Time is Flying…

Yikes we only have 23 days until the start of the Air Race Classic. Both Ethel and I are very excited but there is still so much to do before we leave for Florida. Ethel has been plotting and planning our course throughout the race on all the sectionals that are needed for the race. I have been plotting and planning our course on Golden Eagle FlightPrep so we have a backup plan to our tried and true dead reckoning method. Then when all else fails we will have the GPS that is installed in the plane and our friend Tom Kozel has been kind enough to loan us his Garmin 396 with XM satellite weather. Many thanks Tom!!!! It sure is reassuring knowing that we have two GPS on board and one with weather.

I have also broken down and purchased a Kindle DX for this trip. I have been able to transfer all the Golden Eagle FlightPro flight planning documents to it as well as all the ARC documents. It is a very cool tool that will allow us to lighten up our load and we won’t be carrying a lot of additional paperwork. I have also transferred my Flight Guide subscription from the old printed book to a new eBook version that is now loaded onto my Kindle.

We are currently waiting for our handicap flight to be scheduled. This flight is conducted by an ARC official will calculate the speed of the plane so we can be assigned a handicap. The following excerpt is how the ARC website explains this very important event….

“Handicaps allow different make and model airplanes to fly in competition. This year ARC is assigning a unique handicap to each airplane based on an ARC Handicap Flight Check. Flight Checks utilize an ARC procedure for determining the airplane's true airspeed. To accomplish this, an ARC-provided Data Logger, ARC Check Pilot along with the registered team's Pilot and properly prepared Airplane are required. The Flight Check is a short four-leg course flown at a 6,000 ft density altitude in specific VFR conditions. Data loggers collect the flight information. Utilizing data downloaded from the Flight Check, ARC uses an accepted wind triangle method and equations involving trigonometry to solve for the maximum true airspeed for each airplane. This calculated speed will be the assigned handicap.”
( http://www.airraceclassic.org/raceronly)

Why Rick's Chicks?

There is quite a simple reason why we are calling ourselves Rick's Chicks during the Air Race Classic. Rick Jones in the owner of the rental plane we our flying. He is also the owner of Fare Share LTD so check out their website to see all the services they provide. (http://www.fareshareltd.com) Rick has been kind enough to let us rent the plane for the race so we have named our team Rick's Chicks. Wait until you see our shirts that we will be wearing during the race!!! Here is a picture of Rick and his Chicks!!!

No that is not the plane we will be flying and the Doctor Seuss stuff animal will be staying with Rick!!!

The Plane...

We have choosen to rent a Cessna 172 airplane from Fare Share for the race. The N number is 6871H and we are very excited to fly it during the race in June.

Here is another shot...

The Girls...

This is one of our mug shots that was needed for our ARC application. I thought it would be a good idea to give a little background information on each of us. Ethel has worn many hats in her lifetime. She is a retired registered nurse, a certified flight instructor and is currently working as a dental assistant to fill in her spare time when she isn't flying. She is the high mileage flyer who has thousands of hours under her belt. Besides enjoying flying (especially aerobatics) she is extremely fond of her two cats (Daisy & Blue) and loves to travel the world.

For me my career has been in procurement and currently I am a contract specialist. I'm the opposite of Ethel where I am the low mileage pilot who would love to try a course in aerobatics but haven't gotten the chance to do so yet. I too love to travel but have no cats because I am allergic to them. In my spare time I enjoy a good book and spending time with my husband, Ron.

Only the beginning...

It is finally official that Ethel Bailey and Barb Zeigler will be flying in our first Air Race Classic (ARC) in June. This Blog will keep our friends and family updated as we embark on this exciting adventure. So where to begin? For all of those who don't know what the Air Race Classic is please check out http://www.airraceclassic.org/. This website will give you some great information about this event. It is an all women's air race with teams consisting of a pilot and co-pilot. This years race will start in Fort Myers, Florida and finish in Frederick, MD. The race will begin June 22nd and finish on June 25th. Ethel and I have been talking about flying this race for awhile but this year everything fell into place.

Stay tuned for more updates...