Fort Meyers Beauty

So Saturday June 19th, is kind of a relaxing day for the team. After the plane inspection and check-in, they headed for the Henry Ford and Thomas Edison Museum. We'll post a few more shots of inside but for now enjoy some of the local scenery from Fort Meyers. Beautiful place but Bev and Teresa report that it is very humid and enjoys pop up building thunder storms every afternoon.

*BLOGMASTER*

PLANE DETAILS

The crew polished up the wings today after a good rain storm loosened up all the bugs on the leading edges. Bev and Teresa worked on the weight and balance for each leg of trip by using the laptop to decide how to load the plane. Lots of activity and many teams make the experience exciting and fun!

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Nice BBQ banquet and beautiful sunset. This is a huge crowd. I don't know how we are going to land all these people at Waycross! TAC

Waycross Flight to Ft. Meyers 6/18/10

Here are some pix sent en route from Waycross, Georgia to Ft. Meyers. All were
taken on 6/18/2010. The van was the loaner that the airport gave Bev and Teresa to get to their hotel. You can see the haze on the flight down to Florida and the self portrait of the crew. Final shot is of Ft. Meyers from the air.

*BLOGMASTER*

Greetings from Florida! It's great to meet so many wonderful women pilots. Meetings start tomorrow--relaxing until then.---BJC

CLASSIC 47 PASSES INSPECTION

Well the plane passed its inspection so it looks like everything is good. Today the ladies will go to the Girl Scouts amd meet with them today @ 1400H. EDT

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Great visit to the Edison and Ford Museum. What a neat estate! Love all the inventions. There's even a 1900 electric curling iron! Who da thunk? Loved the gardens and the ocean view. Big Bayon tree. Edison really worked hard on developing rubber for firestone. --TAC

We finished planning our weight and balance down to the individual pounds for each section for max speed. I wish we had packed lighter. I know it would make a difference. We polished the plane and took a few more WOH promo shots with the brochure in the window. I am soaking wet! It's hot and humid. Now we caught a tug to center for inspections. It's nice to get out of the sun. --TAC

So what now?

All the race crews are to report to Ft. Meyers by Saturday 6/19/2010. Bev and Teresa, were greeted by the race organizers and basically the planes are staged temporarily. Over the next two days, the planes will be INSPECTED by mechanics to ensure that they have not been modified in any way to seek an unfair advantage. After the inspection, the aircraft are IMPOUNDED until the morning of the race. Sometimes mechanical issues come-up with planes and need to be addressed. The next couple of days will allow the planes to get repairs if needed, be safe, race-ready and compliant with the rules.

There are many events scheduled at the beginning and the end of the race. The ladies will go speak to a Girl Scout troop on Saturday afternoon. There will be several meals, BBQ's, and rules seminars over the next few days to make sure all the teams understand the route and the timing rules.

When the race begins, each aircraft will be positioned by it's race number in groups of 4 or 5 planes. Each will take off approximately one to two minutes apart and fly their best course, speed, and altitude to take advantage of winds aloft and whatever factors best suit their aircraft to achieve MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY. Slower planes can be overtaken by crews in the back as long as it is done safely. However, with 57 planes all flying the same general course, airspace will be busy especially for the first leg or two of the race. This is why Bev and Teresa have specially equipped Classic 47 with the Zaon XRX traffic avoidance monitor. This will give the team excellent electronic visibility as to where other aircraft are above, below or anywhere within a few miles around the plane.

All aircraft need not stop at all points if they can carry enough fuel for multiple legs. ALL aircraft will however need to do a low fly-by pass to record their time for each leg. It is an exciting, challenging, and FUN part of the race, as planes swoop out of the sky and buzz the field like barnstormers from another time. The race organizers have to get a special release from the FAA to allow this maneuver at each of the host airports along the race course.

So there you have it. As pictures come in, we will post them of the various activities. If you can get over to a host airport to cheer on the racers, it will be a memory you will never forget. Race starts on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010!

*BLOGMASTER*

FREE Georgian Popcorn

If there is one thing that Georgian's are known for it is their generosity. Here is a snap that the crew sent from the Waycross stopover. In the lobby of the FBO, they offer free popcorn to all. Very fun.

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