Day 10 - "Team Bessie" Shall Be Back!!! 06/26/2011
We just returned from the 2011 Air Race Classic awards banquet that was an absolute lovely affair!!! Female air racing pilots sure know how to 'get dolled up' when awards and money are being handed out :-). It was an exciting evening that commenced with recognition and appreciation to all of our ARC sponsors who make an event of this magnitude possible by their support and generosity. An introduction of all the air racing teams was made where we all received our certificates and plaques of participation which essentially is our "induction" into the exclusive sorority of 'female air racers;' I feel HONORED!!! :-) A scrumptuous dinner was served followed by a slide presentation of this year's adventure, remembering our female Hall of Heroes: those ladies who have flown in 25 or more air races. Then came the part of the program that all the racers were eagerly anticipating.  "Joyce and Athina with our certificates and plaques for successful participation!" The categories included: Mother-Daughter team winners; Collegiate Team winners; Last-Place winner; numerous leg prizes; and finally the Top-Ten Racing Team winners. Drum roll, please!!!! UNFORTUNATELY, Team Bessie fans and bloggers, Athina and I did not take home any awards -- bummer!!!  "Athina and I are not in this picture; bummer!!!" :-( There's next year, though! :-) But, no worries, sports fans! You'd still be as proud of us as we are of ourselves for competing in and completing this race!!! It was a great race and especially since this was my first time along with "The Joybird." I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT FLYING, AIR RACING, AND WHAT "The Joybird" CAN DO; SHE'S AN AWESOME AIRPLANE!!! Thank you, Lord, so much!!!! We finished well, with NO penalties and flying 3.4 kts above our handicap speed. In my estimation, that was great for a "first-time" racer!!!:-) But, just as significant was the fact that , we represented well as the 1st ever all-African-American team to compete, and many, many of our fellow racers were happy and thrilled to see that part of history being made. So, we'll come back strong next year with better strategy in aircraft loading and center of gravity considerations, "flying the winds" more precisely, and doing all that's necessary to eliminate as much drag on the aircraft. Next year, we WILL fly a better air race!!! The best part, though, was reaching out to so many African-American girls and women who never met a black female pilot and who knew nothing about our team namesake, the historic Bessie Coleman. We raced to keep her legacy alive!!!  "Next year's Air Race Classic route!" BTW: We came in 32nd out of 43 racing teams, so WE'RE MAD NOW!!! :-). Watch out Classic Racers; no messin' around next year!!! :-). Good nite, Bessie Bloggers!!! Early morning wheels up to Topeka. Thank you all for your love and support! Many Blessings!!!...Joyce and Athina 5 Comments Day 9 - Great Tours and Girls Club Cheers! 06/25/2011
Day Nine. Saturday: Yippee! I'm so happy for a day to finally do what I enjoy most....sleep in! Joyce on the other hand, had to be up early for the first-timers de-brief and the signing of the timing sheets. That's a great part of being plot-in- command (PIC), the lead responsibility. So you see, being co-pilot has its perks! Another great part of the ARC, is the knowledge you gain from other aspects of the race. The organizers of the air race work diligently to incorporate special events and tours at the start and terminus cities. The tours are generally aviation-related some of which include: aviation museums, aircraft systems companies, avionics corporations etc... The terminus tour today was of the Continental Motors Plant. They build, remanufacture, and supply aircraft engines, fuels systems, and parts and supplies to several aircraft companies like Cessna and Cirrus as well as after-market vendors.   The highlight of the tours was of the USS Alabama Battleship & Air Museum. The museum sponsored The Racers & Youth Event for the girls of the local Boys & Girls Club. Each race team sponsored one or two girls. Joyce and I were so excited to meet our girls and we were quite impressed with their shirt designs that featured our race #37 and tail number N9246S.       The girls received awards for their participation in a six-month aerospace/aviation academy. Some of the awards included: communications radios, aviation books and educational materials, tote bags, and more. The girls especially enjoyed the flight simulator rides. Look-out girls!!!!