The Wings of Dreams team, Christy Smith and I met Bee Haydu at the Denver Airport. Next stop the Sheraton Hotel some 25 miles away but near Centennial Airport from whence the race starts.
In the afternoon we had our first 2 hour meeting outlining the many things we had to do en route and emphasizing those items that would disqualify an entrant. We were given a form to keep track of our actual time each leg. After reviewing this we deduced it required a math major to qualify. It seems that times are recorded by seconds, then converted into minutes and seconds, then deduct your handicap to get a percentage of your performance. The reason seconds are so important is that in a race some years ago, the winner was determined utilizing a fraction of a second. WOW! What have we gotten ourselves into?
In the evening we had a banquet at which time all the 34 teams were introduced and given a charm depicting the air race route. Bee mentioned that in the “olden days” when she raced, not only did we not have such sophisticated navigation assists, but many methods used today were much simpler. But she pointed out that she will be a valuable back seat pilot. I’m sure you know that Christy and I will be pilot and co-pilot.
When our #26 Team was introduced, Bee, our WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII) received a standing ovation. Tomorrow starting at 8:00 more meetings.
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