Emergency runway key element

Fred Telling, CEO and Board chairman of the group that produces the National Championship Air Races, said an important key is being turned for the Roswell event.

Speaking to the Roswell Rotary Club, Telling said the Brown Brothers Ranch, over which race pilots fly, “is allowing us to build an emergency runway on their ranch property.”

The lack of an emergency runway had resulted in two popular classes of air racers — the Sport Class and the Unlimited Class — failing to compete in the 2025 Air Races.

The Sport Class is composed of aircraft currently being manufactured, while the Unlimited Class is made up of World War II aircraft.

“Right now, we probably have 80 aircraft participating, but I believe we will have over 100 aircraft for races this year,” Telling said, adding, “I’m optimistic we’ll have at least 12 in the Unlimited Class.”

A big draw at this year’s Air Races on Sept. 16-20 will be the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying team.

 

The team will be visible on Sept. 17 and 18 when they do “full big holiday practice flights, and then on Sept. 19 and 20 when they repeat their show.”

Telling said that one of the days, the Thunderbird crews will be given a police escort “down Main Street from their hotel to the airfield.”

He said one of the bigger challenges for the Air Races is hotel space. In addition to Roswell hotels and motels to house the estimated 75,000-80,000 people expected at the races, RV sites will be available at the airport and in the community.

Telling said Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell will be showing movies for RV campers on several nights at its campus near the airport, as well as making its swimming pool and gymnasium available.

He complimented Artesia, 40 miles south of Roswell, “for organizing a band and other activities nearly every night. They had things going on in the street for the people who were staying down there. The town was very welcoming, and it was great.”

The National Championship Air Races are produced every September by the Reno Air Racing Association. The event was founded in Northern Nevada, where it became an institution and the pinnacle of air racing before moving to Roswell.

Meeting starts at 6:30 p.m.

The Roswell Rotary Club will meet at 6:30 p.m. on July 2 at the Backdraft Barbeque at Third Street Station, 301 N. Railroad Ave.

This dinner meeting, at which club officers and directors will be installed, replaces the regular meeting on that date.

The cost of meals for Rotary Club members and guests will be covered.

Members have been asked to let the incoming club President, Steve Smith, know their meal selection in advance.

NMSU athletics chief to speak

Fields

Joe Fields, athletics director at New Mexico State University, will speak to the Roswell Rotary Club on June 25.

He has served as athletics director since Oct. 8, bringing more than 20 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics as a student-athlete and administrator.

Before taking over at NMSU, Fields spent one year at the University of Tulsa, where he served as the deputy athletics director and chief operating officer.

Martin honored as Harris Fellow

Martin Padillo, the club’s Rotary Exchange student from Spain for the past year, was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by Betty Young on behalf of the Roswell Rotary Club. In addition, Martin was given a handmade quilt signed by club members and a U.S. jersey from the current FIFA World Cup championship. The presentations were made on June 11.

Air Races CEO to speak

Fred Telling, chairman and CEO of the National Championship Air Races, will speak at the June 18 Rotary Club meeting.

He has been the CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association (RARA) since February 2018 and has served on the board since October 2017.

The National Championship Air Races in Roswell are produced each September by RARA, a 501(c)(3) corporation. This year’s races will run Sept. 16-20.

Fred has also been the president of the T-6 Racing Association since 2007.

He is type-rated in Citation jets and the DC-3, fixed-wing (Commercial) and rotorcraft (Private) rated, and has a collection of North American Aviation aircraft — “Lady B,” a P-51D, “Almost Perfect,” a stock T-6G, and “Baby Boomer,” a T-6 racer.

Bill Williams to address Rotary

Chaves County Manager Bill Williams will speak at the June 11 Roswell Rotary Club meeting.

He began working for Chaves County in January 2015 as director of facilities. In June 2016, he was promoted to public services director, and in December 2020, he was appointed county manager. 

Before joining the county, Williams worked in agriculture and as a building contractor, later working for the federal government until 2014.

He graduated from New Mexico State University with a degree in agricultural mechanization. 

City manager to address club

City Manager Hess Yntema will speak to the Roswell Rotary Club on June 4.

Yntema, a former Roswell Rotary Club member, served more than three years as city attorney before being appointed city manager early this year.

He graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in earth and planetary sciences before earning his law degree at the University of Michigan Law School.