Payette pilot competes in oldest air race

Local pilot Brenda Carter, Payette, will soar across the country in her team’s small aircraft competing in the 2014 Air Race Classic this summer which begins June 16 in Concord, Calif. and spans over 2,338 nautical miles.

Racers will undergo briefings, flight planning, and fly -by study prior to take off. The race is an annual all  female  pilot air race in which pilots race against their own best speed in the plane of their choice. There are, however, limitations: the aircraft must be “stock” small airplane and have their handicap speed identified with a check  pilot. They will zoom through ten intermediate stops in four days enroute to New Cumberland, Pennsylvania in the quest for the fastest time.  This is the third Air Race Classic for Brenda Carter.

The ARC carries on the long tradition of women’s air racing that dates back to 1929. Air racing became popular in the 1920’s, but women pilots were forbidden to race against the men in that era, so the ladies started their own. This year’s ARC will have fifty teams and over one hundred female pilots compete for the championship title. Brenda first entered the race to become a better pilot and is returning because she learned “it is a great way to see this country and meet dynamic women pilots.”

Story and photo:  http://www.argusobserver.com