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K-STATE TEAM COMPETES IN ALL-FEMALE AIR RACE CLASSIC July 2, 2004 SALINA – Three female pilots made history at Kansas State University when they competed in the annual Air Race Classic. The 2004 Classic began and ended in Wichita, June 23-26. The race is coordinated in part by the Ninety-Nines, a women’s aviation group originally formed by 1929 by Amelia Earhart and 98 other licensed female pilots. As a result, the race attracts all ages of general aviation pilots – this year the participants ranged in age from 18 to 82. Carole Dawson, Salina, junior in professional pilot and Amanda Wagner, Waterloo, Iowa, sophomore in professional pilot rotated as pilot and copilot of the Cessna 172 Skyhawk the K-State team raced in. Jill Hudson, Culver, Ind., also a sophomore in professional pilot, was a passenger and assisted the team with navigation and other duties. The costs of K-State’s participation were paid in part by Cessna. Most teams, in the interest of reducing weight in the aircraft, have just a pilot and copilot. Although the K-State team was handicapped in the times to account for the passenger, Dawson insisted that it was worth the extra weight in the plane. “We were the only team with a passenger,” Dawson said, “but it really helped us out. Jill was our navigator. She recorded our times, watched for aircraft and got us something to eat or drink when we needed it. Having her as the navigator really helped Amanda and I focus on flying.” The goal of the Air Race Classic is to plan and execute the perfect cross-country flight. There are seven checkpoint airports along the overall race route where times for the teams are recorded. To get the best possible race times, pilots try to find the ideal altitude and route along the way to maximize the advantage of favorable winds and conditions, while avoiding areas with poor weather. With pilots with a wide variety of experiences, Dawson said there were many who took the race very seriously. “There’s a lot of talk that goes around about not opening your wind vents and other little things to improve your times,” she said. “Some of the older ladies couldn’t believe the shoes we were wearing because they thought they were too heavy and would slow the plane down.” Flying from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for three straight days, the K-State team made it back to Wichita on June 25. Although the final placing was 29 out of 33 teams, Dawson insisted that they were very proud of the results. She also is making sure that plans are underway for K-State to compete in the future, as well as generating ideas of how to improve the team’s competitiveness in the race. “K-State has wanted to have a team for a long time, and the Ninety-Nines were so excited to see we were competing,” she said. “Just the experience, flying to have fun and enjoy each other’s company, was awesome. And the flight experience of being the one making split-second decisions of what you do or won’t do, rather than an instructor telling you what to do, it was great for problem solving and becoming better pilots.” |