We're Almost There!

Wednesday, June 25 (* Warning: not proofread for typos, errors or misinformation -- it's after 0100 in the morning!*)

Though the finish line is still a day or two away, we're both beginning to feel like experienced racers. Until today we were feeling a little cocky, like we both could stand to choke down a big old piece of humble pie. Today we got that pie, complete with ice cream and whipped topping (can you tell we're missing the home cooking?!).

Thanks to last night's arrival into Aberdeen, South Dakota as the number 2 airplane, we were first out of there this morning (the #1 arrival opted not to depart), bright and early. But dawn came a little too early for Erin's liking -- by the time she'd channeled the blog and downloaded all the photos it was nearly time to blast off to the airport.

The Wonder Chariot started her engine at 0630 on the dot, and minutes later we were airborne enroute to Mason City, Iowa. We had a nice flight over in cool, smooth air -- very happy to have waited the night for the sake of a nice tail wind this morning. When we arrived into MCW it was already starting to fill up with teams that had spent the night (and fought headwinds the whole way out, we might add). There was a bunch of weather brewing out in Illinois, right about where we needed to be, of course. So we opted to cool our jets and check the weather in 30-minute intervals.

Getting the morning's THIRD weather briefing.

A few hours later, while no one seemed to be in a hurry to depart, we taxied out, flew the timing line to start the clock again, and bombed east with Mini Mo's fingers crossed. The weather didn't look spectacular, but we were confident that we'd sail smoothly across the Midwest in those tailwinds forecast to be significant. Unfortunately, no matter what altitude we cruised we never really found the strong ones. Still, we were relieved to not have headwinds.

But the weather closer to Decatur was closing in and we were racing IFR conditions to the airport. Or so we thought. So everyone thought, except the few who taxied out after we blasted off. We were concerned that we'd be stuck sitting in MCW all day and that the DEC weather wouldn't get better for hours. But after making a bit of a strategic error (we panicked and had a typical Piscean knee-jerk reaction) regarding an overcast layer and the possibility of no VFR hole down through which we could eventually descend, we ended up with a flight time for that leg that really bummed us out. Really. By the time we got to DEC we flew the timing line and continued on toward Frankfort, Kentucky.

Meanwhile, we tried to figure out what the hell happened, why we caved at the last minute. It must have been The Force. Mini Mo seemed like she'd been in a crappy mood all morning, so we tried some new things to cheer her up. We tied her to the compass (giving her more stability on take off) and adorned her with an anti-nausea bracelet/headband. Apparently that exacerbated the foul mood situation....

Those are white shoe polish-covered Cheerios (long story) on her light saber.

Thought this would make her happier, but we were wrong: this was the worst leg of the race.

It's pretty un-fun to race VFR through weather that's lacking The Force....

So after our fly-by in Decatur we made Mini Mo more comfortable and tried to shake off our disappointing run. The weather to Frankfort, Kentucky was different, but not a lot better. Again we were briefed that there would be good tail winds aloft, but again we were disappointed. After dodging afternoon cumulonimbus buildups we opted to lose altitude and fly lower into FFT. Deciding to stop in Kentucky's capital for awhile and chill out, bugging those kind folks at Flight Service, we flew the timing line and returned to land.

Since we were the first airplane into FFT so far the volunteers were very happy to see us. It's fun to be first into the airport, we'll admit. Decatur Tower seemed pleased to hear us and wished us good luck as we flew by to continue there, not stopping to land. The folks at FFT greeted us eagerly, insisting that we ate and drank. So while Kelly pottied Erin dug out a big brown bottle of locally brewed root beer and chugged it. You should have seen Kelly's face when she spotted Erin's "beer", assuming that she'd opted not to continue on now that she was most of the way through a cold brewsky!!

We agonized over when and if to go on to Franklin, Pennsylvania and were relieved when another competitor poked her head into the weather room to inquire about our plan. She was going, which sold us on the idea (yeah, lemmings), so the 4 of us trotted over to our airplanes. We took off about 10 minutes behind that team and passed them about 1/2 way through the 2-hour flight. The weather directly in front of our nose was good, but the crap brewing off to the west was reported to contain large hail, severe thunderstorms and embedded tornadoes. But our route of flight, if we were lucky, would be just to the east. Sweet!


