Racers of Unusual Speeds - Inconceivably Fast!

Safely Home

2010-06-28T15:47:00.059-04:00

After a week blazing across the country, the trip home above the cloud tops seemed a bit surreal, albeit beautiful. The hardware from this year's race!

By the numbers:
1 - long-distance national air race completed
0 - penalties received
3 - flights to determine our handicap
0.074 knots - average ground speed below the top ten
8 - legs of the race
2157.68 - nautical race miles
1710 - nautical miles flown to and from the race
260 - miles traveled by car to get a new starter
648 - gallons of fuel burned
106°F - maximum temperature in cockpit during race
92 - age of the oldest pilot, Ruby Sheldon, on the race
103 lbs - weight saved by bringing only one change of clothes apiece on the race
5 - times we appeared in the press
12 - times we were asked if our "air race" was part of the Red Bull Air Races
45 - times Theresa said, "technically"
60 - times Kelly said, "really?!"
7 - freshly ground coffees from Starbucks that Kelly consumed
372+ - olives and pickles that Theresa consumed
1 - helicopter that we flew under
2 - crop dusters that we had to avoid
751+ - towers and obstructions along our race route
12,945+ - bugs that bought the farm on our leading edges
Over $10,000! - Money we raised for Angel Flight Central

Familiar landmarks back home, in Ann Arbor

Our little buddy, Ace the frog, was back to greet us at the entrance of the hangar ...he must have really enjoyed the hangar party! So, back by popular demand, we will be announcing our post-race bash in the coming days, so stay tuned!

Good girl, Deb, ...good girl ...

How fortunate we have been to have these experiences! Some of the best things from the race can't be counted. Friendships, memories, learning experiences, inspirational stories, laughter... We are in awe of our fellow racers and indebted to all of the sponsors and volunteers. The race may be over, but our adventures are just beginning!

C'est la vie ...

2010-06-27T23:00:00.013-04:00

The verdict is in: ...11th place, ...and the most "leg prizes" to boot!

Well, we're at a bit of a loss for words, so the long and the short of it is that our handicap was adjusted today, about 5 knots upwards, and so that nudged us out of the top ten ...by a whopping 0.074 knots. Yep, that's right, just missed the top ten by less than a tenth of a knot with the post-race handicap adjustment.

Regardless, we got all dolled up for the banquet and had a great time with our fellow racers.

So while we're still scratching our heads over that one, we are happy to report that we piled up a stack of leg prizes, had a great time at the banquet, and we are very happy for all of the racers! It was a great turn-out this year, and all of the teams (except one with mechanical problems) made it safely to the terminus.

Pre-Banquet Count-Down

2010-06-27T14:36:00.017-04:00

Yesterday, we were privileged to attend the Premier film screening of Breaking Through The Clouds: The First Women's National Air Derby. Families of the original racers, WASPs, the producer, and the pilots from the film were all in attendance. Kelly was, as usual, on her best behavior.

Then we attended the VIP reception afterwards at the Delaplaine Visual Arts Center ...which didn't quite have a strip long enough for the V'Raptor, so we left her with her buddies over on the tarmac. Good thing, she's probably exhausted after her third handicap run this morning! And Theresa was all smiles when she met a couple of WASPs (Women Air Force Service Pilots), to whom we are eternally gratefully for their bravery and courage that paved the way for us to hit the skies.

Some fellow racers not quite ready to turn off the fun at our debriefing this morning!

And then we treated ourselves to a gourmet lunch at the Acacia Fusion Bistro in downtown Frederick - Chef Ric, you rock!!! The food and service were 5-star, and after hearing about our cross-country adventures and the history of the air race, we were treated to dessert by the owner. And we finally cracked the nut on getting T-Dub to make her food choices ...

The "Whoopee" ...ahem, "Whoop-Ass" chocolate pie!

And finally, the berries with "cognac" and whipped cream ...how do you pronounce that again, T-Dub?!

Deja Vu All Over Again

2010-06-26T15:09:00.012-04:00

Now that we're in the top ten, the judges have to re-check everything... including the handicap flight, so we're up and at 'em bright and early once again. Even the garbage trucks we follow on the way back to the airport are happy for us! ...Jackster, thanks for the good vibes!

No, it wasn't a Weight Watchers meeting at the airport, ...we actually had to weigh in -- yep, weigh in, as in step on a scale -- before the handicap flight to make sure the airplane weight mimicked the conditions of the race.

