97 Days and Counting!

We are under the 100-day mark and there is still so much to do.  We have already registered our team and our airplane, but now the real work begins. 

Hotel reservations have to be made, not only at the Start and Terminus, but, also, en route.  Of course, we only know the places we CAN stop for an overnight, not not where we WILL stop.  That will be decided, most probably, the day before.  And it will all depend on the weather.  We know how far we CAN go in one day, but will the winds cooperate?  If we have a head wind, we will go slower and not make it as far in one day.  If we have a tail wind, we will go faster and cover more ground.

Which leads to flight planning, a big task by itself. The race covers almost 2,400 nautical miles, crossing over 11 states, and has to be completed in four days.  We also have to plan to get three team members, from three different corners of the country to the Start.  We have to decide what the best altitude will be to fly, based on the winds and other factors; we have to calculate fuel burn for each leg; and we have to determine which stops to get fuel and which stops to overnight.

In addition to flight planning, we are required to take safety courses that are applicable to the current year's race.  This year, we have to do two out of four of the following: Mountain Flying (because the race starts in Prescott, AZ and heads to Albuquerque, NM); Runway Safety (because anytime you have 55 planes all moving about the airport environment, you need to be aware and alert); Weather (no explanation necessary!); and Airspace (because most of the Stop airports are in controlled airspace and we need to know the rules).

The next item on the checklist will be the airplane.  Lara has submitted the ADs (Airworthiness Directives) for review, to make sure we have complied with all the FAA notices.  Lara will also be flying the handicap flight in the next month or two.  I'm sure she'll be posting about her experiences in this area.  Since she has a lot on her plate, as CoPilot I may need to remind her.

And, of course, all of this requires money, so we are also in the process of sending out sponsor letters. If anyone who would like to help us cover our expenses, we would be glad to accept the donation.  Even if we just have the largest cheering section following along, we will be thrilled!

More soon.  Thank you for supporting Classic Racer 71 Blackbirds!

Meet the Team!

Lara Zook Gaerte is our team Pilot and is from Fort Wayne, IN.  She holds numerous ratings, including single engine (land) and multi engine (land), instrument, and ATP (airline transport pilot). She has complex, high performance and tailwheel endorsements, and is also a skydiver.  She is a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) for both single and multi engine planes, including instrument instruction for both. She is a five-time Master CFI, a FAASTeam (FAA Safety Team) representative, and is the current President of the Air Race Classic.  She has over 8,000 flight hours and has flown in 5 of these races.

Donna Harris is the team CoPilot, from Lake Havasu, AZ.  She is the rookie of the team, this year being her first time participating in the Air Race Classic.  She holds a single engine (land) rating, as well as her instrument rating. She has complex and high performance endorsements, and is the current Treasurer of the ARC.

JoAnne Alcorn is the Teammate, from Winter Haven, FL. Jo holds FAA ratings for single engine land, single engine sea, and multi engine land, as well as her instrument rating.  She has her complex, high performance and tailwheel endorsements.  She is also an Advanced Ground Instructor, for both basic and instrument. She has flown in 7 ARC races and has 1,800 flight hours.   Jo is the current Vice President for the Air Race Classic.

Welcome to our Blackbirds Blog!

This blog is about racing in the 2016 Air Race Classic, an all-women transcontinental air race that has roots back to 1929 when Amelia Earhart, Pancho Barnes and several other women pilots started the very first all-women air race.

Our team is #71, thus, the Blackbirds, after the Lockheed long-range strategic reconnaissance aircraft.  We chose this number for several reasons. Since the team makes up three-quarters of the executive board of the Air Race Classic, we wanted to be the last one to leave the Start, just in case an issue came up that needed us.  We also wanted a number that would fit easily on the cowling, the outer cover of the engine.  All planes will have the team number placed in the same location for easy spotting by the timers on the ground.  More on all this in later posts!  With the chosen team number, it was a natural choice to have "Blackbirds" as the team name.  And, as we go screaming (the engine, not the team!) across a timing line, the timers can say, "Bye Bye, Blackbirds!"

Thank you for joining us on our journey to the Start and, hopefully, to the Terminus.  Please feel free to add comments or email us.  We hope you enjoy our travels.