Race day eve

Team BFF has had a fun and busy few days in Concord, CA.  In just 10 hours we will be taking off for the first leg and the clock will start timing the race planes.  Here are some photos and notes about what we have been doing. 

On Thursday we got a ride back to the airport in Apple Valley and found our trusty plane waiting and ready.  And- no wind!  Pack up and pre-flight and away we went west and north-west, south of the Mohave desert, north of Palmdale, and over a low pass over the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada range. Looking down over the land is always a thrill. We passed more solar arrays and wind farms.  Mostly the hillsides appeared barren and dry. 

 Once over the pass we entered the San Joaquin valley in between the Sierras to the east and Santa Lucia and Diablo ranges to the west. Unlike the previous day's prediction we had mild headwinds and only a couple of bumps until we cleared the pass. As we continued north through the valley we stayed lower, around 3000' MSL.  Caroline piloted us into Visalia.  We read that this town of about 120,000 is a gateway to Sequoia National Park and scenic. Well, we fueled up and decided not to stick around. The airport did not have easy transportation available and, more importantly clouds were over the mountains, the temperature was rising and we were excited to get to Concord.

So off we went.  Another hour and a half into Buchanan field in Concord, CA.  Buchanan Field was  fighter pilot training airport for World War II and remains a busy place.  There is a tower here and we are in Class D airspace outside the San Francisco outer ring.

The excitement of arriving was terrific. About 15 other planes were already here and most others came by sundown on Thursday. Our hotel is adjacent to the airport ramp. Super convenient. Thursday afternoon was busy: racer credentials check-in, clean the under-belly, fix the numbers, aircraft inspection, get some food and check into the hotel.  

Once the aircraft is inspected we handed in the keys and access is not permitted until race start. Everything is looking good.  It is so much fun to see the other pilots, hear stories of travels to get to the start and join in the buzz about flying across the country. Amelia Earhart and her compadres started in California in 1929.  

We have had some email exchanges with Kara White and finally were able to meet her and her husband Adam White of Hemlock Films. Kara is part of Classic Racer #12 and along with Adam is producing a documentary called Beyond the Powder: the Legacy of the First women's cross country air race. 

Thursday evening we attended a casual hangar BBQ hosted by the local 99's chapter and fell asleep exhausted. Friday morning began early.  60 local Girl Scouts came out to meet the racers and learn about aviation. We have had beautiful warm and sunny weather.  That afternoon we took care of some chores and pored over charts and weather programs for route planning.  

Yesterday and today the mornings were filled with procedural and safety briefings.  Today's briefings included a visiti from sergeants at Travis AFB. Soon after departure we fly just close to their airspace and in the path of their usual route for the 'heavies'. All of the facilities have been informed we are coming but still we will have all eyes alert for traffic.  

Yesterday afternoon we rode the BART in to San Francisco, making the most of a free afternoon along with our friends Minetta and Sue, Classic Racer #34, we took a ferry ride from The embarcadero ferry terminal to Sausalito and back. It was beautiful being out on the bay, seeing the many sailboats, Golden Gate Bridge and feeling the sea breeze. 

Last night start banquet featured a presentation from Jerry Anne Jurenka.  Jerry was a participant in the 1999 expedition of TIGHAR (the international group for historic aircraft recovery). She shared a fascinating story of the work done searching for evidence in the South Pacific. 

Now we must rest before tomorrow's big day. We will be carrying a Bad Elf for timing and a Spot for tracking.  You can follow us, Classic Racer #26, on www.trackleaders.com. This evening we tested the units and all appear to be functioning yet we are unsure if our Spot unit is synced to our team profile correctly.  More to come tomorrow. 

Happy trails!