IMC-Free: Home of Team #7 for the 2009 Air Race Classic

We're on Cloud 9 (UPDATED!!)

2009-06-30T14:15:00.025-04:00

So it's the day after the Race festivities ended and we are both trying to gracefully handle the re-entry. But, dear readers, we didn't forget you (quite the contrary) and we know that many of you still have a lot of questions. So, we've attached a lot more photos of our 2009 ARC experience.

The Awards Banquet Sunday night was the highlight of our ARC experience this year. We knew we'd done pretty well in the race, but since all of the scores are calculated between 5pm Friday (after the landing deadline) and 7pm Sunday at the banquet, no one really knows exactly which team placed where. They started with individual leg prizes for all of the teams not making it into the Top 10 finalists. There were a few surprises, actually, most of which were pleasant. Then they started awarding medals and prize money from 10th place on up, and by the time they got to 5th place, our hearts were pounding. Fourth place caused the veins in our necks to stand up. Third place nearly gave us a heart attack (we'd suspected they were the winners). And when they finally announced the 2nd place finishers, we knew we'd flown well enough to win! Kelly has a big bruise on her left knee, thanks to Gene Nora (our honorary "mother bird"), but we were so stoked that she didn't even feel it! Of course we were at the very back of the banquet hall (always did prefer the last row!), so it took a moment to walk up to the stage and accept our medals. After being interviewed by the TV station we were surrounded by other racers's hugs and laughter.

The winners lined up from First Place through Tenth Place

Perhaps more important than our actually winning the ARC were the comments and compliments we got from the other competitors. Nearly every team approached us with heart-felt hugs, congratulations and nice things to say about our team and the way we flew the race. Despite our 18 penalty points (we did something really stupid and paid the price, but thankfully, after a meeting with the judges, they too realized that we had merely been dumb as opposed to intentionally breaking any rules), we still won by a rather large margin.

"Gimme some knuckles!"

Of course by then it was Party Time, but it was, after all, a Sunday night in Iowa. So after striking out on the bar scene we swung by the grocery store to snag some adult beverages before heading back to the Super 8 to celebrate with our friends. Our festivities lasted well into the morning, which was why a timely blog post wasn't forthcoming. (But we understand that you understood why we were negligent in putting up a descriptive update!)

Yesterday, the day after the ARC officially ended, was a very busy one. After not having had much sleep we awoke early (with our medals still around our necks!) to get our stuff packed up (it looked like a mid-sized bomb had detonated in the hotel room) and loaded into the Velociraptor. Kelly accompanied some teammates to the airport to ostensibly help them load their plane, but really we just wanted their rental car. Actually, we were sad to say goodbye to such good friends, but grateful they were willing to share their wheels since Erin had a hard time emerging from bed that morning and was dragging ass, even with a cup of coffee on board.....

Thanks to Gene Nora & Cammie's rental car we were able to take our time packing up our stuff and getting motivated to leave. Other racing buddies, Minnetta and a former racer Karen, called to see if we wanted to imbibe some breakfast before hitting the skies, so we continued to delay our departure by another few hours.

Back at the little mom & pop restaurant in downtown Atlantic, the Farmer's Kitchen, we were recognized as the winning team and the proprietors were happy to inform us that breakfast was on them! (Including two slices of Charlene Johnson's Peanut Butter Chocolate Explosion, the winningest pie in one of the largest pie contests in America: http://www.atlanticnewstelegraph.com/articles/2009/04/29/news/doc49f89632e5bea770866760.txt).

SUCH warm folks in this sleepy little town. We freely admit that when we learned that Atlantic, Iowa was to be the ARC terminus this year, we were a little less than thrilled. But the town and its occupants have been so warm, generous, and supportive of the race and the pilots. The local salon and day spa even agreed to open up and stay that way all day Sunday so we could get our nails and hair done! Since all the pedicure and facial appointments were filled by the time we could talk Kelly into doing such a thing, we had to settle for a 1-hour massage. (Yeah, rough, we know). Erin actually fell asleep during her massage, and it was a nice way to relax before the Awards Banquet later that night.

So with breakfast safely digesting in our bellies we dragged ourselves out to the airport for a leisurely departure. There were two other teams still there and we managed to delay our leaving by even longer so we could all do the photo thing together.

The flight back was rather simple compared to the previous week's flying, with Erin longing to file an IFR flight plan and climb up into the clouds. Our "direct" flight was going to take us over Chicago's airspace and that hate that, so as we got close they routed us around, but that only added about 15 minutes to our 3.5-hour trip back to Detroit. The weather was nice, the air was smooth and the sun-shielding clouds were a comfortable change from the noisy sunshine of the previous weeks' flights.

After we tucked the V'raptor safely into her hangar for the night and gave her a cowl-covering bunch of smooches for a job very well done, we had the funny chance of meeting up with Jay, the Beech factory pilot. He just happened to be there working but we'll admit that when we saw him drive up in the limo we both had a sneaking suspicion that he was there to present us with the keys to a brand new Bonanza G-36 with the fancy Garmin 1000 glass cockpit! For next year's ARC, of course! Unfortunately that wasn't the case, but we still haven't given up on the prospect of getting Hawker-Beechcraft to lend us an airplane to fly in the 2010 Air Race Classic! (Good thing we have a year to win them over, eh?)

