Tullahoma played host to one of the nation’s most prestigious flying events this past week as Tullahoma Regional Airport and William Northern Field saw scores of aircraft on their tarmac in the next-to-the last stop of the Air Race Classic.
Once known as the Powder Puff Derby, the event tracing its roots back to the days of Emelia Earhart, the Air Race Classic is the pinnacle of women's air racing. Pilots range in age from 17 to 90 years and hail from a wide variety of backgrounds including students, teachers, doctors, airline pilots, business owners, professionals and air traffic controllers. Race teams, consisting of at least two women pilots, must fly VFR during daylight hours only and are given four days to make flybys at each timing point and then land at the terminus which this year was Terre Haute, Indiana. The race route changes each year and is approximately 2,400 statute miles in length with eight or nine timing points. Tullahoma was chosen as one of the stops this year and was the go-home layover Thursday evening before the teams made the final leg of their journey to Terre Haute Friday morning.
The race started in Lakeland, Fla. on June 21 and cross-crossed the southeast and Midwest, making numerous stops along the way at places like Muscle Shoals, Ala., Hattiesburg, Ms., Pine Bluff, Ark., Lawrence Kansas and several others.
Nelson and Karen Collins, who hanger their aircraft in Morristown volunteered to help with the Tullahoma leg of the event. This is their fourth year of being involved in the ARC. They helped with logging times of aircraft as they landed in Tullahoma Thursday morning and afternoon.
“We will have about 50 racers passing through,” Karen said of the aircraft which each contain two occupants. “They will stay in Tullahoma overnight and then take off in the morning to complete the event.”
Mrs. Collins, a pilot herself, is among more than a dozen volunteers who gave of their time to help with the race.
“I took up flying about the time I retired,” she said, noting her husband serves as co-pilot during their flying journeys. “As far as the event here, there are all kinds of aircraft competing so it’s quite a sight to see all of them coming in for a landing and then taking off.”
Given there are different types of aircraft competing, the race is judged according to a handicap given to each team, similar to bowling and golf handicaps.
In the Competition Class, every team flies a handicap flight and receives a unique handicap for their airplane. Each Team crosses a timing line at the start and finish of each leg of the race; The Team's speed for each leg is calculated based on those times. At the end of the race, the Team's overall speed is calculated based on those leg times and compared to the Team's handicap. The Team that beats its handicap by the largest number wins. In essence, teams are racing against themselves and trying to beat their handicap by the best margin. The first place winner takes home $6,000 cash along with other awards. There are also awards for each leg of the race.
Given the fact that Tullahoma was a landing spot this year, Karen said there is a good chance it could be many years until it is chosen again as organizers like to move the stops around each year.
For more information about the race and information on how to participate or volunteer, go to https://www.airraceclassic.org.
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