Fuel calculations -- to the nano-gallon, then density altitude calculations, then the flight.

And after another few hours at the airport, it was time to sign the scorecards ...I hope Theresa wakes up in time ...

So we're off to the screening of "Breaking Through the Clouds: The First Women's National Air Derby," and then to the VIP Reception ...didn't know the V'Raptor had her own reception, but hey, we're going with it. Ciao for now!

"The" Phone Call

2010-06-26T07:41:00.013-04:00

The coolest, most exciting news from Friday is that we got "the" phone call last night ...the phone call saying made it into the top ten!!! Yippee!!

It was a day filled with good things. We got to sleep in (wow) and then received some gorgeous flowers from Kelly's parents.

Then we had a pleasant lunch, followed by an official race "meltdown" party.

Claudia and Barb, aka Classic 31. Barb is wearing her father's Air Force jacket in his memory.

When things couldn't get much better, after the party we got our call. So we're off to the airport this morning for yet another handicap flight and the standard post-race airplane inspections (to make sure we didn't attach any rocket engines to the V'Raptor along the way!).

Now we await the banquet on Sunday when we find out how high we placed.

1,131 Miles ...and 20 Minutes to Spare!

2010-06-24T23:37:00.035-04:00

Our 6:30 am engine start had us thinking, "One leg today? Let's see how it goes." Four legs and 1,131 miles later, we are delighted (and frankly, a bit shocked), to announce that we have completed the race today. ...Wahoo!!! Who needs GPS?! We had "Redneck VORs" to guide us.

The stable at Murphysboro, IL this morning. BUSTED!!! Here's Kelly getting her butt hauled back to the FBO to pay for our fuel ...oops! Guess we should add that one to the check-list! ...and we thought those nice fuel guys down in Murphysboro/Carbondale were just trying to impersonate Dale Earnhardt as they sped towards us on the tarmac. Welcome friends! Holly and Elgene from the Yankee Ladies chapter of Women in Aviation flew all the way out to Elkhart, Indiana to greet us. Little did they know that they would be put to work getting the bugs off the Deb ...but hey, now they know the secret to our superior aerodynamically smooth leading edges! Back in the air again for some beautiful scenery on the way to Parkersburg, West Virginia.

167! 168! Come on, come on! We're gaining on them!

(Calling out our ground speed as we stayed ahead of a Cirrus)

And just in case you thought we were kidding about the bugs...

And finally, the race terminus in Frederick. We landed by the skin of our teeth with just under 20 minutes before official race sunset ...whew! What a super-friendly welcome we received ...what else could a girl want after 1,131 miles than an ice-cold Heineken! Frederick, we love you!!!

And so we're beat, ...and even literally after that turbulence coming into Frederick! More to follow after we get some well-deserved shut-eye! :)

Halfway There!

2010-06-23T20:41:00.026-04:00

5:40 am: off to the airport. The Deb had a slumber-party in the grass with Classic #5's 172SP ...at least she had some company!

T-Dub and the V-Dub ...our other racing machine for the leg down to Montgomery.

Making chase with a river barge along the mighty Mississippi along our route from Tuscaloosa to Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Multi-tasking. Hard to navigate with food in your teeth, eh T-Dub?

ROAD KILL!! Forget bird strikes, these dragon flies are huge!

We were honored in Cameron, MO by a welcoming committee from Angel Flight Central! As we taxied to the ramp, they held up a monstrous banner. These great folks temporarily abandoned their desk jobs and made the road trip up from Kansas City. What a treat, ...thanks guys!!! :)

After some brief consultation on the weather situation, we decided to hang back again, and so we are parked in Cameron for the night. The V'Raptor is getting some R&R in a nice hangar and we got our first real meal since the race started.

Along this race, we often depend on the kindness of strangers. Gary, the #1 Post Office guy here in Cameron, chatted it up at the Country Mart and graciously offered us a ride back to our hotel. ...much better than the $5 cab ride in a 1985 Cadillac Eldorado with no air conditioning on the way there!

And a special thanks to the awesome stop chair, Eric Evans, who helped us workthrough a "snafu" with some missing items. We should have known that he and the post office guy were related!

Montgomery, Alabama - The "Other" Race Stop

2010-06-22T21:12:00.026-04:00

Day 1 of Air Race: Road trip??

50+ planes were thrilled to start the race in the 100th year anniversary of licensed women pilots. USA Today covered the race in a nice spread, with Kelly and Angel Flight Central front and center ...and T-Dub incognito in one of the pictures.

