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. 

Journey to Sweetwater

Classic Racer 29 has arrived in Sweetwater, Texas

Tracking the 2018 Air Race Classic

We are excited that the Air Race Classic is providing tracking services again through MapProgress and also ATC live.

Each team will be carrying a Spot tracker. The link to the page for tracking the teams this way is here:   https://airraceclassic2018.maprogress.com/


Also, live broadcast of radio calls is happening via: https://www.liveatc.net/
Enter the airport code and tune in to hear teams making radio calls at the Start, fly-by airports and at the Terminus. The airports won't go live on LiveATC until a couple of days before the race starts. The airport codes are:

Sweetwater, TX - KSWW

Alva, OK - KAVK

Beatrice, NE - KBIE 

Faribault, MN - KFBL

Galesburg, IL - KGBG

Auburn, IN - KGWB

Cadillac, MI - KCAD

Newark, OH - KVTA

Penn Yan, NY - KPEO

Fryeburg, ME - KIZG

 

 

 

2018 Air Race Classic

The 2018 Air Race Classic begins in two weeks !!!!

Hello friends-

Here we see the route for the 2018 Air Race Classic.

Caroline and Lydia are racing again as Classic Racer 29, in Cherokee N15695.

In a couple of weeks we will assemble in Sweetwater, TX for the Start of the 42nd Annual Air Race Classic.

https://www.airraceclassic.org/

As I write Lydia is in Fort Collins, CO, committed as ever to a stellar ICU at UCHealth's Poudre Valley Hospital. In two weeks, however, Lydia will embark on an epic three week journey, flying in the Air Race, and journeying across this great land.

Caroline is currently touring in Japan with Bill and friends. This has been a long-awaited trip of great interest and desire to experience the culture, sights and scenes of Japan.

The past year has seen caretaking for the aircraft, pursuit of hobbies and we have very much been looking forward to pursuit of this event together.

We will be posting pictures and journal thoughts as our preparations continue, and as we embark on another ARC adventure!

2017 Air Race Classic

The 2017 Air Race Classic has come to an end. We had so much fun; flew over 3,000 miles with the before, during, and after stages; visited new places; enhanced our piloting skills; and spent time with so many wonderful people. 

Our time in Santa Fe was fantastic. We went for a hike, visited the Georgia O'Keefe museum and Meow Wolfe, and enjoyed walking around the historic town. 

Sunday nights's banquet was exciting for all of us. Classic Racer #29 is thrilled to have achieved 4th place as well as awards for the fastest family team and the fastest Piper team. 

Thank you for supporting us in our love of flying, racing and adventure.  With love to you all!

Finished!!

Classic Racer #29 successfully completed the Air Race Classic yesterday. We arrived at Santa Fe airport just prior to 3pm.  Exhilarated, relieved, and tired are some of the feelings we were experiencing. Immediately we unpacked and cleaned the plane, and turned in our timing devices. 

Caroline and Bill marvelously coordinated a family get together here in Santa Fe. We are enjoying relaxing with our loved ones and attending to he final Air Race appointments. Sunday evening, tomorrow, brings the final banquet with awarding of prizes and celebration of the racers. We met with the judges this afternoon and leaned that we will receive penalties. We are disappointed though proud of our achievements. 

Here are a few photos from our final racing legs and visiting in Santa Fe.

 

   

 

    

Race day #3

Awoke to clear skies and cool temperatures. We are excited to fly on to the South.  For now we are waiting for a storm system along the route to pass to the east. 

Greetings to you from the North. 

 

  

June 21, 2017

This morning we awoke to find the end  of a storm moving through.  Here is a shot of our plane on the ramp at Indianapolis Regional airport. 

 

Yesterday's flights in to Indiana were warm, slow and bumpy. We had a nice evening meal with Cara and Mia, and an early wake up call came very soon. 

After some waiting for improvements in the conditions ahead we blasted off to the North.  This was to be the longest leg at 333nm.  Completing the leg with the appropriate fuel reserves was a concern and thanks to fine planning and luck of the winds we did fine. 

Our route took us across Illinois, and across the Mississippi River to Iowa. 

 

In Decorah, Iowa we were greeted by friendly folks at the airport and the fueling was super efficient!  A menacing storm was headed in from the West. We made a quick turn and dashed on to the next stop. 

On to Minnesota. 

Again we had done favorable winds. After yesterday's headwinds this was a treat. 

Here is a photo of Classic Racer 34 over one of the many lakes we passed en route to Bemidji. 

 

Snippets from race day #1

This morning was beautiful as we awoke early for the final pre-race briefing and trip to the airport.  The excitement and anticipation was palpable in our meeting. Lovely Patti drove us out to the airport. Reuniting with the plane was a thrill. The start was delayed about an hour. We are not sure why there was a delay. Just after 08:30 we departed in the middle of the pack and headed for Ohio. Into the headwinds. 

The first flyby was at Millersburg, Ohio. Then on to Indy Regional. 

Follow us via the links on the air race classic website. 

www.airraceclassic.org

If you are familiar with forrflight you will know how exciting it was to be flying s close to our fellow racers in this screen shot