Vectors Wild 2012: Race Day 1! - UPDATED WITH PICTURES 6/20

Well it's the end of race day one, and we are sitting in Goodland Kansas after a challenging day with three race legs and about 900 miles behind us. Let me recap... The morning started with a 630am briefing via Skype from our favorite meteorologist Dale (immortalized below in Linda's poem!). Then we drove over to the airport and loaded the planes in time for the 8am start. At this point, everyone is hugging everyone and wishing them well, but each racer also becomes very internalized and focussed on the task in hand. The starters signaled us to start our engines, then we taxied out in race number order to runway 32, where a very excited lady with a big green flag waved us off in closely spaced intervals. And off we went!

Since we are #5, we got off very early in the line and climbed as fast as we could go, zooming towards the mountains looming over Havasu. We had about a 9,000 foot climb to accomplish to keep us safe up in the higher ridges, which we did with no problems, and finally found ourselves over the same Arizona-New Mexico plains that we had navigated the previous week (except this time much faster and at much lower altitudes!). It was still early in the day so although it was over 90 degrees the ride was smooth, and again we were awed by the beauty of the scenery beneath us around Flagstaff and Sedona.

The race is flown with throttle and propeller controls full forward, to maximize power and speed, so a lot of the flight is taken up with engine management and ensuring that speeds and temperatures don't redline. Racers also have a lot of tricks to optimize performance, one of which is shutting all the air vents to minimize drag, so it's essential to drink tons of water to avoid dehydration. The first flyby was about 300 miles away at Gallup New Mexico. The purpose of the flyby is to set the time at the start and end of each leg. The timers are spotters who are located at a defined point on the ground at the airport, and in order that they can see you close enough to identify each aircraft, an FAA waiver is obtained in advance that allows the racers to fly at very low altitudes, usually 100 or 200 above ground level, as they pass over the timing line. To execute a flyby, the pilots have to descend to this altitude and fly a defined procedure, while keeping maximum speed up the whole time. This is a challenging flight profile, especially in the blistering heat of the SW and prairie winds which buffet the plane mercilessly this close to the ground. After thundering by the timing line and setting our own time as a backup, we reduce power and climb to pattern altitude, and allow the engine and the pilots to gradually cool off, before returning to the airport to land. First leg accomplished, we grabbed some food and drink, refuelled, added more oil and set off again on the second leg from Gallup to Hereford Texas.

Leaving Gallup was interesting since the airport elevation is about 6000 feet but the density altitude with the heat was over 9,000 feet. This means the engine has to be leaned on the ground and throughout the flight, and it takes forever to pick up enough speed to take off and climb. Now the day was starting to seriously heat up, and we reached some of the highest points of the entire race on this leg, including the dramatic 11,000 foot mountain range just E of Albuquerque that we got a good close look at as we flew by. We also started to pick up some significant tailwnds, which was nice. After this the mountains give way to arid plains that gradually start to show signs of agriculture. Hereford is surrounded by large cattle pens that can be seen (and sometimes smelled) from a long way away. We completed the flyby and landed again for fuel and water. Just as with everywhere we stopped, the ground crew were so helpful and enthusiastic. However the wind was gusting to 25 knots when we landed, and heat was intense.

The last leg of today was from Hereford to Goodland Kansas. By the time we did this leg in the afternoon, the effects of a day of intense heat were starting to become apparent, at least for me. The 270 mile journey was conducted in thick haze and baking heat over Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, but we got some kicking tailwinds which made up for it. At one point the GPS registered 199 knots! To take our mind off of our discomfort, Linda and I sang show tunes, and when we ran out of those we started on Christmas carols, and of course we had a rousing chorus of "Oklahoma!" when we passed over the state line. The final flyby of the day was tricky as the airport was very difficult to spot, and the winds were gusting even higher here, to 35 knots. Linda was pilot on this leg and did an awesome job landing. Here in the hotel, you can literally hear the winds howling outside. We did pass a couple race planes close by on the route. Racers communicate with each other on the radio to let each other know where they are, and to pass on helpful information, and to talk when they are passing. A couple of the really fast planes are already at the next stop; a few of the slower planes will likely spend the night back in Hereford; but we suspect most will end up here tonight. Linda will upload pictures later tonight, and will also separate my paragraphs which for some reason I can't do on my iPad.

This is Linda. I'm having trouble with a slow internet connection so I am only uploading a few photos from our last night in Lake Havasu. Hopefully I will find a better connection tomorrow to upload today's photos.

This is Ethel, Barb and Alison and the racers briefing on Monday.

The three teams from the Eastern PA chapter of the 99s went to dinner for our last night in Lake Havasu. We went to a restaurant called the Golden Horseshoe. Earlier in the weekend when we were taking our boat ride we saw this boat go by. Guess what restaurant it was advertising? Yep, the Golden Horshoe.