2018 ARC

Classic Racer 29 earned 11th place in the 2018 ARC with no penalties. We are so pleased with the results!! A top 10 finish is a dream and we were so close. Truly we did very well. We have not yet relayed here all of the incidents of the race; hopefully will get some more logged before arriving at the solace of the Adirondacks where we do not have WiFi or cell service. 

Getting back to last Wednesday in Indiana... We were the 5th of 11 teams that landed to stay overnight after restarting the race from Galesburg, Illinois. The airport volunteers were incredibly hospitable- we had dinner in a magnificent hangar den and then a ride to the hotel from Lisa and Emma. Back to the airport in the morning. Official sunrise for the ARC was 06:30 and we were 5th on the list to take off. Fog prevented our takeoffs from starting for about 45 minutes. The plane has been working so well. This was a cooler morning and a good time to add more oil. 

And we were off to Cadillac, Michigan. 

This leg up North started with a foggy layer below and then the sun rising to add heat and light. We talked to the tower in Battle Creek near Kalamazoo. The land looked flat with many many lakes. On up to Cadillac! Although we could not see the Great Lakes, Michigan was just over to the West and Huron to the East. 

Race adventure story telling continued

Greetings from New Hampshire. I’ve had a heck of a time with this blog posting program and will make more attempts to share information about our adventure. 

On Wednesday evening we looked ahead at the weather conditions, deliberated for a bit, re-fueled and opted to go for it on the next leg from Galesburg, Illinois to Auburn, Indiana. A handful of teams were already en route and many had not yet arrived through the line of storms over Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. 

We took a chance on the marginal conditions at our next flyby. 

After reviewing all of the information we had available to us we climbed up to 7500’ and sailed east towards Indiana. This leg included a time change so we also factored that into our schedule planning. We barely looked back as more bad weather was settling in on Galesburg. 

The last 30 miles or so into the flyby were low. We descends to <1000’ above the ground hoping the ceilings would permit us to complete the flyby with ARC and VFR minimums. We did it and were greeted by really friendly faces and tremendous hospitality. 

We made it!!

We have arrived in New England- safe, exhilarated and relieved. 

Race day #3

This morning we watched and waited at the airport in Beatrice. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. Overnight the thunder was intense and one of the airport staff said that 4” of rain fell with the storm. The morning was drizzly and cool. All of the Racer teams camped out in the FBO anxiously awaiting VFR conditions. 

Later in the morning the drizzle stopped and the clouds started to lift. And we pulled planes up off the soggy grass. Our new Claw tie-downs are slick. 

This picture of the windsock shows the brightening sky and marshy grass. 

Throughout the morning there was much speculation about the teams that went on to Minnesota last night and also what the prospects were for continuing. Word spread that communication would come from Race Central at noon with instructions. 

We prepared the plane continued looking at conditions and forecasts. 

Soon the word came that we would skip the third leg to Faribault, Minnesota. We were to get to Galesburg, Illinois by any safe method without refueling and then restart the race there. 

So off we went to the east. How far can we get?

ARC Classic Racer 29 Journey Continued

Alva looks to be a pretty area, near the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge. Also- this area was host to Clyde Cessna and his early aviation designs. After a quick stop in Alva we headed North again on the 2nd leg. 

Kansas is Flat!

The tower controllers were very gracious and we flew through Salina’s Class Delta on up to Nebraska. About half of the race teams had already arrived in Beatrice and it seemed that no teams were going on. 

At about 5pm the storm rolled in 

A few teams took off just before the storm set in - maybe not the way to go?

With 40+ Race teams in town it was challenging to find a hotel room. We succeeded and also located the Black Crow in downtown Beatrice for a delicious meal and sundae for dessert. 

Two legs on Tuesday and we’re in Beatrice

Start day was fun, exciting and challenging. After our final briefing in Sweetwater we readied our plane and the first racer team departed a bit after 8AM. The morning was beautiful with mostly clear skies and a favorable wind from the South. 

Flying North from Sweetwater we stayed low for favorable winds and because up ahead there was a lower cloud layer. 

We left Texas and crossed Oklahoma up to Alva  

Final briefings and Pre-race Festivities

The last two days have been filled with briefings, planning, last minute to-dos and some homegrown festivities.