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Daytona Beach Student Team Gears Up for Women’s Air Race Classic Competition

Daytona Beach, Fla., June 14, 2010 -- Two pilots from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Daytona Beach campus will be participating in the historic Women’s Air Race Classic, which runs June 22-25. The race, which has been in existence for over 30 years, covers 2,483 miles this year and includes stops in eight cities.

The race originally started in 1929 under the Powder Puff Derby name. Even though the name changed, the tradition among female pilots to highlight their determination and tenacity to be respected aviators has kept the tradition alive. The race continues to stand as a symbol of pride for the friendly competitive spirit and camaraderie among the female aviators. This year the race celebrates the 100th anniversary of licensed women pilots.

Pilots Hannah Northern from Forestville, Calif., and Kim Ewing from Easton, Conn., were selected to represent the Daytona Beach campus. Both racers are seniors in Embry-Riddle’s Aeronautical Science program and are scheduled to graduate in December. Northern competed in the Air Race Classic last year, finishing third in the collegiate division and 10th overall.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to compete in this historic race and represent Embry-Riddle,” said Ewing, a first-time racer in this competition.

The team will depart from Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach flight line at 11 a.m. on Thursday, June 17, to start their journey. They will be joined at the send-off by a team from Embry-Riddle’s Prescott, Ariz., campus that will also compete in the air race. Faculty, staff, students, and the news media are invited to wish the teams farewell and good luck. Their goal is to excel in the competitive field of more than 55 teams and over 100 pilots and fly the fastest cross-country route.

The team will be flying one of Embry-Riddle’s Cessna 172 single-engine aircraft equipped with a Garmin G1000 cockpit. Each aircraft in the race is judged against its own handicapped cruising speed, and the winning teams must follow the route as closely as possible while improving the average speed. This format focuses on piloting skills and decision-making instead of the speed of the aircraft.

“Our biggest challenge will be to make a million good decisions,” Northern said. “This race isn’t about a clean-cut win or loss, it’s about making all the right decisions and ensuring you get to the end of the race safely. The smallest wrong decision could put us in last place.”

The race begins at Page Field Airport (KFMY) in Fort Myers, Fla., on Friday, June 22, at 8 a.m. EDT. The racers must check into eight cities along the route and complete their journey to Frederick Municipal Airport (KFDK) in Frederick, Md., by 5 p.m. EDT Friday, June 25. This year the racers will stop in Waycross, Ga., Tuscaloosa, Ala., Hot Springs, Ark., Cameron, Mo., Murphysboro, Ill., Elkhart, Ind., Parkersburg, W.V., and Frederick, Md.

The competition also includes collegiate race teams from Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, Jacksonville University, Dowling College, and Indiana State University.

A special send-off celebration will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, June 17, at Embry-Riddle’s flight line. For more information about the send-off celebration, or to learn more about the racers, please contact Carolina Lenz-Anderson at (386) 226-6977.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus at more than 150 campus centers in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East, and through online learning. For more information, visit www.erau.edu.