The magic "Debonair" pedicure!

The next thing on our agenda is to talk the producers of "The Ellen Show" into having us on. So next year, when we race that brand new Bonanza, we can have Ellen's web cam hooked up to the cockpit and give her updates during the Race! So, if you'd like to see that happen, perhaps you could help us out by emailing Ellen to flood her inbox with requests to interview the two of us! I can see it now, the two of us sprawled out in our first class seats, winging our way in style (with champagne) to Burbank to be treated like the royaly we are....

For now, enjoy the photo montage of images we collected along the way, and do check back to the blog as we plan to post our press articles, our visit to "The Ellen Show" and the many good things that will come as a result of being the 2009 Air Race Classic champions!

Yippppeeeeeeeeee!
K & E

Clouds during the IFR flight home

It was nice to fly IFR at 9000 feet for a change!

Kelly was gracious enough to let Erin fly home,
having hogged the controls for the previous 2700 miles

A quick photo with the "Mooney Girls" before we headed home to Michigan

With Sandy (Classic #2), our Bonanza Buddy and the Third Place Winner!

With WASP Bee Haydu, who flew as part of Classic #26

Whooohooooo!

A pretty farm somewhere over Iowa

Another Iowa farmhouse

Preparing to fly the timing line to start the morning's clock in Racine

Can we say HAPPY?! (and tired)

With Gene Nora & Cammie (#18)

Getting an actual "ramp check" in RAC by Beth, the World's Friendliest Fed!

Flying along in over 100 degrees. That was outside -- with the vents closed in the V'raptor it was well over 110 inside the cabin!

One of our mascots (Amelia Bearheart) during the racers' briefings in Denver

The Sweetwater, TX flyby instructions

Kelly & Erin's nephew Csaba
(the kid must get his love of flying from his aunt!)

Our favorite Mother Bird, Gene Nora Jessen (Classic #18)

And here you can see the same famous Mercury 13
astronaut candidate having donned her racing cap!

Erin at the airport, trying to catch a few zzzz's while she could....

A cute little Husky climbing out of Denver Centennial (APA)

Minnetta (Classic #4) put a diaper on her airplane!

Atlantic, Iowa

Yes, folks, that really is us!

Soaking in all the rules and regulations for the Race

"Kelly Pilot" (and Erin with her trusty iPhone to the right)

WE FREAKING WON!!!!

2009-06-29T02:08:00.005-04:00

.... And now we're partying!

Here's the "proof" and tomorrow we'll post all the details. Suffice it to say, it's a very happy night for the two of us. And we're stoked to be celebrating it with some of our friends and fellow racing buddies.

We're both still in shock; it definitely has not yet sunk in that we won. Maybe in the morning.... (We're both sleeping with our medals around our necks!)

WHOOHOOOOOOOO!
K & E

Pre-Banquet Shenanigans

2009-06-28T15:16:00.003-04:00

Today started with yet another an early morning, mandatory meeting, which was mostly uneventful. After blowing that joint we scurried off to downtown (ghost town) Atlantic in search of grub. The only place in town to eat was "Ready-Maid", a cool little diner. See attached photos.

After scarfing some fried, fatty stuff (hey, we're no longer concerned about weight and balance issues!) we darted over for pedicures (yes, folks, Kelly was going to have one too), but discovered that all of today's appointments were already booked. Looks like the other racers beat to it! :) So we booked massages instead -- a lovely way to spend our last afternoon in this sleepy and very friendly little Iowa town! We definitely underestimated this place and have been pleasantly surprised!

Back to the hotel after lunch and a trip to the toy section of the local Five & Dime to paint our toe nails ourselves since there were no appointments for the pros left. We discovered that neither one of us is very good at applying blue and yellow paint to one another's toes and for the time being we've decided to keep our day jobs.

Most of the other racers piled into a bus and drove 45 minutes to check out the local aviation museum. Personally, we're about airplaned out for a weekend and decided to do the massage thing instead. An hour slathered in grease, allowing the drool to flow freely, was a nice way to spend our afternoon.

So now we just have a few more hours before the awards banquet starts. Hopefully you all have your fingers and toes crossed for our high placing. We'll see very soon just how well you did!

So check back tonight (or first thing in the morning for you early-to-bed, early-to-risers) for the Results of the 2009 Air Race Classic!

Meanwhile, below is documentation of our rather uneventful day.

Excited and Nervous,
K & E

Cammie and Gene Nora (#18) They were one of the slowest teams but thanks to the makers of little plastic medallions, they're winners in our eyes!

A few days ago Cammie mistakenly shared with us her fear of snakes....

Cammie discovered a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon -- reading the paper and slurping a chocolate milkshake!

Gene Nora's an excellent pilot, but we take every opportunity we can to make fun of her parking "skills"!