We led the pack all the way and were the only ones of the 3 of us who had on-board weather radar. We talked from time to time on the common frequency, us sharing about where and what the weather was doing while the others contributed things like whether or not the MOAs (military ops areas) were "hot" or not. We played a little with altitudes and while we weren't
thrilled with the ground speed, we still were getting tailwinds. I wonder how many teams can say that they've had 100% tailwinds this whole race?

The arrival into FKL was uneventful, though it was tough to find the airport. We were so low coming in that we actually had to climb to see the runway in time to line up for the flyby! Once we parked, Erin ran over to put our name on the R.O.N. list so that we'd be the first to launch in the morning if we decide to go at 0630.

After tying down the W.C. and washing off the 4.6 pounds of bugs adhered to the surface,
we joined the other 2 teams (who both landed while we were doing chores) for dinner at the nice Italian restaurant on the field. After all, it was the least we could do for the folks who'd spent 2 days sitting outside waiting for all these airplanes to fly by!

Tomorrow will see us through to Mansfield, Massachusetts and the ARC Terminus, if we're lucky. But it's nice to be in a position to have only 3 hours of flying left and 39 hours left to pick and choose when to fly those last few hours!

We're Exhausted...

Tuesday, June 24





Day One started earlier than necessary with Kelly rattling around in the room around 0430. Nerves, tummy noises, excitement, the need for coffee.

After a mandatory b'fast for all racers we finally got out to the airport. In a zen-like trance we both grabbed a rag and our special top-secret blend of sprays and lubes and got to work. By the time our engine was started the Wonder Chariot was as fast as she was ever going to be.

In the interest of saving time (we've got to get up in 6.5 hours) I'll cut to the chase. Our first leg from BZN to MLS was fast. We abandoned our original plan to skim the tree tops and decided instead to climb high to take advantage of some pretty good tail winds. Funny how a week's worth of planning all goes to hell in a matter of seconds with the Weather Channel!

Actually, while Erin roamed around in a semi-conscious haze waiting for the coffee to kick in, the Fearless Leader (and self-appointed Weather Geek) checked winds aloft and formulated The New Plan. The New Plan made good sense and we were jiggy with it. We had our route and our altitude planned out and agreed upon, and we were happy with it.

And then we saw 30 airplanes all take off in front of us, some climbing like bats out of hell straight toward the mountain range, some zooming through the pass, some peeling off left, others headed toward the lower notch in the hills. Erin, true to form, second-guessed The New Plan and worried about taking the time to go through the pass. And, true to form, Kelly was the voice of reason that reminded us both that we'd already analyzed the info and come up with the best strategy. We'd best not dink with it now, waiting for take off.

As we were approaching the Timing Line a freakishly slow airplane managed to outfly their way in front of the W.C. and drop anchor in just the wrong moment. Kelly flew like a WWII ace and managed to keep us merely inches from their ass (no dual fly-bys allowed), but we had to throttle back a bit. That hurt, but only momentarily as the other airplane veered off to enter the traffic pattern to land while we careened the other way to continue on. We were thrilled, bummed, trembling with adrenaline and eager to get outta MLS which had become a wasp nest with airplanes. A lot of planes decided to land for whatever reason and we wanted nothing of them.

The next leg enroute to ABR was uneventful. We saw 5 or 6 planes along the way and passed them all. By the time we arrived in MLS we'd figured out a strategy and decided to land for fuel, check the weather and make a decision about whether or not to say the night, hoping for better winds tomorrow. When we pulled up on the ramp in ABR the guy parking us said, "Now, that's just not FAIR, your gorgeous airplane competing against all these others..." Yeah, too bad we're racing against our handicap as opposed to the other planes!