The Rookie ...ready to race!!!

...and the Snoopster, too!

Lined-up and ready to rock-and-roll!!!

We streaked across Florida and past Waycross, GA, our first required checkpoint. The Velociraptor seemed to be in fine form, and was gunning for yet another C-130 this year in restricted airspace.

After flying the timing line in Tuscaloosa, it was time to give the V'Raptor some well-deserved fuel. ...such a tower queen ...

However, when we tried to re-start for taxi, all we got was a "clickety-click" from our hard-working machine. Like all good pilots, we unzipped the cowling and banged on the starter, cranked the prop a bit, but had to call in reinforcements in the end.

Kelly and the mechanic called around to every airport and parts dealer on the planet to see if they had the appropriate starter in stock. Finally, Kelly found one a mere 2.5 hours away!

So, ...we rented a car and started the longest trip of the day.

Literally two minutes before the parts dealer closed, we arrived in Montgomery, Alabama. Kelly, is there something you didn't tell us about your business background?

As we drove back to Tuscaloosa, we passed a familiar-looking peach-shaped water tower we had seen from the air. It's not every air race that you drive as fast as you can away from the finish line!

...some low flying on our way back to Tuscaloosa! ;) ...hmmm, under or over the road signs?!

Although we were at the airport late tonight, Stewart, the finest mechanic in the state of Alabama over at Dixie Air, got our V'Raptor back into tip-top shape! So, we'll be starting our engines at 6:30 am tomorrow morning, blasting towards Hot Springs, Arkansas, and then onto Cameron, Missouri. In the end, we spent more time in a car than we did in an airplane today, but hey, it's all about the adventure, right?!

Briefings, Banquets and Planning - Part Deux

2010-06-21T06:03:00.015-04:00

Yippee!! We are finally done with all of the mandatory briefings, banquets, and activities! As you can see, the meetings were quite packed, and being late or not showing meant some stiff penalties, so the Rookie had a good "note to self ..."

"Take good notes, dammit" demanded the veteran racers:

"No way are all of these charts going in the V'Raptor" barks the weight Nazi!

Yes, folks, that's a Gold Seal flight instructor cutting up VFR charts ...it's so painful ...

After a nerve-racking but diligent effort, and 5 lbs later, we now have some nice charts for the race.

And then there was the take-off banquet ...Pam, you can't get to Waycross with those, even though your handicap would theoretically be much lower ...but nice try ...

And Classic #40 ...going for the yuppy-look at the take-off banquet.

So now, we're down to the wire ...the nervous, nail-biting eve before the race. We'll be tidying up some loose ends, quadruple-checking the weather, shipping about 100 lbs. of luggage to the terminus, and just trying to chill before tomorrow's 8am departure. Ft. Myers has been a great town to hang in these past few days ...but we won't miss the heat ...or the bone-rattling thunderstorms!

Shoeless Joe's

2010-06-20T09:28:00.013-04:00

Unbeknownst to many racers, the hangar BBQ (albeit incredibly yummy) was dry, and so a few of us racers practiced our B-lines right over to Shoeless Joe's, our local hang-out and home of spectacular customer service and adult beverages.

Why they even provide nice shower facilities right there in the bar!

And so we met a few new faces and had some good laughs (once again, at the expense of Classic #39!), while we cleansed our palettes ....peachy, T-Dub, ...peachy!

Now, the mandatory briefings and meetings begin! ...stay tuned! :)

Phew, We're Beat! ...and the race is still three days away!

2010-06-19T13:18:00.033-04:00

Sunny Florida? ...I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto!

Despite violent storms the last three days, (known as "afternoon showers" to the locals), we have now had our credentials checked, flown with a "check pilot" to establish a handicap speed for the V'Raptor, a wash and wax, a fresh oil change, and finally, the official race inspection to make sure we're not up to any dirty tricks. Now, nearly all 55 planes are "impounded" and are hands-off to all racers until Tuesday morning.
Trying to recover from last year's image as the owner of the "airplane with the diaper," Minnetta is now the owner of the "airplane with the headless cardinal."

And of course, being parked right next to Minnetta again this year, we made sure she brought some spare keys! (In 2008, as we all started our engines and were ready for launch, Minnetta held up the show looking for her keys!)

Rise and shine, Deb ...it's going to be a busy day!

Our day started early with a 7:00 am appointment for a "handicap flight" with our favorite check pilot, Marvin ...a fellow Beechcrafter.
Treating the Deb to an oil change.