In honor of The Velociraptor, The Wonder Chariot, The Mighty Yellow and Blue Debonair!

Saturday Chores

2009-06-27T23:30:00.003-04:00

Today was a lot more busy than we'd anticipated. Last night ended with a very late night phone call telling us that we might possibly have finished in the Top 12, meaning the Velociraptor would be inspected the next morning. That's great news and we're both obviously very happy.

We were also informed with another late night call that we needed to do another test flight, so the entire morning was spent handling that. We suspect that the weather conditions weren't conducive to accurate readings but were happy to comply. After the test flight the V'raptor was officially inspected before we joined a few other teams for lunch (margaritas, really) and swapped stories about the race.

Post-nap we signed our official score card and were given a W-9 tax form to complete, suggesting that we just might finish in the money. But we won't know that for sure until tomorrow night's banquet. So check back then, eh? And in the mean time, how about you cross all of your fingers and toes?! :)

Definitely the highlight of our day was our pre-arranged dinner with our local "host family". Yesterday's BBQ hangar party was hosted at a private hangar housing a P-51 Mustang, cool old cars, a Navion and a bunch of flying model airplanes, among other neat toys. The owners are aviation buffs and also happened to be our dinner hosts for this evening. We were treated to an amazing home-cooked meal (the first we've had on this adventure!) and fine drinks and dessert. Kathy is an excellent cook and Mike handled the grill with expertise and kept us entertained with flying videos and stories. The evening was shared with another racing team, Kristy, Susan and Bee, the WASP pilot in the back as their passenger! We enjoyed getting to know our competitors and hearing Bee's stories of flying military aircraft in the 1940's. Such neat women fly this race every year....

Unfortunately we still have 20+ hours to wait until we know how we placed in the race. Yeah, cruel to make us wait, but c'est la vie. Tomorrow will dawn early with a mandatory b'fast meetings and debriefings. We're looking forward to hearing the results of the race, learning everyone's scores and wrapping up our 2009 ARC experience. It's a very different time at the race Terminus for us this year -- last year we'd disqualified and this year we're in the running for a Top 10 finish!

SO more tomorrow. We didn't get any photos of today but we will definitely have some to post for tomorrow after the evening's celebrations and festivities!

!Buenas Noches!
K & E

We're Here!

2009-06-26T12:53:00.001-04:00

We just have time to post a quick note to everyone following this blog that Classic (Lucky) #7 has safely landed in Atlantic, Iowa (AIO) and we successfully finished the 2009 Air Race Classic! Whooohoooo!

We're busy dealing with Terminus activities (and a nap!) so we'll post a proper update later on tonight. But thank you to everyone who's been following our race. And to Kelly's Mom & Dad -- the bouquet of roses and balloons you sent just arrived! How sweet of you....

This race has been a blast -- both of us realize how fortunate we are, what amazing lives we have and how incredibly lucky we are to have friends and family like you. Thank you for your love, your support, your friendships and your enthusiasm for our continued adventures!

To tide you over until more later, here are some of the photos from our leg this morning from Racine, WI (RAC) to Atlantic, Iowa (AIO). Enjoy!

More tonight, we promise.....
K&E

Resting in Racine

2009-06-25T21:53:00.000-04:00

According to some, our day today could have been called grueling. The heat was nearly unbearable, the humidity was wretched, the legs were long and the winds weren’t favorable. But we smiled most of the way. And the Velociraptor hummed along like a champ. We swear, that airplane LOVES to race....

So we had another gruesomely early morning (this time without breakfast) to head to the Grenada, Mississippi airport in the wee hours of the dawn. The mosquitoes were out in full force, though Kelly swears that’s not what they were. But Erin is a mosquito smorgasbord – that’s what they were….

We had a little time to zen out while we were prepping for take off, which is always a nice way to spend a morning. Out on the ramp with anti-bug cloths in hand, watching the sunrise over a little airfield. Few better ways to start a day, we think!

Our flight en route to Sparta, TN (SRB) was uneventful and we were happy with our performance. A quick turn in SRB to gas up, empty bladders and go was all we needed before blasting off toward Jacksonville, Illinois (IJX). The highlight of this leg was that we managed to not get shot down by the unscrupulous prison guard who has it out for local air traffic. We were briefed in Denver before the start of the race that one particular guard has threatened to shoot at planes flying by the prison yard, which happens to lie underneath the final approach for the main runway into IJX! So Erin built a fix into the GPS with the latitude and longitude of said big house, just to ensure that we didn’t stray too close, which worked like a charm!

After a snack, a break, more debugging (it never ends!) and a few checks of the weather we decided to go on one more leg up to Racine, WI (RAC). It was a bit more interesting than many of our other legs because of the busier airspace up near Chicago (and it kept airline pilot Erin on the edge of her comfort zone!). Flying VFR under the Class B shelf of Chicago isn’t fun for those who aren’t fond of VFR flying to begin with!

The approach into RAC nearly resulted in a dual fly-by, but we managed to squeak past the Cessna in time to have the fly-by to ourselves with them hot on our heels. The folks at RAC were happy to have us and delighted to tuck the Deb into a hangar for the night. The Wx here (that’s aviation for weather) is lovely and we don’t expect any issues for tomorrow’s last leg out to Iowa for the finish line.

