with a few random exceptions in 1960, 1962, and 1998), the U.S. Air Force decided that now was the time to resurrect the Mitchell Race. Why now? As a method for getting Airmen prepared for Agile Combat Employment (ACE), a system that disperses U.S. airpower throughout a network of smaller bases (like Selfridge) to perplex the targeting efforts of hypothetical adversaries like Russia and China.
“This is about replacing the logistical challenges we will face in a peer conflict, where our ability to move, adapt and fight in the face of numerous maintenance, support, weather and intelligence challenges, may very well determine missions’ success,” said Col. Brandon Tellez, commander of the 1st Fighter Wing.
To make the race more consistent with wartime conditions, the pilots were not informed of their mission (aka the Mitchell Race) until the morning of. The purpose of the secrecy was to simulate “realistic, stressful conditions” that forced the pilots and their ground crews to scramble.
The Air Force wouldn’t disclose how long it took the F-22 to fly from Virginia to Michigan but was willing to acknowledge that the entire affair, including the 1.6-mile run, and the return trip to Virginia, took less than five hours—much faster than the winner of the 1922 race who topped out at 148 miles per hour.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a senior defense and national security writer with over 1,000 total pieces on issues involving global affairs. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, Harrison joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.
Images: Maciej Kopaniecki / Shutterstock.com