And speaking of our handicap, we' the only team that doesn't have one yet. ALL of the other airplanes know what they're racing against, but the organizers told us just before we headed out to the airport this morning that they hadn't figured it out yet. It's frustrating since they've had our complete paperwork for months, but that's the way this cookie has crumbled. We're nervous that they're waiting to see what kind of leg times we come up with enroute before they assign us a handicap speed, but there's nothing we can do about it. So we're flying our best race, hoping the Force is with us.

While we're on the topic of forces, we've got two things to say about that. Since our Debonair buddy Mo had to leave BZN prematurely to beat weather back home in NW Washington, we didn't get to say goodbye (being held hostage in those interminable briefings yesterday). So since we didn't get Mo's parting wisdom, we decided to take along a "Mini Mo". Here she is, spreading The Force around the airplane:

Here's to you, Mo! Thanks for The Force!

The other bit of housekeeping was to rid the W.C. of any foreign objects, namely insect carcasses. Erin is seen here with one of a myriad cans of our (not-so) secret ingredients:


As the rain falls outside the hotel window, The Princess Captain is sucking in her beauty rest and the Lowly Co-pilot slaves over computer screens. Being the captain allows one all of the glory. And in this case it's mostly deserved -- Kelly is a freakin' good pilot, a sh*t-hot weather geek, the Goddess of Oil Changes and an Outstanding Overall Team Ruler. But we all know that behind every good captain is an equally good first officer....

Captain Kelly, all snuggled in and dreaming sweetly.



Co-pilot Erin, double-fisted, still working late into the night....

We're (Almost) Off!

The 5-day wait in Bozeman, Montana is coming to an end!

The race starts at 0800 tomorrow and we're winding down, but I wanted to send these links to recent articles about my talented flying buddy and our race:

http://www.hometownlife.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080622/LIFE/806220315/1111/NEWS18

http://www.brinkshofer.com/news_events.cfm?press_release_id=306


We've had a long day of briefings (over 6 hours of seminars) and last-minute strategic intelligence gathering. And we're pooped.

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes and especially to our families (Lezlee, Jeanne, Katie, Baloo, Em, Junior, and Calvin Stanley) for holding down the forts while we're away for two weeks. This adventure of a lifetime wouldn't be possible without you seven.

Provided we have internet access tomorrow we'll let you know how Leg #1 unfolded!

Meanwhile, this is how we feel about today -- we've got our game faces on and we've opened up a rather large can of Whoop Ass!

We're In!

Sunday, June 22

Today was a little nerve-wracking with the Wonder Chariot needing her inspection. Though we had no reason to worry, our gastrointestinal tracts weren't convinced. We arrived at the airport early and taxied her over to the main hangar where "D.Q." Bob & Vern spent the next few hours going over her pretty self with a fine-tooth comb. After some initial trouble opening one of the cowling doors (finicky dzus screw) she put up a good fight each time Bob threatened (good-naturedly, of course) to disqualify us. In the end, not only did she pass with flying colors, Vern took Kelly aside and told her that she "has a really nice airplane". Yeah, and she's faster than hell, too.

After taxiing her back to the Impound Hangar for another night we joined Phil & Mo for lunch in town. We didn't have much time before our Mandatory First-Time Racers' Briefing, so we headed to our respective hotels for some rest. Actually, Phil & Mo headed out to visit the grizzly bears and we weary racers bedded down for a power nap. Unfortunately our sleep schedules are exactly opposite, and every time Kelly falls into a deep sleep, Erin is left listening to her snore for the ensuing hours. Once sleep finally overtakes Erin, Kelly's just up and at 'em! Today's nap was no exception. The two of us appear to be exactly in sync in all the other 2,194 ways but when it comes to getting some shut-eye we're as dissonant as two members of the same species could be....

This evening brought the Take-Off Banquet, an event that brought everyone together for socialization and a rather strange dinner. We had halibut stuffed with julienned carrots and coated in sugary pastry crust, topped with raspberry sauce. This weird entree was accompanied by rice and green beans. Though the fish was odd, both of us managed to down our veggies (Lezlee, that was for you!). After dinner each team was presented with a little charm commemorating this year's Race. There were a few speakers, some social interaction and then a group photo before we were turned loose for the night. Before we all parted company we learned of the rumors circulating: we're "the team that went AWOL" and "the team with the really shiny airplane", not to mention "the team with the really classy race numbers". Sweet....