We know this entry is a bit dry and the photos not up to their usual standards, but it’s late, we’re under-slept, the camera had intermittent fits all day today and sunrise is rapidly approaching. So goodnight for now and thanks for the vibes!

Rise ‘N Shine

2009-06-24T22:05:00.000-04:00

Today started with a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L sunrise over Avenger Field, as we carefully inspected the Velociraptor in the pre-dawn light for the flight to Lufkin, Texas (LFK).

We were first to launch and were treated to an amazing array of wind turbines packed in among the hills. According to our Sweetwater hosts, wind supplies much of the local electric needs and has been one of the few prosperous crops in today’s economy.

The cooler (!?) morning air was a welcomed treat, though it wasn’t exactly cool. Before the sun was totally above the horizon it was over 90 degrees inside the airplane! Not to worry, though, as we bombed our way across central Texas en route to Lufkin. We flew the timing line there and returned for a trip around the pattern in order to land. We decided to give our bladders a break and refill our water bottles, which by now were tasting like aquariums. Or sewage treatment plants.

After filling our fuel tanks and emptying our bladders, we launched again, this time en route to the beautiful state of Arkansas. The flight to Russellville was another good one and we were treated to rolling ridges and gorgeous lakes. Lake Ouachita (the largest lake in Arkansas!) was particularly nice and swamp-like, causing us to count our blessings that the V’raptor’s engine continued to run properly. But our escape plan was this: if it looked like we’d survive the impact from the crash, Kelly was to make sure that Erin was somehow sent to new horizons prior to being eaten alive by the mosquitoes…. We shook on it.

So far in this year’s Race, the airport in Russellville wins our Hospitality Award! We’re pretty sure that the prop hadn’t stopped spinning yet before one of the line guys was out there scraping all the bugs off our windshield! Inside the air-conditioned FBO (it was over 100 degrees outside and felt about 52 degrees inside!) we were treated to tons of fresh fruit and electrolytes. The nice woman staffing the racer’s snack room was a massage therapist and had determined what we needed to stay hydrated, nourished and sharp – and she was right! So we want to extend a huge thank you to everyone there at RUE who made our brief layover such a delight!

Our little C-130 buddy

After each of us consumed an average person’s weekly fruit allotment we hopped back into the Wonder Chariot, cajoled her engine to start (hot starts are sure a pain in the rump!) and blasted off one more time, this time pointed southeast toward Mississippi. By this time of the day the air was a lot rougher and we were treated to a fair amount of turbulence en route to Grenada, Mississippi (GNF). But the scenery was lovely and we were grateful to have remained unmolested by all of the alligators that we knew were greedily waiting for our engine to give up the ghost.

Unfortunately there was one little hiccup that involved Little Rock Air Force Base, a small square of Restricted Airspace and a bevy of C-130s. The controller was fantastic (having been alerted to our pending passage prior to the start of the race) and did a great job trying to let us fly a straight line from RUE to GNF at the altitude of our choice. Though we were on a different frequency than the climbing behemoth and couldn’t thank them ourselves, we were indeed pleased to not have been pulverized or re-routed through that potentially hairy situation.

The Mighty Mississippi River

The timing line in GNF was a welcomed sight after a long day spent stewing in our own juices. That airplane was SO hot at altitude and though we’ve been rigorous about drinking water every few minutes en route, we just can’t stay hydrated enough. More points for Erin’s side of the “Let’s Race a Jet With Cold Air and Fancy Catering Next Year” plea…..

After The Deb was tied down, de-bugged and put to bed we treated ourselves to a bit of pampering in the form of good ol’ Mississippi BBQ! (Yes, we both actually ate the stuff, and Kelly currently holds the ARC record of nearly 3 sandwiches!) One of the sweet ladies out at the airport had probably spent days slaving over her hot stove – the assortment of cookies, breads, cakes, blossoms, drops, etc. was fantastic. A great way to end our race time before heading over to the hotel for a mid-day snooze!

In all we’re pleased with our racing and with the way the V’raptor is handling the heat. This year’s race has been plagued by maintenance problems for a number of racers and we’re so grateful that the mighty Deb is powering through the abuse like a champ. Here’s hoping she decides to maintain this attitude until long after she’s safely tucked into her hangar in Michigan next week!

We’ll check back in tomorrow from wherever we end up. Meanwhile, as always, thank you for your happy thoughts and your good vibes! Whooohoooooooo!

Mmmmm, flesh.....

How Sweet It Is….

2009-06-23T20:43:00.001-04:00

…. to be in an air-conditioned hotel room after having spent much of the day in a 100+ degree airplane!

We launched from APA (Denver Centennial) at about 0816 this morning. Kelly’s family was there in the grandstands for our take off, which was really neat. One of the many benefits of being the co-pilot was that Erin got to watch them jumping up and down waving while Kelly had to fly the darn airplane down the runway!

