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Flashback Event. LifeStyle Ambassador, Cynthia Lee is Flying the Diamond DA40 in the 2015 Air Race Classic.
This isn’t the first air race for LifeStyle Aviation Ambassador, Cynthia Lee. In 2012 Cynthia and her teammate Nancy Rohr flew their first Annual Air Race Classic. This year will be their second ARC for the team – ’10 Carat’ number 28 in this years race. This Annual Air Race Classic (ARC) an all-women air race, will take place June 22-25, 2015. Its 2529 statute mile race will begin in Fredericksburg, VA with stops in Hickory, NC, Connellsville, PA, Jeffersonville, IN, Kalamazoo, MI, Lawrenceville, IL, Kirksville, MO, Union City, TN, Gadsden, AL with terminus in Fairhope, AL.
The ARC is an annual VFR (good flying weather) cross-country event flown by airplanes with at least 100 horsepower (HP) and not more than 600 HP in either a competition or a non–competition class. Competition Class includes Stock and modified Stock, normally aspirated, piston powered airplanes, rated for continuous operation at maximum engine speed. Non-Competition Class includes airplanes not qualifying in Competition Class per ARC Rules, and those teams are not racing, but flying the event solely for education and experience. Both classes follow the same rules and enjoy similar flying adventures over the 2529 mile course.
All entered airplanes are flown for Handicap speed before the start. Teams then race their handicap speed, trying to best their own top speed from timing line to timing line. Once the first plane launches they have 4 days to fly all 9 race legs and to arrive and cross the Terminus finish line. Thorough knowledge of the rules and route are critical to successful completion of the race.
Two current licensed women pilots comprise a team. Passengers are allowed and they must be women pilots or student pilots. This year 53 teams are entered in the race with pilots ranging in age from 18 to 88 years and who come from a wide variety of back grounds. Included are 13 teams representing colleges who will vie for the perpetual trophy for the top college team as well as overall placement.
A little ARC history. The first race took place in 1929, originally called the Women’s Air Derby and included a field of 20 women pilots that included Amelia Earhart and was won by Louise Thaden. That race flew from Santa Monica, CA to the Cleveland Air Races in Ohio. The All Women’s TranscontinDA40ental Air Race (Powder Puff Derby) was formed in 1948 and ran until 1977. The ARC ran it’s first race in 1977 with a 2400 mile race from Santa Rosa, CA to Toledo, OH and is the longest running air race in the USA.
Louise Thaden who flew in the very first women’s air race in 1929 was quoted as saying “…added skills are developed, self confidence is increased and enduring friendships are made.” That still holds true today. Thirty-nine years later, over 100,000 statute miles later and 1500 teams later the Air Race Classic remains a venue for competitive flying.
Cynthia Lee is an instrument rated private pilot with 700 hours. Retired after 37 years of Operations and Engineering Management with DuPont anDA40d Axalta, is now an avid pilot and photographer. LifeStyle Aviation first met Cynthia back in 2011 when she was trading in her Piper. We helped Cynthia get into a beautiful brand-new Diamond DA40 with our DiamondShare program. That DA40 is the plane being flown in this years ARC. Since purchasing a modern aircraft Cynthia has been able to really enjoy the aviation lifestyle. She has traveled to Martha’s Vineyard, the Bahamas, Key West, Texas, Arizona, New York and other places. Cynthia became a LifeStyle Aviation Ambassador to share with others the freedom that the modern flying lifestyle creates.
LifeStyle Aviation is proud sponsor of Cynthia and Nancy #28 team ’10 Carat’ in the 2015 Air Race Classic.
An Impressive Performance in the 2015 Air Race Classic for Team 10 Carat!
LifeStyle Aviation Ambassador Cynthia Lee and her teammate Nancy Rohr, number 28, team 10 Carat finished the 2015 Air Race Classic yesterday at 3:05 pm with almost 2 hours to spare flying in a Diamond DA40. LifeStyle Aviation was a proud sponsor of Cynthia and Nancy, team 10 Carat, in this years race.
The biggest challenges on Day 1 for team 10 Carat were the fly-bys across the timing lines.
They did fly-bys at 150 kts at 200′ AGL to start and stop our time for each leg. The patterns were very congested with planes arriving, landing and departing. They even had to do a dual fly-by, as they were overtaking a slower plane at the timing line.
Day 2: Cynthia and Nancy encountered Marginal VFR along most of the route, but they were able to safely fly across the flat lands of Indiana, Michigan and Illinois and stay below the scattered layer of clouds.
Day 3: They waited out the severe thunderstorms between Lawrenceville, IL and Kirksville, MO in the morning and finally departed about 11:15am CDT and easily completed legs 6 & 7.
With the handicap system, it is impossible to know how they are doing versus the other racers during the race but they are making safe decisions and having fun. They had winds gusting to 28 knots at the Kirksville, MO, fly-by. It’s quite a challenge to hold altitude at 200’AGL flying at 170 kts with winds gusting to 28kts.
Day 4: The team had hoped, weather permitting to get up early and finish the final two legs, from Union City, TN to Gadsden, AL, then to the terminus in Fairhope, AL but they discovered a dead battery in the morning when they arrived at the KUCY airport, in Union City, TN, to fly their final two legs of the race. Fortunately the wonderful crew at KUCY were able to recharge their battery in a few hours. Six hours later they were in the air and were able to do a fly-by to continue at Gadsden, AL, KGAD, and then direct to the terminus at Fairhope, AL, KCQF.
Since they were the last team to leave KUCY and the last team to cross the finish line at KCQF, they had large crowds at both airports waving as we flew the timing lines.
They will not know their actual standings until later this weekend. We are very impressed with their race performance. Congratulations! and excellent flying team 10 Carat!
What to learn more about the Diamond DA40 – the safest aircraft in its class. An ideal traveler and trainer. LifeStyle’s DiamondShare program revolutionizing buying and using modern aircraft. LifeStyle Aviation Ambassadors and the freedom of the modern aviation lifestyle. Click her for more ideas about how to enjoy the aviation lifestyle.
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