About the only other item on the long day's agenda was to capture images of each stop's timing line and fly-by route. Kelly had the genius idea to take digital photos of each of the diagrams so that we could save ourselves the hassle of having to reinvent the wheel. Here's an example of what the timing line looks like:



And now a few words of thanks: some nasty-ass storms are making their way through Montana tonight and we're pleased to assure you that the W.C. is tucked safely away in her hangar. During the Take-Off Banquet we heard thunder echoing in the distance so we trotted on out to see the sights. To everyone's surprise hail was spewing forth from the skies -- knuckles (our trademark bonding moment, repeated hundreds of times daily) were offered up in thanks that our babies (Mo's Deb is in the hangar as well) are snoozing safely under the cover of steel.

Mo's Deb: The thrifty woman's hangar (before the threat of storms, of course)

It just occurred that we've neglected to mention the importance of our special visitors, Phil & Maureen. Mo, as she's affectionately called, was Erin's aviation mentor and second-mom when she first started learning to fly. Actually, Mo happens to be the reason that Erin's flying! Years ago she gave Erin her first flight in a general aviation airplane in 20 years, re-igniting a long passion for airplanes. That night Erin decided that she was going to learn to fly! Mo saw Erin through countless ratings, training snafus, written exams, checkrides, a cross-country move to train with an airline academy, her first jet type rating, her first commercial aviation job, her transition to the airline and every aviation milestone in between. Mo and Erin have spent hundreds of hours together in the Deb, and even attempted to become the first women-only crew to fly a single-engine general aviation airplane from the U.S. to Russia. So it was only fitting that Mo be here for the first air race! Phil and Mo flew their Deb over from Bellingham, WA (up north of Seattle on Puget Sound) to offer support, encouragement and words of wisdom (Mo and Phil have both been flying since Kelly and Erin were tykes!). It means the world to us that they're here -- their presence, along with the Deb in which Erin learned to fly, is an excellent omen!

We're AWOL: A Detour to Jellystone

Saturday, June 21





Okay, so first off let's just say that we haven't been disqualified yet. Today was a weird, weird day, but we're still on the good side of the Powers that Be.

The day started early. Erin was working on the blog late into the night (or early into the morning, depending upon the shift you work) while Captain Kelly snoozed comfortably in her bed. It wasn't long after Erin put down the computer and fell asleep that Kelly, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, awoke ready to start the day. Primed with coffee and scones we somehow both headed out to the airport for our credentials check and aircraft inspection. It was soon apparent that there was a long line for inspections, and while talking with one of the race organizers we were encouraged to head southeast to Yellowstone National Park for a sight-seeing tour since we were so far back in the inspection line.

We launched from BZN around 10:00 with Yelllowstone Lake plugged into our GPS. (For all of you non-competitors we actually had a few race strategies to work out, but we'll get to that some other time). After about a half hour of flying east we hung a right and steered directly to a whole host of touristy sights. We cruised up to 11,500 feet on our way over the mountain passes, through a valley (after a few fits and starts into the wrong pass, and the resulting squirts of adrenaline, yielding a sharp U-turn out of a dead-end valley), back out the valley, into the correct valley and finally out above the vast cobalt lake.

Enroute from BZN to WYS

Skimming the rather huge (and frigid) Yellowstone Lake.

Fighting hypoxia at 11,500 feet!

We flew back around the pass toward West Yellowstone Airport and at the last moment couldn't think of a reason not to land (the most compelling reason to return to terra firma was actually that Kelly was starving -- again!). And after all, landing is one of the best parts! Once we were on the ground at WYS (marshalled in by a nice woman named Mary, I might add), we were treated to some See's Candies behind the counter and pointed in the direction of the brand new restaurant at the airport. After filling our bellies with healthy veggies (see, Lezlee, we're trying!) from the salad bar we took a few minutes for a photo op with the lovely ladies of West Yellowstone Airport and headed back up to altitude.

