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News & Media Sodbusters take to the grass

Sodbusters take to the grass

June 16, 2020 By Erick Webb

The 2020 Sodbusters STOL Competition (that stands for short takeoff and landing) in Cambridge, Minnesota, is still on!

You can see the action or even participate in the 2020 Sodbusters STOL Competition in Cambridge, Minnesota, July 24 through 26. File photo by Mike Collins.

The event will take place at Cambridge Municipal Airport July 24 through 26, and will have everything you’ve been missing from aviation events in 2020. Organizers are planning to have camping (which begins on Thursday for those who want to be ready to go when the action starts), vendors, some potential fly-outs, food, and of course a STOL competition.

If seeing it up close isn’t exciting enough and you want to be part of the flying, there’s a chance you could get in on the action, but be sure to check out the rules and buy your ticket if you qualify to participate.

The event is hosted by National STOL, the same organization that put on the Aviat Lonestar STOL Competition and Fly-In in March, before the coronavirus pandemic shut down all large gatherings. Keep checking the Sodbusters STOL page, or the National STOL event page, for further updates.

How’s it work?

STOL—short takeoff and landing—competitions and demonstrations are self-explanatory. The winner has the shortest combined takeoff and landing distance. A pilot starts with the airplane’s main gear on the line that marks the start of the runway for the takeoff, and aims to get the main gear as close to (but always beyond) that line and then come to a full stop for the landing. Touching down short of the line leads to a disqualification for that attempt.—By Alicia Herron
Alyssa J. Miller

Erick Webb

Social Media Marketer, AOPA
Erick began working at AOPA in 2015, shortly after becoming a student pilot. He is a VFR private pilot and, after a five-year stint on AOPA's events team, shares management responsibilities of AOPA's social media channels, including content production.
Go to Erick Webb's Profile
Topics: Events, Takeoffs and Landings, U.S. Travel

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