Theresa does the technically demanding work. ;) And then the Deb is ushered into the hangar for her inspection, and our last good-byes ...

And so after a full and fun-packed day, including a few failed attempts to find some matching duds for the take-off banquet tomorrow night, we are off to the hangar BBQ party at the airport!

The Velociraptor Has Landed!

2010-06-18T08:37:00.055-04:00

What does it take for two pilots, a Debonair, and a Snoopy to get from Michigan to Florida?

Hang on Snoopy, you're in for a ride!

Practicing for the race over Ohio -- bumpy but fun!

Kelly practiced landing at the last stop of our race in Frederick, MD. Theresa practiced the victory dance!

We're the fastest!! We're breaking all the speed records!! Look at our ground speed!!! Whoops, was that the police?

Um, Kelly? Who's flying the plane??

Convective activity on the way to Florida.

Flying right by some boomers.

We arrived in Fort Myers, Florida at o'dark thirty!

The Deb, tucked in for the night!

Hangar Bash Success!

2010-06-16T18:55:00.027-04:00

What a night! We had a great turn-out for the Angel Flight Central/Air Race Classic fundraiser last week, with perfect weather, lots of yummy food, suds, smashed grapes, ...and some great conversations and new friendships to boot.

And of course, we were all decked-out in our new "performance polos" that Classic #22's Pam Palmieri tailored for us! (Although we removed the lead-based thread, sorry Pam!)

The Deb, ...ahem, the V'Raptor (we are in race mode now!), stole the show as she sat nestled in her abode, with last year's hardware adorning her spinner.

Our "secret weapon," Nilton Renno, a professor at the University of Michigan who also raced gliders in his native Brazil ...what a catch! ...and I don't think Theresa ever let go of that tapenade all night!

Faces in the crowd during our presentation of air race basics and the Angel Flight Central video ...their heart strings look tugged, don't they?! ;)

Theresa "Heavy Metal" Whiting, showing off the hardware!

"Really, I'm keeping the carpet in this year," remarks Captain Kelly.

Donor bait!

And the gorgeous sunset from the V'Raptor's front porch...

All-in-all, it looks like we raised about $4,000 for Angel Flight Central on the evening, surely in large part from the Zingerman's food and Arbor Brewing Co. suds ...new donor bait! Thanks to everyone that attended, donated, and helped-out. And a special thanks to our professional (and charming) photographer, Mark Bialek (http://www.annarbornocturne.com/) - - he captured the night perfectly, as he always seems to do in Ann Arbor! (check out his site if you need convincing!)

It was a spectacular evening and is just a prelude to many hangar parties to come! :) ...the first of which is already booked, the "Welcome Home" bash!

Fundraiser

2010-06-07T16:45:00.009-04:00

Who doesn't love a hangar party?! We will be hosting a going-away party and Fundraiser for Angel Flight Central, on Thursday, June 10, 5:30-8:30pm at the Ann Arbor Airport, (KARB), Hangar J-6! The event will be catered by Zingerman's, we will have various refreshments including selections from the Ann Arbor Brewing Co., along with music and more information about this year’s race and Angel Flight Central. Please RSVP to Kelly at your earliest convenience.

Ordering T-Shirts

2010-06-05T22:32:00.048-04:00

Race preparations are continuing! This week, we had fun ordering team shirts and caps from our friend and fellow pilot, Pam Palmieri, of Promotions Etc based in Milan, Michigan.

Kelly tried on a sample shirt while Pam, the fierce competitor from Team #22, attempted to upstage her!

Team Name

2010-06-05T00:18:00.005-04:00

Many people have commented on the similarities between our team name, "Racers of Unusual Speeds" (ROUSs), and the "Rodents of Unusual Size" (ROUSs) from the movie The Princess Bride. All we can say is, "Inconceivable!"

Race Preparations

2010-05-25T20:49:00.000-04:00

Race preparations have begun! Kelly has started work on hotel reservations and other logistics while Theresa has been working on the flight planning.

Welcome!

2010-05-25T14:51:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Kelly and Theresa's blog! We will be competing in the 2010 Air Race Classic, a national air race.

Last year, Kelly won the race with her co-pilot, Erin Recke. They raised approximately $25,000, including their winnings, for Angel Flight Central, a non-profit organization dedicated to arranging long-distance transportation at times of personal and community crisis.

This year, Kelly and Theresa will continue the air racing tradition, again donating all the money they raise to Angel Flight Central.