Handicap Complete! 

 

6am Memorial Day morning, up with the sun for the handicap run-again! This time the data logger did not mess up and we are hoping that we had a good run. This is a big boating weekend here in Lake Havasu, here you can see our world famous London Bridge and all the boats on parade in the Channel. So, a very good day to be flying instead of being out amongst the crazies.

 



Highlight on our Sponsors-Big Mike Harrah 

   Desert Skies Executive Air Terminal

 Skylane Elite Level Sponsors

We so appreciate our sponsors and without them we would not be able to participate in the Air Race Classic. We want to thank our sponsors and would like you to visit their websites, get to know them better, and thank them too.

 



 

The Quintessential Self Made Man: Big Mike Harrah

Mike Harrah certainly stands out—and not just because of he's 6'6 and weighs 275 lbs. While Mike Harrah's appearance may not conjure up expectations of a CEO and real estate developer, he's responsible for the construction of some of Orange County's most stunning structures and the preservation of some of her greatest architectural gems. His development of Lake Havasu City continues to draw tourists from around the world and the preservation of the Performing Arts and Events Center in Santa Ana, California cemented Harrah's role as a developer committed to the restoring the grandeur of Orange County's capital city. Thirty five years after launching his career with nothing but competitive zeal and a carpenter’s tool kit, Michael Harrah is the sole owner of Caribou Industries, a major development corporation which has built and managed restaurants, high-rise offices, hotels, golf courses, shopping malls, convention centers and other properties across the western United States. Harrah’s interest in aviation began in 1976 when he saw a simple, “Learn to Fly--$25” ad, took an introductory flight and was hooked. He worked his way up from a Cessna 310 to a 421B, buying and flying a number of planes along the way, all in the course of a couple months. He now owns a Gulfstream IV and five helicopters, including a Cobra combat helicopter he’s flown in a number of blockbuster Hollywood films.  And Mike Harrah is a wonderful supporter of our Rio Colorado 99s chapter and our Three of a Kind Racing team. His facility, Desert Skies Executive Air Terminal, is home for our annual Rio Colorado 99s Poker run.   So much good stuff to say about Desert Skies - they are the oldest and most experienced operator in Lake Havasu with over 20+ years in the FBO business. Aviation is their only business, let them serve you today! Stop by and grab a free hot cup of coffee or a cold bottle of water and relax between flights. Bargain fuel prices and top notch service from John, Andy, Jeff, Ryan and Bob, along with Melissa and Yvonne. When you come to Lake Havasu, be sure to follow the red golf carts for great service and outstanding fuel prices! 



 Handicapping for the Race 

 

 

 



 

 

Every airplane in the Air Race Classic receives its own handicap speed, that speed which is the fastest it can go at max power settings. To win, you have to beat your handicap by flying the best race possible, straightest line, find the tailwind, anything that will help you fly faster than the fastest you can go!

 

Earlier this week we flew our handicap flight, but the data logger did not transmit sufficient information for our handicap speed to be determined. So, we hope to fly again this weekend after Donna gets another data logger. Keep your fingers crossed for us, that this next one will be successful





Highlight on our Sponsors-ACS Products

 

 

 

We so appreciate our sponsors and without them we would not be able to participate in the Air Race Classic. We want to thank our sponsors and would like you to visit their websites, get to know them better, and thank them too.

 

 

 ACS Products: "Flo" Platinum Level Sponsor

 

Our Race plane is named for Flo Irwin. In the summer of 1956, Flo and Bob Irwin founded Fullerton Air Parts at Fullerton Municipal Airport in Southern California. Bob, born and raised in Kansas City, MO., a pilot since the 1940's and active in the CAP and other aviation groups, knew airplanes and the parts that were needed to keep them flying. Flo, a native of Rochester, New York, had no aviation background but learned the business quickly and knew what it would take to keep customers coming back... fair prices and good service. Fullerton Air Parts grew into one of the largest retail aircraft parts suppliers in the western states during the next nine years. 



Flo and Bob Irwin, along with their son John, moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona in the fall of 1983 and founded ACS Products Co., which manufactures a line of products which is distributed by Aircraft Spruce.

 Flo Irwin passed away on June 10, 1989, but the legacy of this warm, outgoing, and talented businesswoman lives on in the businesses she founded and built to serve the aviation community.

