We are tired, grateful, relieved and proud.
The past six days have been full of planning, briefings and long days of flight.
On Saturday and Sunday, prior to the race start we were mostly focused on race preparations. There were briefings on proceedings, fly-bys, safety, start & terminus process and the weather.
Kathleen and Sandy arrived on Saturday afternoon. That night we attended the Start banquet with the parade of race teams and a wonderful presentation by Bill Harelson. Bill presented pictures and spoke about the record he (and his support crew) set for 'speed around the world over both the Earth's poles' in a plane with a single combustion engine. The story was very impressive. During the program many weather alarms sounded on smart phones signaling a local tornado warning. Tension rose as pilots wonders about the welfare of the aircraft at the airport. Our dedicated leaders committed to a trip out to inspect the planes, and we were relieved to see a subsequent message of confirmation later on that all appeared to be a-ok.
On Sunday the briefings and our readiness planning continued. The nerviness was interrupted -gratefully - by some time with sisters, aunts, great-aunts and cousin Lydia, Patty and Susie who braved the crazy I-95 to meet up with Classic Racer 29. We finished our laundry, flight planning and packing. And then - a premier viewing of Beyond the Powder: The Legacy of the First Women's Cross-country Air Race, a documentary film by Hemlock Films. This film was fabulous. Highlighting the 1929 race and showcasing the 2014 Air Race Classic. Team Baldwin Family Flyers showed up in the film and it was fun to see ourselves on the screen. The film is not in the final production form and is scheduled to show on PBS next Spring.
The family entourage had a nice pre-race dinner in Frederickburg and then to bed for the final rest. In Fredericksburg we were delighted to find the intersection of Williamk and Caroline Streets.
Thanks for the information....
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