We are dedicating our Air Race in memory of Tex Goppert who we hope will watch over us so we DON'T DO ANYTHING DUMB.

Marty and Kay with "Charley"

Marty and Kay with "Charley"

History of the Air Race Classic

In 1929, nineteen women set out from Santa Monica, CA, in flimsy, propeller driven airplanes, with a mission to be the first to cover the cross-country course to Cleveland, OH. Dubbed "The Powder Puff Derby" by Will Rogers, the competition was honest, agressive and dangerous. The air race featured such notable women fliers as Amelia Earhart, Louise Thaden, and Pancho Barnes. One female pilot, Marvel Crosson, died during the air race. Louise Thaden won the race, with Gladys O'Donnell and Amelia Earhart coming in second and third. The women's air race fell by the wayside during the war years. The race was renamed the All Women Transcontinetal Air Race (AWTAR) Derby in the 1940's and is currently called the Air Race Classic. 2010 marks the 34th all women's transcontinental air race.







2010 Air Race Classic

The 2010 Air Race Classic starts at Page Field (KFMY), Fort Myers, FL and terminates at Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK), Frederick, MD. The race has enroute stops at Waycross, GA (KAYS); Tuscaloosa, AL (KTCL); Hot Springs, AR (KHOT); Cameron, MO (KEZZ); Carbondale-Murphysboro, IL (KMDH); Elkhart, IN (KEKM); and Parkersburg, WV (KPKB). The race route is 2483.01sm, begins June 22 and ends on June 25. There are 55 all women race teams in the 2010 Air Race Classic. Marty and Kay will competing in Marty's 1953 Cessna 180. We will be Classic 3.





The Racers

Marty Goppert - Marty is an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) and a Certified Flight Instructor-Instrument (CFII), Multi and Single Engine Land with over 5,000 flight hours. She has flown as a commuter pilot and medical airlift pilot. She flew a Stearman barnstorming act for 13 years with the "Flying Circus" in Bealeton, VA. Marty currently flies a 1953 Cessna 180.







Kay Renfrow - Kay is a 400 hour Private Pilot, Single Engine Land. Kay resides on a residential airpark in Texas and flies a 1950 Cessna 140A.



Thank You

Race Advisor - Jim

Maintenance Advisor - Tom

Sponsor - Gorilla Airfield in Onondaga, Michigan

and a big Thank You to our ground crew at Heritage Airpark; Dan, Chuck, Cliff and Trevor. We would have never got it done without all of you.










Monday, June 28, 2010

On our way home

We were up at 6am and on our way to FDK by 7. We loaded Charley and moved her around to the maintenance hangar for her oil change. While waiting, we checked and rechecked the weather. Around 11am, the oil change was finished, her fuel tanks were full and we decided to head for Tri Cities (Bristol, TN) before the forecasted storms blew in. Abour 60 miles outside Bristol Marty noticed lots of thunderstorms on top of Bristol and we decided it was time to set Charley down. Kay pulled our her Blackberry and started searching the Airport Facility Directory for nearby airports before we hit weather. We ended up in Abington, VA, about 30 miles outside Bristol. Couldn't have found a nicer place to sit out the weather. The Operations Manager at Abington took us to a motel and gave us his phone number so that he could pick us up tomorrow morning to go back to the airport. We walked across the street to a small Italian restaurant and got something to eat. As we sit in our motel room with full "tummies" we are watching it rain and thunder outside. Tomorrow's forecast is for sunny weather and we hope to get almost all the way home tomorrow. We have been gone for two weeks now, and both of us are anxious to get back. We will keep everyone posted as to our progress. Maintenance OK.
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