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2008 Air Race Classic June 24-27, 2008 Bozeman, MT, United States (KBZN) to |
Pilots are always looking for a reason to fly. We fly around the patch to eat "the $100 hamburger", for business or for pure enjoyment. We go to fly-in breakfasts and chili suppers, Oshkosh and Sun n' Fun. Then there is the select group of aviators that like to fly in competition, better known as Air Races. Whether it is a proficiency race or a speed race, a closed course or a cross-country, handicapped or not. We love the planning and anticipation that comes with air racing. The excitement that flows across the ramp when the first few airplanes start up can be felt by everyone.
For female pilots, the race that stands out is the Air Race Classic. The Air Race Classic is the longest all-woman race in the world. The ARC has roots that go back over 70 years to the very first Women's Air Derby in 1929. Among the competitors in the first Air Derby were Bobbi Trout, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart and Louise Thaden who finished first. In 1948 the first All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race (AWTAR) was held. The race became an annual event and continued through 1976. The 1976 AWTAR was to be the last for all-women's cross-country air racing but for a small group of women who had just finished flying the race. Not willing to let women's air racing disappear and become another overlooked footnote in aviation history, as so many other achievements by female pilots had become, these women came together to collectively plan an all women's race for the next year. They called it the Air Race Classic and in 1977 the first ARC was held.
So that the Air Race Classic could continue to exist, the Air Race Classic Inc. was formed. This original group of pilots kept the tradition of women's air racing alive at a time when interest in general aviation had begun to decline. They did so as volunteers and without pay. That commitment has continued to this day. Some of these same women are involved with the planning and preparation that has to occur in order for next year's race to be successful. They, along with other women, are members of the Air Race Classic Board of Directors. As unpaid volunteers, these women donate their time and effort to the Air Race Classic. An annual board meeting is held where any business old and new concerning past and future races is discussed and proposals, changes and plans are considered and decided upon. Travel costs for this meeting and any other meetings or travel necessary for race planning are not reimbursed to those who attend. They pay their own expenses. Why do they do this?
These ladies do it because they
are committed to flying. Flying is a part of daily life for many
of them and the desire to keep women's air racing alive is part
of the passion they have for flying. Their participation and volunteerism
is not for personal gain or celebrity but to pass on to other
women their knowledge, experience and excitement for flying, especially,
cross-country air racing. Thousands of details and at least a
year of planning go into every race. Long hours put in by hundreds
of volunteers
across the country are what it takes to make the Air Race Classic
happen. As race participants, many of us do not fully appreciate
the effort that has been made for our benefit. The members of
the ARC Board of Directors and all other race volunteers work
extremely hard to ensure that each year "The Race" takes
place with as few problems as possible. They strive to plan the
perfect race just as we strive to fly the perfect race. Is perfection
possible in an imperfect world? Probably not. We should keep this
in mind when we feel that things aren't going our way whether
during the race or at any other time.
As each of us makes our plans for the 2003 Air Race Classic, keep in mind that we are still a small group striving to continue in the tradition of the early air racing pioneers. We need to appreciate those who have paved the way and those who continue to work so hard for our enjoyment. We must urge other women to fly and to participate in this tradition while the opportunity exists or the opportunity will fade away. In order to compete in the ARC we become members of the Air Race Classic Inc. and this gives all of us a stake in the future of women's air racing. It will be through our own willingness to participate, to volunteer, to keep a positive attitude and to be a role model to other women aviators that the ARC will continue into the future and, hopefully, grow.
In that very first Women's
Air Derby, Bobbi Trout completed the race but was out of the
competition - she had suffered two forced landings enroute to
the terminus. She didn't win but she was successful. She had accomplished
something that only a handful of women could say they had done.
She took control of her situation, made her own decisions and
gave it her best effort. Her reason to fly the race was not based
on her need to win but on her desire to participate and finish
- if possible. No guarantee to finish was provided but she had
the opportunity to try. That is what the Air Race Classic Inc.
tries to accomplish, to provide an opportunity for women pilots
to race airplanes. We have to take full advantage of the opportunity
and pass it on to others. Plan on flying and enjoying the 2003
Air Race Classic to the fullest extent possible and help those
around you to enjoy it as well. It is one of the BEST reasons
to fly!