--you're flying a fighter jet!!! Overall, today is exactly what "Team Bessie's" participation in the Air Race Classic 2011 was all about....sharing the Legacy of Queen Bess, while inspiring young girls to FLY!!!!...Athina "Team Bessie" has arrived!!!! Joyce Parker and Athina Holmes executed a flawless fly-by and landing at 1:01 pm at Mobile Downtown Airport, Mobile, AL to secure their place in history as the 1st all African-American team to compete in and complete the long-standing Women's Air Race Classic!!! It has been a FANTASTIC!!! experience in so many ways and on so many levels, so I'm not finished telling the story...please stay tuned!!! Sunday evening is the ARC awards banquet and there, we will be informed as to how well we flew the race. We're nervous and excited!!! to find out where we placed and how well we did, so as soon as we find out, you'll be the first to know :-)...Joyce  "We made it!!! :-) It's early, the adrenaline is pumping, and I'm nervous as all get out!!!:-) This is the last leg! Many of the racers made it on into Mobile yesterday, but the bulk of us are here at KELD, so getting out this morning is going to be 'dicey'! It's 06:22 and our driver will be here in 50 minutes, so I'll get off the computer for now, and catch back up with you when we arrive in Mobile and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief: the racing part of Air Race Classic is almost over. See you in Mobile!...Joyce Oh, this was going to be a long but good day; I didn't get much sleep, but we were going to be meeting Bessie Coleman's great niece, Dr. Jilda Motley from Tulsa, OK, so we had to make it work! I'll tell you the rest of the story later...Joyce (P.S. As you can see, I've gotten behind in my blogging (thank goodness for Athina) but I will catch you up, so stay tuned :-)). Day 6 - Let The Air Race Begin...Finally! 06/24/2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 1200 CST in Alliance, NE (KAIA) marked the official start of 2011 Women's Air Race Classic -- YAY!!! :-) It was exciting, thrilling, a little nerve-wracking, and amazing to watch 45 race teams scrambling to get ready for the flag to drop for the "flying" of this year's ARC. Team Bessie arrived in Alliance for the start after dark Tuesday evening with, you guessed it, no landing light! I 'thought' it was repaired at KIOW ($78.00 later), and it did work on preflight departing there, but, when we needed it most, 'no joy.' Anyway, the great folks at Heartland Aviation, Alliance, NE fixed us right up. We arrived at the airport on race morning nervous (just like I'm sure all the other racers were) but, with ample time to get the maintenance done on the airplane. The airport/FBO is family run, so Mom, Dad, sons, daughters, grandma, grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins were all available to help any racer with her specific needs. The two little grandsons (probably 8 and 9 years old were running around or rather 'driving' around in the golf cart in and out of planes attending to the needs of all us 'old ladies.' They were darling!!! :-). Anyway, "The Joybird" was towed into the hanger, Larry the maintenance man, immediately troubleshot and determined the problem, installed the new light, and "The Joybird" was towed back out, ready to fly!   Even though this a day VFR- only race, the landing light is mandatory for conducting the "low approach, full power" flybys; no landing light~~penalty points assessed. After the repair, we did all the necessary final preflight prep including, adding oil, cleaning the bugs off the windscreen, leading edges, propeller, under wings, and anywhere we saw one of those critters residing :-). We got the inside of the cockpit and airplane organzied as neatly as possible so we could execute our CRM (cockpit resource management) efficiently. At 11:15 a.m., an all-racers departure briefing was conducted inside the FBO and at 11:40, the racers were released to start their engines and begin taxiing in race-number sequence to departing Runway 26 for the departure flyby. During the departure flyby (which occurs at each stop if you land) the racer goes out a reasonable distance (based on her airplane), maneuvers to return and approach the designated runway at her fasted speed, wings level, landing light on, and usually 200 or 300 feet above the ground. Each airport has a detailed, specific departure procedure (i.e. fly over the runway, fly to the right or left of the runway, etc.) that must be executed precisely or penalties are assessed. At 12:00, Classic Racer 1 was released to conduct her departure flyby, and the ARC officially began. The ladies were all lined up and being Classic Racer 37, we were a ways back, however, many of the racers opted not to go in this first gaggle, so even though we were No. 37, we actually took off in probably slot 27 or 28. We were airborne for our departure flyby at 12:29. More to follow...Joyce Anticipation of Meeting Heir To A Legacy 06/23/2011
