Flight Training - December 2019 - 23

AFTER THE CHECKRIDE

BY WILLIAM E. DUBOIS

CHECKLIST

More than 100 Air Race Classic all-female
competitors competed in the four-day,
14-state cross-country journey in 2019.

YOU DESERVE A TROPHY
ANY PILOT CAN BE AN AIR RACER

YOU'VE PUT A LOT OF TIME, ENERGY, AND CAPITAL INTO YOUR TICKET; AND WHILE

that plastic card in your hand is the official award, you really deserve a trophy for all
your effort. Luckily, now that you have your wings, it's a simple matter to go out and
win one. At an air race.
No, you don't need thousands of hours. No, you don't need a screaming warbird.
No, you don't need deep-pocket sponsors. I'm not talking Reno here. There are dozens
of air races around the country each year open to everyday general aviation pilots.
Heck, I even know a guy who won a handsome trophy racing a Piper J-3 Cub-a Cub
that had to be hand propped, at that.
What kind of race plane is that?
One that was flown marginally faster than the other Cub in the race. Any airplane
can be a race plane, and any pilot an air racer. Air racing provides excitement, camaraderie, skill enhancement, and a link to aviation's Golden Age. Plus, a great many of
today's air races raise money for charities.
Sounds great, but is it safe? To you and your airplane, you bet. The vast majority of
air races are non-waivered-meaning
that they follow the federal aviation
regulations-and are flown daylight
VFR.
The only real danger is that you'll
become addicted to the sport.

The Sport Air Racing
League hosts a series
of races across the
country each year that
build points toward a
Season Champion title.
Airplanes fly against
like-kind airplanes
based largely on
engine size. Trust me,
if your airplane has a
propeller, they have a
category for it.
Going to EAA AirVenture in Wisconsin?
Why not race into
Oshkosh as part of
the Airventure Cup,
and get the additional
benefit of a premium
parking spot in the
heart of the action?
This 400-plus-nautical-mile race is the
largest air race in the
country, in terms of
number of aircraft
competing, and is open
to airplanes ranging
from motor gliders to
Turbine Legends.
Want to take on that
Beechcraft Bonanza in
your Cessna 172? And
win? The Havasu 600
Air Race is handicapped, a system that
levels the playing field
among the contestants'
aircraft, and is open to
any pilot flying a stock
airplane between 100
and 600 horsepower.
For precision, for
more than five decades
the Hayward Air Rally
has been zigzagging
around the west. It's a
test of flight planning,
navigation, and pilotage skills. The course
is kept secret until the
day before the rally.
And for women
only, the Air Race
Classic is a long-distance cross-country
handicapped race that
has its roots in the 1929
Women's Air Derby.
Plus, there are
dozens of local races
that are part of fly-ins
or type club meetings
each year.

DAVID TULIS

WILLIAM E. DUBOIS is an aviation writer,

world speed record holder, and two-time
National Champion air racer. He teaches
Rusty Pilots seminars for AOPA and
blogs his personal flying adventures at
PlaneTales.net.

AOPA.ORG/FT 23

http://www.PlaneTales.net http://www.AOPA.ORG/FT

Flight Training - December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - December 2019