February 3, 2005
For first time, all-female air race will feature two Purdue teams
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two teams of aviation technology students will represent Purdue University in this summer's Women’s Air Race Classic. This is the first time the university has entered more than one team.
Kristina Lukas and Katherine Conrad will make up one Purdue team, and Sarah Andersen and Kirsten Korkus will form the other in the longest running all-female airplane race that will begin at the Purdue University Airport on June 21 and conclude there on June 24.
"These four women are excellent representatives of Purdue University and collegiate aviation," said Thomas Q. Carney, professor and head of the Department of Aviation Technology. "Purdue has a rich and proud history in the Air Race Classic and in aviation in general. These young pilots will continue that tradition and help Purdue make aviation history once again by not only becoming one of the first universities to sponsor two teams, but also by being one of the first universities to serve as the race's host."
The Air Race Classic has roots that go back more than 70 years when the Women's Air Derby in the 1930s brought pilots such as Amelia Earhart, Bobbi Trout and Ruth Elder to an air race from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland, Ohio.
The Purdue Department of Aviation Technology sponsored the first all-student team to participate in the Air Race Classic, and Purdue teams have competed in race for the past 12 years. A Purdue team finished first in 1996, becoming the only college team to have won the competition. In the 2004 race, the Purdue team of Lukas, of Park Ridge, Ill., and Allison Martin, of Indianapolis, placed 11th and were the third highest-placing collegiate team.
Lukas, a junior in professional flight technology, was a Purdue team pilot for the 2004 race. She is a certified flight instructor, who has logged more than 390 hours of flight time, and teaches at Lafayette Aviation. She has earned the FAA commercial pilot certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings. She is a team leader for a group of Purdue aviation students conducting research for United Airlines and is a member of Alpha Eta Rho, a national aviation fraternity, and Women in Aviation.
Korkus, from Mount Prospect, Ill., is majoring in professional flight technology with a concentration in air traffic control. A member of Alpha Eta Rho, Korkus is the head of the Air Race Classic 2005 program advertising committee and has served as a member of the Air Race ground crew. She is a certified commercial pilot with instrument rating and high-performance and complex endorsements. She has logged more than 270 hours of flight time and is a member of a team of aviation technology students conducting research with IBM.
Conrad, of Cincinnati, is a sophomore in Purdue's professional flight technology program. She has earned a commercial pilot certificate with instrument rating and has logged more than 230 hours of flight time. She is a member of the Air Race Classic ground crew and a team of aviation technology students conducting research with United Airlines.
Andersen is a junior aviation technology student from Wabash, Ind. A certified flight instructor, she also holds a commercial pilot certificate with high performance, complex and high-altitude endorsements. Andersen has served as member of the ground crew for Purdue's Air Race Classic teams since 2002 and is on the committee helping to organize the 2005 race. She has also worked at the Wabash Municipal Airport.
The race isn't won by speed or by the size and power of a team's aircraft. Teams win based on the efficiency and accuracy they exhibit in every aspect of the race. Teams are rated based on their performance compared to their airplane's handicap. Because of the nature of the scoring, it is impossible to gauge a team's performance in relation to other teams until the competition is over.
This year's 2,455 nautical mile race includes stops in Winona, Minn.; Beatrice, Neb.; Bartlesville, Okla.; Shreveport, La.; Walnut Ridge, Ark.; Tullahoma, Tenn.; Ohio University in Athens, Ohio; and Frankfort, Ind.
Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu
Sources: Thomas Q. Carney, (765) 494-9954, tqcarney@purdue.edu
Keri T. Wiznerowicz, Purdue Air Race coordinator, (765) 494-2612, wiznerow@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: Publication-quality photographs and interviews with any of this year's pilots can be arranged by contacting Matt Holsapple, Purdue University News Service, at (765) 494-2073 or (765) 496-6160, mholsapple@purdue.edu.
Related Web sites:
Purdue University Home Page: https://www.purdue.edu
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