"And to the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly...!" Revelation 12:14
~ 2022 Women's Air Race Classic (ARC) ~
June 21-24, 2022
Lakeland, FL (KLAL) ~ Terre Haute, IN (KHUF)
Join Susan & Joyce ~ "Team Midwest Bess" &
'follow'
them as they embark upon the journey of a lifetime
the 2022 Air Race Classic Adventure!!!
'Ladies, let the 2022 Women's Air Race Classic begin!!!'
Meet "Team Midwest Bess"
Pilot
Susan Field
Algonquin, IL This is Susan’s 1st Air Race and she is beyond excited to be flying with Joyce! As a new pilot, living in NW Chicagoland, finding such an enthusiastic, dedicated, and experienced partner was a HUGE blessing. In the spirit of aviation, living in Illinois and Kansas didn’t deter these friends from committing to long-distance training. What a great way to build cross-country hours!! Susan is a member of the Chicago Area Chapter of the 99s and the Chicago's Leading-Edge Chapter of Women in Aviation International (WAI). As a child, Susan had the excellent experience of flying with her dad, Tom, in a Cessna 172. She remembers flying over lakes and forests on sunny days in the right seat. After high school, she flirted with the idea of architecture, but knew deep down that building was where she wanted to be. That realization led her to a pretty rad career in residential construction as a carpenter, lead carpenter, then project manager. It was during her career as a project manager that aviation made momentary impressions, like a small seed planted, when she learned her employer kept a Cessna 172 and that same year, she took a ride in a King Air to visit a window manufacturer. The 2008 recession collapsed the construction industry, and it was time to find new work. Her passion as a professional baby-wearing educator took her all over the country teaching caregivers how to safely and comfortably use baby carriers. This evolved into her next career in baby and juvenile products as an educator and sales representative for multiple brands. She continues on today as the Associate Sales Manager of Jet Set Go LLC, a distributor of high-end, travel relevant, children’s products. If you’ve ever tried to put a stroller in the cargo hold of a single engine airplane, then you know this was meant to be! As a mom of six kids, ranging in ages from 11 to 31, the years have been full of kids and work. Despite always being fascinated by the general aviation airports she passed while driving all over Chicagoland for work and living under the downwind leg of RWY 26 at 3CK, aviation was a distant whisper. With her fascination and her husband's desire to follow in his grandfather's aviation footsteps, it still never seemed to be the "right" time. As a family, the Fields have always been passionate about travel and adventure. Road tripping all over the country to camp, rock climb, ski, hike, bike, explore, and play is a regular part of their lives. As the kids started moving out to launch into their own adventure-filled lives, mom and dad started looking for new experiences. The perfect storm of circumstances was presented in stand-still traffic on I-65 during a road trip to Tennessee. Susan and her husband, Ken, were tossing around ideas for the best ways to get around to visit 'All the Places'. Their two youngest kiddos were restless in the back seat (they were fighting) and the normally 8-hour drive was morphing into a 12-hour traffic-sieged epic. The sound of a small plane buzzed along the interstate, directly over them. They looked up and their eyes locked. A few weeks later, they were signed up to start training for their private pilot certificates!! Knowing that they wanted to continue training and have the freedom to roam at will, the Fields bought their first plane, a Piper Dakota, affectionately named “Charlie”. Susan had locked on to the dream of competing in the Women's Air Race Classic (ARC) while training for her private certificate. Well, she made it and here we are!!! |
Co-Pilot
. Joyce Parker
Topeka, KS This is Joyce's 4th attempt at 'racing to the winner's circle' and she's super-excited about sharing the experience with her pilot friend and race partner, Susan. Joyce was born and raised on Long Island in New York-- "The Cradle of Aviation"-- and remembers as a young girl, the airplanes flying over her home on approach into Kennedy/KJFK Airport. After graduating high school, she applied to the airlines to become a stewardess; becoming a pilot was not even on her radar. But when that didn't pan out, she went to college and continued to work in the graphics arts/printing industry. Then, on a whim one day, she joined the United States Air Force (USAF), and the rest, they say, is "her-story." After successfully completing Basic Training in January 1985, she went to her first base in CA and got up close and personal with the screaming F-4 Wild Weasel fighter aircraft!!! Following her assignment in CA, she went to Japan and spent a lot of time hanging out with KC-135 air refueling tankers. She even witnessed 1st hand, the air refueling of the 'infamous' SR-71. Over the years in the military, she grew more and more fond of all things airplanes and aviation, spending time with fighters, tankers, and helicopters. For her last military assignment, she served as a battle staff crewmember and the superintendent of the 65-person Operations Team Two, logging 500+ hours aboard the Boeing 747, a.k.a. the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center (NAOC). From 2001~2004, she had the awesome privilege of serving at The White House, Washington, D.C., and it was during this time that she put wings to her dream of becoming a pilot and earned her private certificate in June 2003, and her instrument rating in November 2003. Joyce retired from the USAF in 2009 after almost 25 years of dedicated service. She continued her "air force connection" as an Air Force Jr. ROTC instructor at Highland Park High School, Topeka, KS where she served for three years. She shared the passion and gift of flight with many of her cadets taking them on incentive flights in her very own Beechcraft Sundowner airplane, "Joybird", to the Amelia Earhart airport and museum in Atchison, KS. Following her time with the cadets, she transitioned to hanging out with kindergartners as she taught kindergarten for three years at Cair Paravel Latin School, Topeka, KS. She currently teaches kindergarten and 1st grade at International Academy of Bright Stars, a Christian charter school also in Topeka, KS. Joyce has been a devoted member serving the Lord for the past thirteen years at South Knollwood Baptist Church, Topeka KS. where she teaches kindergarten Sunday School, takes care of babes in the nursery, singer & soloist with the church choir, directs the drama team, and serves as church treasurer. One of her greatest passions, though, is mentoring and nurturing ladies in their new-found faith in Jesus Christ through the discipleship program. Joyce is a charter member and the President of the KS Sunflower Chapter of Pilots for Christ International and serves as the Flight Coordinator for the entire Pilots for Christ International organization. She has been a member-at-large of Women in Aviation International (WAI) since 2002, a member of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) since 2001, and a member of the American Bonanza Society (ABS) since 2020. With her love for aviation, her lifelong calling as a teacher and learner, and her passion for serving the Lord Jesus Christ, she hopes to one day merge the three desires into becoming a commercial, certificated flight instructor and ultimately a pilot somewhere on the mission field. But for now, she covets the title of women's air race pilot and is looking forward to standing alongside Susan atop the winner's platform of the 2022 Women's Air Race Classic!!! |
Meet "Charlie"
1979 Piper Dakota PA28-236