On approach into WYS (West Yellowstone) Runway 01.

The women in WYS Rule: Gay, Mary and Sandy run the airport and treated us like queens!

By the time we left WYS the wind had picked up!

Fortified with food and well-wishes from the friendly crew at the airport, we made another trip around Yellowstone Lake in search of Old Faithful, which actually yielded an eyeful -- Kelly spotted this cool "eyeball" -- actually it's the Grand Prismatic Spring according to those in the know.  And would you believe it heats up to a toasty 188 degrees F?!

http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/midway.htm

We managed to snap these photos while circling a few thousand feet above the spring (and those are people on that little bitty sidewalk!)

After the amazing sight of the Grand Prismatic Spring we couldn't imagine that anything else along the route back to BZN would be stunning, but we were wrong. The canyon that cuts through the valley was breathtaking, and though the turbulence was enough to make anyone else puke, we did manage to take a few shots of the area. Tumbling down the canyon walls was this beautiful waterfall, spewing a rainbow of spray over thousands of feet:




Unfortunately with the mean afternoon mountain air acting up we were tossed around like a sock in a dryer. Which, of course, made good photos of the Old Faithful Geyser difficult at best. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Faithful_Geyser

While Kelly flew around the geologic phenomenon like a mad woman, Erin snapped away. It's with sadness that we admit that the above photo is the best we could get of the geyser that decided to erupt just as we were approaching it! We'd just been talking about what a "ball of luck" each of our lives has been, wondering how long we'd have to wait before the thing erupted again (which happens every 60-90 minutes, we hear). Erin reminded Kelly that we were both exceedingly fortunate women who'd had amazing lives and that we ought to expect that she'd blow her cap about the time we rolled by. The zillion-year old spuot chose that exact moment to unleash her steam! Talk about a Luck Ball, eh?!

With the winds picking up, the turbulence tossing us around like fall leaves and the clock ticking we bittersweetly headed back to BZN. (Not to mention the fact that the ARC officials called looking for us after they noticed our plane had been gone for hours and that we were the only team yet to be inspected -- does this surprise any of our family?!) The terrain along the way was challenging but stunning, and despite the head-banging bumps along the way we managed a few nice photos of the scenery.



Once back at our temporary home away from home we prepared the Wonder Chariot for her inspection by airframe and powerplant mechanics. While Kelly was running up the engine for the propeller inspection with Ruby (who's 91, by the way) Erin was inside with our pilot credentials proving our worthiness to race. Unfortunately Erin had forgotten all of her licenses and certificates at the hotel, so that 1/2 of our team will be certified tomorrow. But the prop passed inspection, though the rest of the Deb will have to go under the microscope in the morning.

Meanwhile, the rest of the racers were headed over to the bar-b-que where the general public could "Meet the Lady Racers". Each team was introduced and good food was had by all. It was during this festive meal that we heard the familiar sound of a Debonair fly overhead. Erin's "second" parents, Phil and Maureen from Bellingham (north of Seattle) had flown in to cheer us on for the weekend. They own a Deb, and Erin and Mo have had literally hundreds of hours of adventures in that airplane (which in a round-about way got all of this Air Racing With Kelly and Erin stuff started!). We picked them up at their airplane and took them back to the bar-b-que after their long flight in through treacherous weather.

It means the world to Erin that they're here cheering on "Classic 31" and we're sure to have an advantage with the addition of Mo's experienced Debonair flying.

Stand by for more adventures from BZN (though our circle of trouble will be reined in with the impounding of the Wonder Chariot after her inspection in the morning)!

We're Here!

Bozeman, Montana

Friday, June 20

First things first today: a run for Kelly and a walk to the organic food market for an espresso for Erin. With our morning routine behind us we headed out to the airport to pick up a rental car (the hotel van driver was lovely, but the 20-minute ride each way to the airport and the lack of freedom to roam about as we wished just sucked).

Today yielded a lot of chores. We scrubbed the Wonder Chariot to within an inch of her life, cleaning off the BILLIONS of bug bodies that adhered to every surface of the airplane. Kelly poured out vast amounts of her mechanic-wanna-be knowledge to Erin, mainly in the form of changing the oil.