It was really nice to be airborne at the front of the pack (6^th plane to take off since one withdrew before the start) rather than at the back like last year. Since we’re all headed in a straight line from Point A to Point B we’re all trying to occupy the same airspace simultaneously. Not one of our favorite ways to blast through the sky!

So we used up most of the 4800’ runway at APA (even that early in the morning the density altitude was high and we were startled at how long our take off roll seemed!) and climbed (slowly!) to our pre-determined altitude for the cruise over to LBL (Liberal, Kansas).

After a mostly uneventful flight to the first airport along the course, we decided to fly by to continue rather than land. We turned south toward the great state of Texas and enjoyed a lot of sage brush. And red dirt. And vultures. None of which were a match for the Velociraptor.

The timing line in SWW (Sweetwater, TX) was a welcome sight after the temps in the V’raptor were well over 100 degrees. We were glowing – literally! The hospitality at the airport was second to none and we were welcomed as the first racers to touch down. Of course, once we deplaned Erin headed right over to the Learjet parked on the ramp, leaving Captain Kelly to roll her eyes, for she knew that her trusty co-pilot was more interested in the fancy jet than the winds along our next leg.

After yet another (difficult!) round with those ubiquitous, baked on bugs, we were chauffeured by one of the kindest volunteers, Marianne, the Director of the WASP WWII Museum here at Avenger Field in SWW.

We downed some grub and checked into the hotel, then joined Marianne and a few other racers on a personal tour of the WASP museum. What a thrill! However, Erin’s pretty sure that some of the other teams paid Marianne to point out the many cool WASP souvenirs that Kelly of course had to load up on, which we now have to account for in our weight and balance calculations. Looks like we’ll have to skip a few meals tomorrow….

The memorial wall engraved with all the names and class numbers of the Women's Air Force Service Pilots

The Wishing Well, where the women in training dunked each other after their first solo flight!

Margaret Ray Ringenberg, fellow Air Racer who flew on to bluer skies shortly after last year's ARC

The Link "simulator" that the women learned to "fly" while in training

Marianne, Museum Director and Kelly admiring the montage of photos

Needless to say, we were both in awe of the WASP presence on the field and feel humbled to fly in the wake of their amazing history. Please check out the museum website at: http://waspmuseum.org

We’ve just ordered some crappy take-out and are revisiting our navigational charts and weather forecasts in the room tonight. It's going to be another early morning so we’re signing off for now. Thank you for your continued support, enthusiasm, traffic on our blog site, and thoughts of strong tailwinds for Classic #7!

More tomorrow from….?????

We’re Ready to Race!

2009-06-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

Need we say that we got up before the buttcrack of dawn again today?! Well, we did. Again. And now it’s after 10pm and we’re still not in bed. But we’re feeling ready, excited, happy to have spent a good time with family today, and eager to just get this show on the road. Air. Sky.Whatever….

The V’raptor is all bright and shiny. We’re fed, packed, chilled, planned, and ready. Today was a lot of family stuff. Kelly’s posse and Erin’s mom were kind enough to hang with us for lunch. Mexican again. J And Jan, the trusty co-pilot’s maternal unit is doing us a huge favor by taking a bunch of our miscellaneous crap to be shipped to the Terminus in Iowa. Huge favor. Thanks, Madre!

So with the family thing done, a bunch more hours of mandatory racer briefings behind us (whoohoo -- they're letting us do dual fly-bys this year!) and our stuff ready to go, there really isn’t much else to tell you.

And with that, we’ll let the photos speak for themselves….

The Velociraptor. The Wonder Chariot. The Deb.

The real reason we're doing this.... (because surely it's not the fun!)

That pesky Minnetta again....

Captain Kelly's Proud Parental Units

Would suck to break a leg now, wouldn't it?!

The Posse of Classic #7

Meetings, Mexican Food and Munchkins

2009-06-21T23:48:00.000-04:00

Another busy day dawned early for us on our second day in Denver. Kelly got up really early to take the Velociraptor up for a test flight with a race official in order to help determine our handicap speed (this year we’re fortunate to have it happen before the race!). After a bit more debugging of the airplane she headed back to the hotel and we both took the treadmills for a spin. And for those of you flatlanders wondering, the mile-high altitude indeed does make an hour-long run feel longer!

Our first Race item of the day was a few hours at a local hangar for the private screening of a documentary film on the famed woman flier Pancho Barnes and her Happy Bottom Riding Club. While we were there, we were interviewed by the cute young daughters of the editor of the local airport newspaper. Unfortunately we had to leave before the end of the film due to the fact that our first mandatory racer briefing overlapped with the screening.

The afternoon left us free to jet out for some yummy Mexican food before our Annual ARC Shopping Adventure. It’s become our custom to heighten the level of intimidation by wearing matching outfits. This year we managed to find cute black and white short dresses to do the trick. The dinner banquet yielded some nice compliments on our wardrobe and a few funny photos.

Our buddy Minnetta (who lovingly nicknamed our bird “The Velociraptor”) has been a prime target for our trash-talking this year, and tonight we continued the abuse with photo-slamming. She’s such a fun target!

