ROSWELL, N.M. — Pilots took to the skies over Roswell to get the track ready for the National Championship Air Races this fall.

“We actually have two airplanes from each of our seven classes of races. And they’re going to be evaluating the initial pylon courses that have been set up and cleared with the FAA,” said Fred Telling, the chairman and CEO of the National Championship Air Races.

Around 10 planes took a first run of the course Wednesday afternoon. The test flight is to prepare for the air races in September.

“Then we are able to have the city of Roswell begin the actual construction of our full pylon course. So this is a very this is the first big step forward for us here at Roswell,” Telling said.

According to Telling, they expect 150 planes to participate in the air races this year. It is the first time Roswell will host the races after they were held in Reno from 1966 to 2024.

Telling added the area in Roswell is much larger than what they had before. With that, he said people will have more opportunities and aviators can fly in to attend the races. Previously, they hadn’t had that opportunity to fly in.

Before the races go green, there are still some changes to be made.

“This is a totally new race course, so it’s just trying to learn where the pylons are and, finding geographical features on the ground to better guide you to the pylons because there’s so many out there,” said Vic McMann, a racer in the T6 class. “With the first run on the course, it was pretty good. It’s a nice course.”

The 2025 National Championship Air Races are set for Sept. 10-14 in Roswell.