in the spotlight
and let them know what kind of
weather we were running into.”
Conditions Were Awful
“This was my 17th air race, and this
race was the hottest I’ve ever flown,
especially between Kansas and the two
stops in Texas,” Carolyn said. “The
temperatures were around 99 degrees in
the cabin, and we had to keep the vents
closed to reduce drag. All we had was a battery-powered dollar-store fan. We were sweating a lot, and we drank two to three bottles of water between each leg. We did a lot of communicating between us to make sure that we were alert and focused at all times. “We just accepted the fact that there would be some discomfort, but it is the challenge, the camaraderie of the girls,
Air Race Classic
Classic 13 pilot Marolyn Wilson raises a
cheer as she and her flying partner, Elaine
Roehrig, arrive at the terminus.
and the experience of going to airports
where we never landed before. The heat
is just a part of it, but it is immaterial.
Flying is a passion for all of us.”
Warm Receptions
“The volunteers on the ground could
not have been more gracious and
generous with their time and their
interest in us,” Carolyn said. “We were
overwhelmed with the warmness of
the receptions we got. Each time we
landed, we were greeted at the plane
with a bottle of ice-cold water, which
was so welcome at that time. At each
stop, we were fueled quickly, made a pit
stop, got a bite to eat, and we were back
in the air again.
“There were a number of families
who would greet us along the way.
Since we are a nonprofit 501(c)( 3)
organization, part of our obligation is
to educate the public, so we offered a
series of workshops for Girl Scouts,
which lasted several hours, at the start
and the terminus of the race.”
The camaraderie of the group
and the challenge to fly skillfully
and efficiently is what draws these
women to participate in the Air Race
Classic. For more information, visit
www.AirRaceClassic.org.
Henry M. Holden has been freelance
writing for 25 years, and is author of over
900 magazine and newspaper articles
and author of 36 books. In 1994 he
established the DC-3/Dakota Historial
Society (
www.DC3History.org).