Tomorrow’s another really long day so we’re hitting the sack for tonight (actually, Captain Kelly’s been asleep for some time now). But check back tomorrow for more adventures of our last full day of Denver ground dwelling….

We're High!

2009-06-20T08:57:00.001-04:00

Yikes, so first off, our apologies. We DID make it to APA (Centennial Airport, Denver) after a 4:20 flight yesterday from IOW. The weather gods were with us once again and the storm cells literally parted for our safe passage. We filed IFR (flew on an instrument flight plan to be able to be in the clouds, for you non-fliers) and were able to stay fairly low at 6,000 feet until just beyond Hayes Center, Kansas. We knew we were going to have to climb due to the higher elevations and terrain the farther west we flew, and just about the time we were contemplating asking for higher the controller sent us up to 8,000. Which was a bit cooler and a pleasant, smooth spot to inhabit. Funny thing was, the closer we got to Denver at 8,000 feet the closer the terrain seemed to get to us! We sea-level dwellers aren’t used to landing at an airport with a 6,000 feet showing on the altimeter! But somehow, despite the fact that Erin was flying and that the density altitude was very high, we survived.

Once we arrived at APA we partook of our first meal of the day (around 2pm local) at the FBO restaurant (which was surprisingly good!) while we awaited Erin’s sister-in-law Tami’s arrival with the kids. Csaba, their 5-year old (adopted from Hungary 18 months ago and pronounced “Chah-bah”) has been infatuated with airplanes since his flight back to the US from Budapest. When asked what he wants to be when he grows up, his answer is a resounding “An Airplane!”. Not a pilot, but a plane…. So we were delighted when his parents (Erin’s brother Tom and wife Tami) eagerly allowed us to take Csaba for the afternoon of fun! When they arrived at the FBO Csaba could hardly contain himself. If ever a child could implode from pure, unadulterated excitement and anticipation, it would have been him right then.

So we taught Csabie to do a “walk-around” (preflight inspection) and then piled into the Wonder Chariot for his first general aviation flight. Kelly, in an incredible act of selflessness, generosity (and bravery!) sat in the backseat of her own airplane so that Erin could fly and let Csabie “fly” from his co-pilot’s seat atop a mountain of towels (he’s rather short). We took off and flew around the traffic pattern at 1000 feet above the ground, out over the freeway and some of the high rises buildings. He shrieked with glee during the entire ordeal. At one point (even before take off), we unplugged his mic jack since he’s too little to understand the concept of needing to be quiet when the controller speaks. But that barely phased him and after our low approach and go around for another trip around the pattern, Erin let him “steer”. He hung onto the yoke with sincerity and never once loosened his grip. We landed and on roll out he looked outside, yelled “I did it! I landed! I landed! And I’m a HERO!!!!” With tears streaming down both of the adults cheeks, we taxied back to the ramp with a giddily delirious child sitting in the front seat. This time Csaba was eager to show us how to do the walk-around again and check for “important stuff”.

And everyone knows that the only way to cap off such an amazing adventure is with a trip to Dairy Queen for a hot dog, a blizzard and a cherry-dipped cone! As if the kid wasn’t already bouncing off walls from his time in the airplane, we got him strung out on sugar and then threw him in the hotel swimming pool. While we didn’t get photographic evidence of his subaquatic adventures, here are some images of the rest of Csaba’s Very Fun Day with His Aunts.

This morning, after about 5 hours of sleep we got up at 0430 to do some performance calculations for a trip to Leadville, CO, the country’s highest airport. The elevation there is 9800 feet and tempting though it is, we’ve run the numbers over and over and still can’t make them work out in our favor. It’s too hot, too high and the Wonder Chariot isn’t a climb-capable Cessna. Not to say that she wouldn’t love to have her photo taken at such a special airport, (and we’d get certificates!), but we “educated” ourselves with YouTube videos online of pilots who failed to take into account the incredibly high density altitudes at said airport and lost their lives. Thankfully, with this being Our Year of Revenge, our fannies will stay firmly planted on the ground today – spit-shining the Velociraptor, affixing our logos and race numbers to the tail, getting our pilot credentials checked out and okayed, that kind of thing.

This afternoon we’re going to partake of some family time at a BBQ – photos to be posted tonight. Meanwhile, thanks for the good thoughts, the great vibes, and your continued patience as we struggle to find a healthy balance among working, playing, sleeping, eating and blogging…. J

News-Worthy?!

2009-06-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

Today dawned early for the racers -- Erin finished up a trip very late last night and both of us were up and at 'em long before 0600. So this is going to be short and sweet.

After some yummy grub at the Fly Trap (made famous by the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives")....,

.... we handled our obligatory media event (http://www.wxyz.com/news/local/story/Pilot-Races-for-Charity/jfTuFdNJSEm-WbsLopowhA.cspx) and launched skyward toward the vast, humid, corn-filled plains of Iowa.

The 3:00 hour flight was fairly uneventful, despite the continued IFR re-routes around weather and Chicago airspace (at one point we were going north to get from VLL to IOW!), and we enjoyed our maiden ARC 2009 flight. As evidenced by our descent into samurai mode:(headbands compliments of former racer Pam!)