 

 John Irwin, his wife, Frances, and Bob Irwin now manage the ACS Products Co. operation. Bob Irwin is an instrument rated pilot with more than 2000 hours logged and based his 1968 Navion Rangemaster at Lake Havasu City until May 2000 when Bob retired as a pilot, after fifty years of flying, and moved the Navion to Chino Airport for his grandchildren to fly. Prior to acquiring the Rangemaster in 1976, Bob owned a Vultee BT-13B and a 1949 Ryan Navion. John and Frances both received their private pilot license in the fall of 2012. Their 1968 Cessna 182L is the race plane we have named for Flo. 

 



ACS Products has been supplying aircraft parts and accessories to the aircraft industry since 1985.  The majority of our products are stocked by our distributors. If you are looking for a customized version  of a stock product, or development of your own idea, you may deal directly with us. ACS Products occupies a 10,000 square foot facility located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The company includes a complete CNC turning and machining department, metal spinning department, welding department, assembly, testing, and inspection department, and an engineering department. Our CNC turning and milling department enables us to produce high quality parts at very competitive prices. The spinning department produces parts using the "spinning process"  which forms three dimensional parts out of flat stock, thereby reducing material loss and cost. All welding requirements are performed by certified welders using TIG and brazing processes. All products are subjected to critical first part, in process, and final inspection. Flight critical products like cables are 100 percent functionally tested. We also have an Engineering department to help you take your idea or print from prototype to finished product quickly and inexpensively. Thank you so much to ACS family for their support of our race team!



EAA Chapter 681

 

Yesterday the team paid a visit to our EAA Chapter 681 for the last meeting before they go dark for the summer (you racers that have been here in the summer, know why we don't meet! Whew, its hot!)

 

 

Our EAA chapter is a huge supporter of our race teams, and our Rio Colorado 99s chapter, and we so appreciate them. Last year they were a tremendous help for our race start, volunteering for hospitality and greeting racers as they arrived, helping with inspections of the aircraft, and organizing the take-off of 50+ airplanes in record time.

 

 

They were excited to hear about this year's race, and are ready to follow along as we race from Pasco WA, to Fayetteville AR. Thank you all for the donations to the team for the tee shirts and hats!

 Y'all are the best!

 



 

We made the local paper!

 

 

 

Local pilots competes in annual air race

 

Lake Havasu City, AZ – Local pilots, Pam Rudolph, Frances Irwin and Shannon Hicks-Hankins will soar across the country as they compete in the 2013 Air Race Classic (ARC) this summer which begins June 18th in Pasco, Washington and spans over 2,128 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” models (no experimental) and have their handicap speed identified with a check-pilot. They will zoom through eight intermediate stops in four days enroute to Fayetteville, Arkansas in the quest for the fastest time.

 

Both Pam and Shannon return for their second ARC while this will be Frances’ first race.

 

Rudolph holds a Private pilot certificate, single-engine land and sea, with 1,800 hours logged. Pam returns to the race for, “the adventure of seeing new places, honing my skills and because it’s so much fun!” A retired pharmacy technician, she owns a Bonanza and this year earned her seaplane rating. She enjoys flying back and forth to Florida several times a year to visit family.

 

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.

 

Frances is a Private pilot, single-engine land, with 116 hours logged. She is racing “for the personal challenge and camaraderie of other female pilots, skill development and fun.”

 

Irwin developed her interest in aviation through her employment with a leading distributor and manufacturer of aircraft parts. She and her husband, John, are both new pilots, and they enjoy flying together.

 

Shannon is an Instrument-Rated Commercial pilot with single-engine land and sea, multi-engine land, instrument flight instructor, and advanced and instrument ground instructor certifications and 5,775 hours logged.

 

Shannon races, “because it is fun and challenging. The amount of knowledge you gain from the experience is extraordinary. I love the excitement.”

 

Shannon does office work for her family business and teaches flying part-time. A graduate of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, she has been flying for more than twenty-five years. For three years, she was a captain flying FedEx freight for Empire Airlines in a C208. Her husband, Jon, is also a pilot and an aircraft mechanic.

 

This year’s ARC will have forty-seven teams and over one hundred female pilots compete for the championship title.

 

When she’s not up in the air, Pam enjoys quilting, a hobby she started when she and her husband, Bill, retired to Arizona. Frances enjoys skiing, camping, off-road riding, boating, paddle boarding and hiking with her dogs Buddy and Darla. Shannon loves the outdoors and adventure, travel, hiking, mountain biking and water sports. All three pilots are the members of the Rio Colorado chapter of the Ninety-Nines.