More pictures from Murphysboro Leg

Well it was a warm day all across the race route. The team is bedded down safe and sound in Elkhart, Indiana and the plane is hangared from storms. Bev and Teresa got take out and took it back to their room for fear of the crazy weather. They also tried to cool off their room as quickly as possible in case of power outages.

As it stands now, the team is basically a full day ahead of schedule. So they can really watch the weather and take advantage of best winds and still make the last two legs of the race over the next two days. Zaon is still down, but attempting to charge battery overnight on powerpack. It would be helpful for the final push.

The pictures are of the second set from today's gathering in Murphysboro. The gang really had a lot of fun. The airport provided some guitar players, weather radar display, and a nice reception desk. A few more shots of the plane and a shot as they taxied away for the run to Indiana. Due to power issues and weather, the internet is not available, so we do not have any team shot photos today. More shots tomorrow afternoon. The team is doing great. Wish them luck on their final push.

*BLOGMASTER*

Landed in EKH just ahead of the WX. Bad thunderstorms in the area and closing in. Tornado watch. One plane is 100 nm out! I hope they do the smart thing. We hangared our plane. Hail would be too risky.

We got incredible tail winds with our ground speed logging as high as 182 kts. I took several pictures of the avionics each time we broke a record. Thank goodness we didn't delay our departure. BTW I did the take off and flew this leg (with a lot of help from Bev) and she landed it. Whoo-hoo! What an awesome teacher. --TAC

They're OFF to ELKHART 4:15p central

Well we were thrilled to see some of our blog friends had met the plane along with Bev's husband. The crew wiped off the bugs from the leading edges and the Larry applied the Wings of Hope decals.

The FBO fueled up the plane quickly and Bev and Teresa took a break in some air conditioning inside waiting for favorable tailwinds up to Elkhart. They had some light snacks and a couple of bottles of water each to recharge for the next leg.

Unfortunately the portable battery appears to be bad so they will have to go without the ZAON XRX for this leg. The crew will try to get the battery replaced before tomorrow.

The FBO was great as the line crew would bring out carts and inside the red cross had set up snacks. This is the home of some of the collegiate teams so there was a lot of press around to interview the teams. So for now here are the pictures that we could upload along the road. I will try to post one more set by 9:00pm or so.

*BLOGMASTER*

I forgot to blog that we are on the ground in Carbondale. We had both our hubbys and friends meet us. They cleaned bugs off our plane---what a treasure to have good family and friends to wipe off your bugs! We are a little hot but really enjoying the visit. I found my battery for the TCAS was low so we are recharging now. We are going to try for Elkhart tonight. --TAC

Took a landing light from a Bonanza and got ours working! Nice guys. We really owe Paul and Jason for their help. Lots of people backing up at the fuel pump. Our plane is prepped but we are trying to cool down in the building. Too much work in the sun. We should be off around 1130am ct with an ETA of 1:45pm at Carbondale. --TAC

BREAKING NEWS!! - Repairs underway

10:40A Central, the team just reported in that they have located a landing light there at Cameron, Missouri. Classic 47 is all fueled but Bev and Teresa will take a break while the plane gets it's 'eye' replaced. The power cable to the Collison Avoidance System is repaired and a kind soul, Jason there at the FBO would not take more than a heartfelt thanks from the team.

Bev and Teresa report that it is hot outside and they still have to scrub the bugs off the plane. Cameron is a single runway airport so traffic lines up and moves out fairly slow. Expect the next leg to Illinois to be airborne sometime just before Noon. The crew will do a full stop in Murphysboro and assess weather conditions in Indiana. They have located hotel accomodations at either checkpoint so everything is looking promising.

*BLOGMASTER*

Landed in Cameron with a nice run. It was crazy busy!

We are checking if we should replace the landing light here. I also jumped into the plane to steer at the pumps and pulled my TCAS power cable apart. I can fix it with a knife and tape. Call me McGyver. Maybe on of these nice mechanics has the tools to fix it a little nicer.

We were greeted by some nice ladies with strawberries and club soda. They even do 10 minute massages! Very nice.
--TAC

RACE DAY TWO - Predictions

Well the day starts early in racing to try to beat the heat and chances of building afternoon weather. Last reports indicate that the team likely got airborne by 0800H Central heading North to the Missouri checkpoint.

There is some smattering of light rain possible as the Missouri checkpoint is on the trailing edge of a weather system hanging over the Great Lakes region. It is unlikely that other than light turbulence this will cause no major distraction for the team. Since this is the longest leg of the race, it is very likely the team will put down for fuel and a break. The flight should take approximatley 2.5 hours.

The next stop also looks great down to Murphysboro, IL. There are no reported radar or weather issues anywhere in Southern Missouri or Illinois at this time. Though not as great of a concern today, the team will have to be mindful of summer pop-up afternoon thunderstorms not uncommon to this area of the country.

At this point, the team has a decision which is not easy. Although it would be advantageous to fly-by the Illinois checkpoint to continue on back North to Indiana, there are storms reported there for all day. Unless they can time the entry point very carefully, the team could risk time penalties if they have to divert to avoid IFR conditions. Further, the team is ahead of plan currently so no overnight accomodations have been made in Elkhart, Indiana and they are currently booked up. Given these factors, the team may decide to fly and hold for the night in Illinois and get their landing light repaired in hopes of better weather conditions to Indiana and beyond tomorrow? Remember this is all speculation based on reasonable data. Check back often for the crew updates as they become available throughout the day. Cheers!


*BLOGMASTER*

We were up before the sun. Left more WOH fliers at the Memorial Field Office. Plane is all checked out. Our landing light is inop but the taxi light works so we'll use that on the flybys until we can repair. First planes are launching. We are 18th. Exciting! TAC

1st Day Racing to Tuscaloosa

Well the team started off strong and as expected the cabin was toasty warm. They hung in there and flew over and under clouds and around a military operations area. The controlled tower in Alabama was fairly slow to move planes in and out on the tarmac so a tad frustrating. People are nice along the way. Take a look at some shots from altitude, Our nifty Wings of Hope Jumpsuits, and one of the ramps.

*BLOGMASTER*