(okay, maybe not quite samurai, but The Force is with us nonetheless....)

Once we had the V'raptor all tucked into her hangar for the night, we treated ourselves to an adult beverage or two in the city before downing some grill fare around the pool back at our cool hotel.

Minneta, one of our fellow racer buddies, has hooked us up with digs here at the Alexis Park Inn. Barring either exsanguination from all the mosquito bites or food poisoning at the hands of our hosting rivals (for which Erin lost the coin toss, meaning she was the one who got to consume dinner) we should be good to go for a short night's sleep in the Amelia Earhart Suite.

Maybe she'll speak to us.....

'Twas the Night Before Take-Off

2009-06-17T21:17:00.000-04:00

'Twas the night before take-off, when all through the hangar

Not a speck of grease to be found ...

And our bodies full of languor.

The ball caps were hung on the yokes with care,

In hopes that race day soon would be there.

Mini-Mo all nestled and snug on the cowl,

Keeping away the riff-raff should things go afoul.

And Captain Kelly in her PJs, and Co-Pilot Erin on her last nap,

Are settling our brains for an exciting race lap.

When out on the tarmac there arose such a clatter ... stay tuned! :)

We're Over the Moon (Pies) with Flight Planning!

2009-06-03T18:49:00.000-04:00

We've spent the last few days getting down to the nitty gritty --- with charts, highlighters, rulers, spreadsheets..... and snacks. And when the going gets tough, we're grateful to find ourselves Powered by Zingerman's Moon Pies! (Zingerman's is a really cool place here in Ann Arbor! Check it out: http://www.zingermans.com)

Captain Kelly did all of the hard work you see on this latest project, one we're both very proud of. And without Kelly's selfless, continued sacrifice, none of this would have been possible. Erin merely documented her extraordinary feat.

Now, right here, you too can enjoy the fruits of our day's flight planning labor (well, Kelly's really -- she was PIC of this adventure):

Chartophelioma: a condition induced by excessive VFR flight planning and experienced only by commercial airline pilots:

As you can see, we've had a very productive few days of flight planning: good food, good company, missing a few charts, but with the Garmin 496 and the Force of Mini Mo, we'll be fine.... Right?!

Hotel Recon. -- CHECK!

2009-05-27T11:15:00.000-04:00

We have no news of substance to report. Other than we checked out the hotel situation along the Race route and we're pleasantly surprised by what we found!

So the lastest plan is that we'll be departing on the 18th en route to DEN, but we've elected to stop for the night in IOW to hang with buddies who are also flying in the ARC. We've booked a room at this cool aviation-themed hotel (can you guess which room?!): http://www.alexisparkinn.com/theme_suites.htm

We'll hang with our racing buddies then launch in formation the next morning for the long flight down to DEN. Actually, we'll have to give them a 6-hour head-start or they'd be left in our wake. :) It would be fun to fly in formation, but the Velociraptor just won't go that slow, even with gear and flaps down.... Sorry girls!

Oh, I almost forgot: we have a bona fide donation link on the Angel Flight Central website now. So when you click on our AFC link above, it'll take you to their main donation page. Be sure to click on the drop-down menu and select "Women's Air Race Classic" so we can be sure to keep an accurate count of how much money we've raised for this really cool organization!

Here's wishing you a great week and speedy tailwinds!

E & K

Starting to Start to Think About Maybe Doing Some Preparing....

2009-05-19T14:36:00.001-04:00

In an effort to keep you up to date on the very little that's actually happening, I'll post a bit today. Honestly, not much is going on right now. But I'll try....

1) So our required paperwork was mailed off by the May 15th deadline, ensuring us a hotel room for the DEN area Start Events. We're officially official!

2) The Velociraptor will be going in for her annual inspection next week. Last year's was crazy involved, but this year it should be fairly straight forward. She's in good health and we decided not to add a traffic-seeing device on board. It's not very good value for the money spent, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled outside again the old fashioned way (pretty easy to do when you're VFR!). Kelly does a great job of maintaining the Wonder Chariot between visits to the mechanics, so it'll be fairly painless all things considered.

3) We're making plans to gather our respective families for some time together after hours. There will be a lot of banquets, meetings, briefings, etc. that we're required to attend, but FUN is our #1 priority so we'll be making the time to blend our families for some R&R. (E's really excited to share the plane with her 5-year old nephew who lives in DEN and wants to be an airplane when he grows up!)

4) THANK YOU to those of you who've donated to Angel Flight Central!!!!! We have had a number of adoring fans pony up and support our worthy cause. We know times are tight for a lot of people right now, and it makes your contributions all the more appreciated and special. And for those of you still on the fence (now would be a good time to hop on your pony, roger?), how about clicking on the link at the top of this blog and just getting it over with? You'll feel better about it. You know you will.... And remember, what you put out comes back -- so be generous!

