Start of the race in Ft. Meyers

Here are some rather random shots along the route of the first day of the race. The ladies had a healthy breakfast. They waited on the ramp for their turn to go. It took just over an hour to launch all of the planes. Classic 47 was one of 37 teams to take a data logger along. Significance unknown, except maybe to confirm speeds for each leg? At all of the legs, there are volunteers who have water and snacks available for racers. Waycross even provided BBQ sandwiches though Classic 47 chose to not stop. Between legs, often racers and volunteers gather to relax and cool off in the various FBO's while the planes are fueled.

No maintenance issues noted by the team. The cockpit was very hot and on the last leg to Arkansas, the crew vented the cabin to try and cool down a bit. Currently 34 teams chose to stay the night in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with an additional 12 teams bedding down in Cameron, Missouri. The remaining 5 teams either chose Tuscaloosa or Waycross, primarily due to weather.

One interesting aside was that the team uses an AOPA credit card for fuel stops. Since Teresa's card showed up in three states, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama in a about 15 hours of time, the credit card company temporarily declined the account due to concerns over fraud. We took care of the problem quickly with Bank of America and assured them that the ladies are in a RACE, therefore the plane flies to many fuel stops in a short period of time. They cleared the card for the remaining trip knowing the plane and crew will be in many States. Geez - who would have thought? We have never had this issue before. Next post 0600H tomorrow with more pix along the first day of racing. Then it will be quiet for awhile. The crew will leave early from Arkansas for the longest leg to Northwest Missouri. Then assuming weather holds they should stop in Southern Illinois by around 13:30 central time. Wish 'em luck

*BLOGMASTER*

Teresa & I make a great team--she has excellent radio and navigation skills--Teresa even got me to the correct hotel! onward and upward we go!--BJC

Nothing beats a shower after a hot day of racing! We walked to the Whole Hog Cafe for some World Champion BBQ. They have 6 different sauces plus one called Volcano (by special request) and it is very very hot and exceptionally good! I'm going to try to bring a sample to Bill at Carbondale.

We've still got a lot of planning to do and should be up early tomorrow to fly at the crack of dawn. --TAC

We made it to Hot Springs, AR! Wow am I a wilted piece of lettuce! I'm enjoying a water and some chips. It is hot! Bev's friends were on the ramp to great us. Bev did an outstanding job at really pushing the plane to perform. I'll have the check but we may have beat our handicap. -TAC

Classic 47 Postcard

After a few attempts to try and get ALL the elements included, the team has settled on the following postcard, which went to press yesterday. I suspected today would be a little short on updates, since the team had planned to be in the air quite a bit. So even though this artwork was previewed on my personal blog site in the overnight feed, this is its debut for Classic 47's blog followers.

Thanks are in order for our fans and of course our primary sponsor, Wings of Hope. If you get a chance, pop over to their site and see how much good they can do with your charity greenbacks. Bev, Teresa, and the entire Classic 47 team sincerely appreciate your consideration and generosity. More updates soon so hang in there!

*BLOGMASTER*

TEAM in Tuscaloosa, AL

Greetings Race Fans!

Teresa reported in from the small terminal at Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The team made it to the timing tower at 17:02:25 ZULU time which is 13:02H CDT.

All plane and ship navigation use Universal Coordinated Time(Zulu) since there are no time zones or local time confusion issues if everyone uses the same base time (0:00) which starts in Greenwich,England.

In any case, the team left Fort Meyers at approximately 9:09AM Florida time and as expected chose to fly-by the Waycross, Georgia checkpoint. Classic 47 nosed over the timing line at 15:02:33 Zulu for an amazing fast trip of one hour and 53 minutes.

Fuel burn is extreme at these speeds. The aircraft which ordinarily burns around 12 gallons per hour to do 140knots (around 159 miles per hour) burned close to 20 gph but on average Classic 47 is settling in at around 147 knots which is better than their booked handicap. Overall this sounds like an excellent start to the race.

The key thing is about a quarter of the teams moved quickly up to Tuscaloosa, to not only avoid traffic but to beat the weather. The front is looming South of the airport but weather is still holding. The ladies are taking a yogurt break and getting a chance to air out a bit. The cabin is hot with no vents and the team has to keep a watchful eye to keep the plane at peak efficiency.

I will post at least one picture from Tuscaloosa when it is received. The team is headed next today to Hot Springs, Arkansas (KHOT) where they will most likely call it a day unless weather is looking bothersome for tomorrow. Check back soon for more updates as they arrive.

Well, we ran an aggressive first leg & got some favorable winds at low altitudes. We burned almost 20 gals per hour. Decided to flyby to continue & landed TCL.

The GUESSING game

Ok folks, the fact is that we have not had a time confirmation when Classic 47 launched this morning. However since weather is the MOST IMPORTANT factor, then we can make some general assumptions. As soon as ACTUAL data arrives, I will post it.

Based on the team's start position, the odds are they left Fort Meyers by around 0900H EDT. I looked at the radar and the weather seemed fantastic through Waycross, Georgia so the flight should take around 2 hours or so.

Since the team has not reported in from the ground and due to the large number of aircraft that will need to re-fuel at Waycross, it would not be surprising if Bev and Teresa, simply did a fly-by for the timing station and continued on to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The ladies are VERY AWARE of fuel burn, so if the plane is drinking like a lady, then they will have more than enough juice to get to Alabama.

The big question mark is weather once again. Currently radar shows a system building coming up from the gulf and starting to push Northeast. The team no doubt saw this system as well and knew that if they don't hightail it into Tuscaloosa in the early afternoon, they may face tough weather delays and even harder choices later.

So to recap - this is all speculation. However, given a typical race run and the weather patterns forming, this is a reasonable expectation of what the flight crew is experiencing currently. More news to follow and pictures as soon as we can upload them! Hang in there!

*BLOGMASTER*

We got up at 5:00 am ET. Just finished breakfast. Lots of compliments on our pink Wings of Hope jump suits. They gave us a data logger to fly with. 37 teams were asked to fly with loggers.

WX should be good to KAYS but there's WX building to KTCL in the afternoon. Only TFR is over Disney World. Should not be a factor. --TAC

Last Photo Post prior to Race TODAY

Well, this will be the last picture post PRIOR to the race. Bev and Teresa report that today has been loaded with planning sessions. They sent over photos from one of those meetings where they describe airport procedures, take-off procedures, fueling etc. Teresa is on the phone planning shipping arrangements for luggage, and they also sent over the handicap sheet for each of the racing teams. Imagine how busy it will be for little old Waycross, Georgia tomorrow by 10AM as 50 planes start descending on them for the first leg of the race.

It will be very exciting. The ladies will report at 8:00AM and will likely sit in a HOT airplane for at least a half hour. At the start, you are released in order. Thereafter, they will fly as efficiently as possible. They can land at the Georgia checkpoint or if they think they have the weather and fuel, they can fly-by to register their leg time and then fly-on to the next leg. Classic 47 is faster than many other aircraft so it is likely they will overtake other racers along the way.

The plane also BURNS more fuel when it is running the race. The team will fine-tune the fuel burn and then calculate the safest way to hit the check-points, beat the weather, and avoid as much traffic as possible. Weather is tough through Central Florida, so the team will have to make a decision in the morning how far they can travel in the first day. Typically teams like to do at least two legs (around 500 - 600) miles per day. It all depends on how nice Mother Nature wants to treat Classc 47. So RACE DAY TOMORROW ... the ladies are bedding down early tonight in anticipation of an exciting and challenging start. Good Luck Ladies!

*BLOGMASTER*