Three K-State Salina Students Represent University in All-female Air Race Classic

Three K-State Salina Students Represent University in All-female Air Race Classic
Posted on July 7, 2015
Air Race Classic Team

K-State Salina’s Air Race Classic team in front of the race aircraft. Front row: Alisha Kelso, team member. Back row, from left: Karen Morrison, pilot; and Summer Gajewski, copilot.

By Julee Cobb
(publish in K-State News http://blogs.salina.k-state.edu/?p=1417)

It’s a race that rewards composure as much as it does velocity; it requires intuition along with learned skills; and the last place finisher could actually be the overall winner. It’s called the Air Race Classic – a competition for female aviators who journey across more than 2,200 miles, making nine stops in four days.

Putting all of their knowledge – education and instinct – to the test, three K-State Salina students took part in the race that began in Fredericksburg, Virginia on June 22 and finished in Fairhope, Alabama on June 25. Team pilot, Karen Morrison, senior in professional pilot and airport management; team copilot, Summer Gajewski, senior in professional pilot and technology management; and team member, Alisha Kelso, senior in professional pilot, faced a variety of challenges during the competition including flying in high-density traffic and low altitude flybys at unfamiliar airports. The women also had to make piloting decisions based on tail wind, weather and altitude scenarios.

Although the event was demanding and could have been seen as a rivalry, the K-State Salina participants say flying with all females was empowering and the race was the chance of a lifetime.

“As the 50 airplanes in the race took off from the start line, it was nice to hear all female voices on the radio,” said Kelso. “The scenery was beautiful, flying across the Appalachian Mountains, near Lake Michigan and to the Alabama coast. We experienced the friendliest hospitality and I was highly encouraged by all of the pilots we met along the way.”

The Air Race Classic consists of two or more female pilots who fly a single or twin-engine airplane with importance placed not on who crosses the finish line first, but rather on the pilots’ skills. The competition focuses on how the teams perform and adapt to flying conditions during each leg of the race. Teams can only compete in daytime hours and can only fly under Visual Flight Regulations.

“This event has given me the confidence I need to take long cross country trips and I look forward to racing again,” said Kelso.

This is the 39th year for the Air Race Classic.

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