FAA grants accreditation for most race classes; city reports airport upgrades and FEMA presence ahead of national championship air races

City officials and race organizers told the council that the National Championship Air Races will run this September and that organizers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have completed much of the required approval work. Tim Kelly, spokesperson for the races, said the FAA issued required accreditation letters (RARA) for six of the seven race classes; the accreditation is valid through Aug. 31, 2027. He said the missing accreditation for the “unlimited” class was tied to the availability of certain aircraft and that organizers expected the relevant craft to complete accreditation prior to the event. City staff and the airport’s supervisors updated the council on several projects tied to the event and ongoing airport work: burying power lines near flight lines for safety, construction of a pylon pad, pavement work and terminal restroom renovations. Airport staff said a temporary 50-foot taxiway will be used during the races in front of grandstands and that a temporary grandstand project was scheduled to be completed before the event. The airport manager and contractors also reported increased activity at the field: Boeing brought large aircraft for testing and certification work, and FEMA deployed personnel to the airport with an expected on-site presence ranging from a minimum of three months to as long as a year. The city said FEMA planned to station more than 100 personnel in the airport area to assist with regional recovery work. Fred Telling, chairman and CEO of the Air Races, told councilors that ticket sales were strong and that organizers faced local housing capacity constraints; he estimated tens of thousands of tickets had been sold and said housing in Roswell and neighboring communities was heavily booked. Airport projects on the public update list included apron rehabilitation, taxiway construction for race operations, terminal restroom renovation and a new electrical vault and generator work. A runway- or test-related temporary water application for brake-testing heavy aircraft also was described. Some projects were slated to start after the races; one rehabilitation project was described as a $1.8 million to $2.0 million job expected to require a 45-day window, with work planned after the event. Ending — what’s next Officials said they will continue final checks in the weeks before the races, complete remaining construction tasks as scheduled and publish a press release announcing FAA accreditation. The council heard no formal motions on airport spending at the meeting; items about related capital work and vendor payments were handled elsewhere on the agenda.