5) Uhh....other than that, there is not much else going on, really. But when it does, you'll be the first to know. Stay tuned for more in the next couple of weeks as we start our race planning in earnest. Well, as earnestly as two non-rookies with not a lot of time and an abundance of confidence could actually plan. ;)

Happy Tailwinds!

E & K

The Paperwork's Rolling In!

2009-05-01T20:08:00.001-04:00

Today we got our first official email from the ARC staff! With just over 7 weeks to go before we head south to Denver we're starting to get to the nitty gritty of the work. But this year's pre-race paperwork and preparations will be much less complicated than last year's. Kelly did all of the difficult and time-consuming work regarding The Velociraptor's logbooks last year (how many hundreds of hours spent?!) and she was very clever to put them on a CD and make them all electronic. So this year, with only a year's worth of flying and maintenance to enter, at the click of a mouse they'll be zapped over to the race officials making the whole process far more fun for Captain Kelly.

This week we'll go over the paperwork for the Race Start Stuff. Hotel reservations, banquet information, family gatherings (we'll both have family meeting us for the start this year!) and the like. We've got to order race numbers, do route planning, start talking strategy (though for us that's pretty much staying out of the clouds!).

And fundraising. There's always money for Angel Flight Central to raise (yeah, now would be a great time to click on that big button at the top of this blog if you haven't yet donated!).

So we'll post more as more happens. For now, we'll just be happy to have a busy May behind us (Kelly's running another marathon this month) and be ever-closer to Launch Day in Denver!

Cheers!

Erin & Kelly

Photos of the Acquisition of Lucky Number 7!

2009-04-16T12:06:00.000-04:00

Last you heard we were waiting for the photos from the Annual Women In Aviation Conference held in Atlanta this past February. Alas, today is your Lucky (Number 7) Day!

Here it is.... the Lovely Lucky Number 7

A small moment of deep joy when they drew our names for

this particularly special number

(notice the swirling, reminiscent of the Coriolis Effect, we'd say)

Team IMC-Free: "Classic (Lucky) 7"

And stay tuned for more frequent updates as we start our Race planning in earnest very soon!

Tailwinds!

K & E

Lucky Number 7!

2009-03-08T03:01:00.001-04:00

Okay, so first -- to all of you who've been roaming around with your appendages crossed all week, thank you. I've been neglectful in posting the lastest good news!

Last weekend at the Women In Aviation Conference in ATL Kelly and I attended the Top Ten Race Number Drawing. Our top choice would have been #1 of course, but as someone else's name was pulled (congrats, Anne Marie!), our second choice was Lucky Number Seven! Which....

.... thanks to all of your contorted fingers and toes, we drew!

(We do have photos of this momentous occasion (we were the only racers in attendance for the drawing) and I'll post them when I get back on the proper side of the globe).

More news as we start to flight plan in earnest. Meanwhile, for our fans in the Denver and Iowa areas, we need to talk about getting together this June -- the race starts in Denver and makes a huge circle down through Texas, up north through the Mid West, and then over to Atlantic, Iowa. The terminus seems to be a sleepy little place, so anyone wanting to join us for a celebratory party in Atlantic -- the first round is on Classic 7!

Cheers!
Kelly & Erin

It's Almost Official!

2009-02-15T18:04:00.000-05:00

We shipped off our race entry registration -- had to be postmarked by today so our Fearless Leader did it all electronically. She's so smart....

Now we're officially entered into the Top Ten Race Numbers Drawing to be held later this month in Atlanta at the giant Women In Aviation Conference. Kelly & I will be there for the actual drawing, just to add a few extra good vibes!

This is probably the last post until that event, so don't be surprised if we're a little quiet between now and then. And certainly don't stop sending those Low Number Vibes our way!

Mighty Tailwinds,

K, E, the WC & Mini Mo

Looks Like We'll Be At It Again!

2009-02-09T13:57:00.000-05:00

With only a few weeks to go before the Top 10 Race Number drawing, Captain Kelly and her Fearless Co-Pilot Erin have decided that last year's Air Race Classic was too much fun not to do again. (Though trust us, we'll do things a little differently this year!)

So, we're getting all that initial paperwork handled and will be together in Atlanta later this month for the live drawing of the top race spots. The early birds are entered into the drawing for the first 10 numbers, which is important in a fast plane like the Wonder Chariot. At the start of the Air Race, the airplanes are launched in numerical order a minute or two apart, and for serious competitors it's an advantage to be out in front of the pack. Last year we were #31 of 34 airplanes, and by the time everyone got to the first fly-by airport, we were crawling up all kinds of butts in a swarm of metal and hyped up women pilots. So for the 2009 race we got our poop in a group early enough to enter the drawing for the most premium starting spots. Obviously #1 would be sweet, but anywhere in the top 5 would be good by us!

We'll post again as things start to happen with the preparations and plans. It's early still with the race not happening until late June, but we wanted to give you a head's-up and a chance to bookmark this blog in plenty of time!

For now, please keep your fingers and toes crossed that we get #1 in the drawing on the 27th. We'll post again with our gleeful results, and until then....

.... Happy Tailwinds to You!

K, E, MM & TWC