​​PRESS RELEASE 6-15-2015

​​    Team 28, comprised of Cynthia Lee of Avondale, PA, and Nancy Rohr of  ​Bear, DE, will be flying a Diamond Star DA40 in the 39^th Annual Air Race Classic (ARC), all-women air race, which will take place June 22-25, 2015.  This year’s 2529 statute mile race will begin in Fredericksburg, VA, with stops in Hickory, NC, Connellsville, PA, Jeffersonville, IN, Kalamazoo, MI, Lawrenceville, IL, Kirksville, MO, Union City, TN, and Gadsden, AL with the terminus in Fairhope, AL.   

    The first race took place in 1929, originally called the Women’s Air Derby, and included a field of 20 women pilots that included Amelia Earhart and was won by Louise Thaden. That race flew from Santa Monica, CA. to the Cleveland Air Races in OH.  The All Women’s Transcontinental Air Race (Power Puff Derby) was formed in 1948 and ran until 1977 when the ARC ran its first race with a 2400 mile race from Santa Rosa, California to Toledo, Ohio, continuing the competition as the longest running air race in the USA.

    Cynthia Lee is a 700-hour instrument rated private pilot and is retired from 37 years of operations and engineering management with DuPont and Axalta, and is now an avid pilot and photographer.  

    Nancy Rohr is a 4,000-hour Airline Transport Pilot and began her flying career in 1985, flew for a Fortune 500 company before advancing into aviation management for a major professional pilot training organization.

    Cynthia and Nancy will depart on Thursday, June 18, 2015 from New Castle County Airport for Fredericksburg, Virginia to enter their second ARC, having previously flown in the contest in 2012. 

    The ARC is an annual VFR (good weather) cross-country event flown by airplanes with engines providing at least 100 horsepower (HP) but not more than 600 HP in either a competition or a non-competition class.  Competition Class includes Stock and modified Stock, normally aspirated, piston powered airplanes, rated for continuous operation at maximum engine speed.  Non-Competition Class includes airplanes not qualifying in Competition Class per ARC Rules, and those teams are not racing, but flying the event solely for education and experience.  Both classes follow the same rules and enjoy similar flying adventures over the 2529 mile course. 

    All entered airplanes are flown for handicap speed before the start.  Teams then race their handicap speed, trying to best their own top speed from timing line to timing line.  Once the first plane launches the teams have four days to fly all nine race legs and must arrive and cross the Terminus finish line by 5 PM.  Thorough knowledge of the rules and route are critical to successful completion of the race.

    Two current licensed women pilots comprise a team and passengers are permitted provided they are women pilots or student pilots.  This year 53 teams are entered in the race with pilots ranging in age from 18 to 88 years and who come from a wide variety of backgrounds.  Included are 13 teams representing colleges who will vie for the perpetual trophy for the top college team as well as overall placement.

    Louise Thaden who flew in the very first women’s air race in 1929 was quoted as saying “…added skills are developed; self-confidence is increased; and enduring friendships are made.”  The Air Race Classic remains a venue for competitive flying with over 1500 teams and 100,000 statute miles flown.

    To follow race Team 28 go to Cynthia’s blog at http://tejas.zenfolio.com/blog or the official Air Race Classic website at www.airraceclassic.org.; then go to Follow ARC as the Racers fly to the Finish.