Dang, those bugs are STUCK on!

Kelly, Zen master of the oil filter....

Yes, folks, that really is Erin assisting with the oil change!

Then came the ceremonial affixing of The Numbers. With the aid of a squeegee we were really happy with how they turned out -- by far the classiest looking race numbers of any competitor!

"Classic 31" begins her metamorphosis...

This sticker stuff is tough work!

Without a doubt the spiffiest numbers in Bozeman!

After a long day in the sun spent doting on the Deb we tucked her into the hangar for the night and headed back to the hotel. We're still scheming and strategizing about a few things, but our hopes are high about the race. We've met some neat women and though we haven't had a lot of time to get to know everyone, it's been fun to watch the other teams go about their tasks. The hundreds of years of aviation experience, the tens of thousands of flight hours, the hundreds of races flown and the miles of smiles are making this a peak experience for both of us.


This Race is an opportunity of a lifetime!

A spinner so shiney you could....

Classic 31: The Occluded Speed Zombies

Quite possibly the cleanest the Wonder Chariot has ever been!

Erin's not just a monkey with a wrench....

We're Headed to the Start!

Wednesday, June 18

Erin airlined up to Detroit this morning so we could spend the day preparing for our long journey to the Start of this year's Air Race Classic in Bozeman, Montana.

We ran some errands, finished up last-minute chart printing, ate quite possibly our last healthy meals for 2 weeks, bought matching shorts.... Lezlee fixed us some amazing pizza for dinner and we slept well considering our nerves.



Thursday, June 19

This morning dawned early with a phone call from the P.R. woman at Kelly's office. She told us that the Detroit Fox News crew was waiting at the airport for us! We scrambled to get ready and get out the door, arriving at VLL ready to load the plane by about 0830. We spent a little over an hour being interviewed on TV (obviously it'll be edited!) about the Race, about each of us and our interest in aviation, about the Air Charity Network and Angel Flight, about the 99s, etc. Both of us did a good job with our interviews (thankfully "Bernouli's Principle" was NOT talked about in this particular interview -- way to go, Kelly!), and without too much more fuss we were airborne. The camera woman wanted to get a shot of us doing a high-speed low-altitude fly-by, and as you can imagine we were only too happy to oblige. We took off and flew the traffic pattern, turning final going warp speed, swooping down to about 200 feet off the deck as fast as the Wonder Chariot would go, then shot back up to altitude like a rocket. (A maneuver of which Patty Wagstaff would have surely approved). With our nose pointed west we started off on what would be a 9.5 hour flight out to Bozeman, Montana.

With our bladders getting full we decided to stop for fuel in the booming metropolis of Mason City, Iowa, conveniently one of the stops along the Race route.


The W.C.'s tanks were full as were ours (the term "gastronomic delight" was used sparingly in conjunction with our lunch at the little airport cafe), so after about 30 minutes on the ground we took off with Aberdeen, South Dakota in our sights. We were feeling pretty fresh still so rather than landing we scoped out the airport from altitude (which is also another fly-by/stop point in the Race) and continued west. By the time we reached Miles City, Montana we were both feeling tired and anxious to be done with the trip. But just east of the airport we encountered our first weather of the day:

The trusty Garmin 496 with weather uplink warned us of the 2 cells up ahead....

Amazingly, they parted just enough for our airplane to slip through without much hassle at all! It rained and spewed out lightening just off of both wings, but other than some moderate turbulence (which made it tough to get good photos) we escaped unscathed!

We landed in Miles City and were happy to encounter a few teams of fellow racers. After brief introductions and the refilling our both our water bottles and our fuel tanks, we were airborne for the last time today. Finally down to the last 2 hours of flight time we were eager to get to the hotel and chill out.

But we wanted to experiment with a few potential race strategies. Because all sorts of eyes are reading this blog we're going to refrain at this moment from discussing specifics, but suffice it to say we were very pleased with our discoveries regarding altitude, airspeed, autopilot usage, weight and balance issues and antelope spotting.

We'll elaborate later....