"IT LOOKS LIKE A GOOD DAY TO FLY." Thank you Thelma Rudd, (President of The Bessie Coleman Foundation) for that quote you've coined. And yes, it was a good day to fly. However, the flight from Borger, TX (KBGD) into Norman, OK (KOUN) although picturesque and serene, didn't compare to what awaited our arrival in OK; home of our team's namesake....Bessie Coleman. Oh, the anticipation of doing the fly-by (first things first, we're still here to race and WIN!!), spruce up the make-up, and meet the living heir of Queen Bessie... Dr. Jilda Motley, great niece of the Historic Bessie Coleman! Dr. Motley and her husband, Herman, greeted us at the Oklahoma University Airport with open arms. Joyce whispered to me, "she looks so much like Bessie, she's beautiful." I replied, "yes she is." We were both in awe of this woman who continues to keep her great-aunt's legacy alive. It was an honor chatting with Dr. Motley about her relation's to Bessie Coleman (her paternal grandmother is Bessie's sister), and future plans the family has to obtain rights to their heritage. She even mentioned a movie deal in the works. Could there be a part in it for Joyce and me.....? Ok, Ok, "Bessie Bloggers," you know that's me talking, so just a small part in it for me :-). The finale: Dr. Motley wearing a beautiful sky blue Bessie Coleman "Continue The Legacy" t-Shirt. I couldn't allow our meeting to end without a photo op. We all gathered together (along with Marian P. Brown, Academic Advisor Department of Aviation University of Oklahoma) for pictures.   The finale: Dr. Motley wearing a beautiful sky blue Bessie Coleman "Continue The Legacy" t-shirt. I couldn't allow our meeting to end without a photo op. We all gathered together (along with Marian P. Brown, Academic Advisor, Department of Aviation, University of Oklahoma) for pictures. Joyce and I are proud to represent Dr. Motley's family in the Air Race Classic. We will honor her spirit and hold it dear as we cross the finish line. Upon our departure, Dr. Motley mentioned that she and her husband would stay and watch "Team Bessie" take flight. The gleam in her eyes and joyous smile assured me that she is quite proud of us, too... Athina That’s right folks, you’ve got to put some muscle into it. Hammer Time, Joyce! Doesn’t she make tying an aircraft down look elegant in that Tiara?   So, it’s Day Five and we’re gearing up to depart. Although we’re departing to Alliance, NE due to horrendous weather (and the cancellation of three legs), everyone’s still excited to get going. As we check-out of the hotel, our Fan Club arrives wearing their bright yellow “Team Bessie”T-Shirts. It was such a pleasant surprise to see these young ladies (Joyce’s students) take great interest in this race by coming out in support of their teacher. They came to the airport carrying signs of support and wearing tiaras too! Thanks ladies. I’d also like to extend a special thank you to Joyce’s colleague, Master Sergeant Robert Thadison and his wife, Linda for making the four and a half hour drive from Topeka, KS with these students to Iowa City, IA just to see us take-off. Now that’s dedication. That in itself is testimony of the dynamic woman pilot and teammate I am so honored to fly with. Thanks for the opportunity Joyce; Sincerely.  In spite of the awful weather, Joyce and I were able to make it to Alliance after a full day of flying, dodging weather, an almost balked landing (Crete, NE) and a cat chasing me around the FBO. We’re either crazy or have a great love of flight. I’m sure it’s our love of flight because we’d do it in tiaras too!...Athina Ok, So Here's Day Three...The Banquet 06/22/2011
Sunday night was a beautiful celebration of the many dedicated years of women flyers participating in The Annual Air Race Classic. It was also an introduction of all the race teams. The excitment filled the air as each team walked up front to receive a token of appreciation: The 2011 Air Route Charm Pendant. Joyce is wearing hers now! I of course enjoyed the team pics....Smile for the Camera!    "We love our 'Team Bessie' dresses! :-)" Pilots who have participated in this historic event for at least twenty-five races were honored tonight, and rightfully so. The accomplishments of these women continue to amaze me because some have thousands of hours and never flew for commercial carriers. They accomplished those hours the old fashioned way...Stick and Rudder!  "Veteran Racer, Janet Yoder." (On left) The Air Race Classic organizers really know how to put together an event. I believe they accommodated each teams needs with a pleasant dining experience. The menu for the evening included a three entree selection: Prime Rib, Salmon or Chicken En Croute. They even catered to my (FOODIE!) vegetarian needs. The banquet was a relaxing evening for what's to come Monday morning....WEATHER! Stay tuned, it's starting to get interesting...Athina | Pilot: Joyce"I believe we can fly this!" Archives |
RSS Feed