June 9, 2005

Aviation past, future fly high at Purdue for Air Race Classic

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – More than 80 female pilots will converge on Purdue University later this month for the country's longest running women-only air race.

Sarah Anderson (left),
and Kirsten Korkus
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The 2005 Air Race Classic, which will begin and end at the Purdue University Airport, also will feature activities that honor both the first generation of female pilots and the young women who are preparing to enter the field.

The race will take place June 21-24 and will include stops at eight other airports throughout the Midwest and South. Winners will be announced June 26.

"This year's Air Race Classic is more than a race," said Keri Wiznerowicz, a graduate student in aviation technology who is overseeing the organization of the race. "It is a chance for the next generation of aviation leaders – today's students – to pay tribute to the generation of pilots who paved the way for them. If these women had not fought for the great accomplishments they made, none of us would be where we are today. We owe them a tremendous ‘thank you."

This year's race will feature 41 teams of pilots, including 5 college teams.

Keri Wiznerowicz
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The Air Race Classic began in 1929 as the All Women's Transcontinental Air Race and has involved such pioneers as Amelia Earhart – who would later join the staff at Purdue – Bobbie Trout and Ruth Elder. The early races were major spectator events, and attendees included such celebrity aviators as Howard Hughes and Wiley Post.

"When the race began, there was a debate about how much horsepower women pilots should even be allowed to have when they flew," Wiznerowicz said. "In 1929 women had never before been allowed to take part in an air race. Today, women still account for a small minority of the people in aviation, but without the women who flew in the first race and other women who pushed the boundaries, we would not have the opportunities we have today."

In addition to the race, pilots who were members of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots will be honored at a banquet before the race, and at least one of these women who flew supplies during World War II will compete in the race.

Thomas Q. Carney, professor and head of Purdue's Department of Aviation Technology, said events like the Air Race Classic help encourage more girls and women to consider aviation as a career choice.

Air Race Classic team shirts
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"This race helps connect earlier generations of pilots with young people who are making choices and planning careers," Carney said. "It helps expose young people to role models they can look to as examples of what they can accomplish in aviation. These women are not just role models for girls and women, but, in a larger sense, for all of us who pursue excellence as aviators."

As part of the events surrounding the Air Race Classic and recognition of the early pioneers of flight, the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics will name the Purdue Airport a historical site during a private ceremony at 4 p.m. on June 25. The recognition not only honors the airport, but also Purdue's unique position among universities in the history of flight and aviation education, Carney said.

"Throughout the nearly 102-year history of powered flight, Purdue alumni, faculty and staff have played an integral role in essentially every step in the growth of aviation," he said. "Serving as host to the Air Race Classic will bring Purdue yet another connection to the history and evolution of aviation."

While Wiznerowicz has led the organization of this year's race, more than 50 Purdue students have worked on the planning committee, and a large number of students have volunteered to help during the race.

"We are able to come full circle this year, from the earliest aviation pioneers to the students who are just entering the field," Wiznerowicz said. "The extreme interest from the students shows how important it is for them to honor those who came before them and to be a part of the growing history of aviation the race represents."

Purdue's aviation technology department sponsored the first all-student team to participate in the race, and Purdue teams have competed in the Air Race Classic for the past 10 years. A Purdue team finished first in 1996, becoming the only college team to have won the competition. Based partly on Purdue's success, the race now awards the College Challenge Trophy to the top-placing collegiate team.

In the 2004 race, the Purdue team of then-juniors Allison Martin, of Indianapolis, and Kristina Lukas, of Park Ridge, Ill., placed 11th and were the third highest placing collegiate team.

This year Purdue will sponsor two teams made up of Lukas; Katherine Conrad, a sophomore from Cincinnati; Sarah Andersen, a junior from Wabash, Ind.; and Kirstin Korkus, a sophomore from Mount Prospect, Ill.

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.

In addition to the race, Purdue will sponsor several other events:

• Community cookout, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 19, Purdue Airport. The public can talk to this year's pilots, see aircraft and other aviation displays, tour Purdue's aviation technology department, and children ages 8-17 can take a free airplane ride with the Young Eagles. Tickets can only be purchased at the event and are $5 for adults and $3 for children 12 years old and younger.

• Blast-Off Breakfast, 7 a.m. June 21, Purdue Airport. Triple XXX restaurant will serve breakfast to each of the pilots and community members before the beginning of the race. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the event.

• Air Race Takeoff, 8 a.m. June 21, Purdue Airport. Attendees can see the competing airplanes depart from the airport, with a team taking off every 30 seconds. The event is free and open to the public.

• Awards Gala, 6 p.m. June 26, Purdue Memorial Union North Ballroom. The awards banquet is the closing ceremony for the Air Race Classic. Race winners will be announced, and Purdue alumnus and astronaut Janice Voss will talk about her experiences in aviation and the space program. Cocktails will be served at 6 p.m., and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. The banquet also will feature a silent auction. The event is open to the public. Tickets are available until Monday (June 13) by contacting Wiznerowicz at (765) 494-2331.

• Taking Flight exhibit, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday until June 30, Purdue Libraries Archives and Special Collections, Stewart Center, Room 279. Purdue Libraries will present an exhibit honoring participants of the first Air Race Classic in 1929. The exhibit will feature rarely seen items from The George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers, the world's largest collection of Amelia Earhart's papers and memorabilia. The exhibit also will include photographs of many of the early women pilots who participated in the 1929 race.

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

Sources: Thomas Q. Carney, (765) 494-9954, tcarney@purdue.edu

Keri Wiznerowicz, (765) 494-2331, wiznerow@purdue.edu

Libby Woelfert, Air Race Classic planning committee member, (765) 860-0683 (cell)

Note to Journalists: Journalists can attend any events and interviews with participants and winners can be arranged by contacting Matt Holsapple at (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu. Purdue teams will post a daily blog of their trip. Those blogs and other information about the Air Race Classic will be online. The media also can attend the Take Off Banquet at 7 p.m. June 19 at the Purdue Airport. During the banquet, members of the World War II Women Airforce Service Pilots and pilots from some of the first Powder Puff Derby air races will be recognized.

PHOTO CAPTION:
Sarah Anderson (left), a senior from Wabash, Ind., and Kirsten Korkus, a junior from Mouth Prospect, Ill., add decals to the plane they will fly in the Air Race Classic. The race, the longest-running and only remaining all-female air race in the country, will take off from Purdue on June 21. (Purdue News Service photo/Dave Umberger)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/airrace-detailing.jpg

PHOTO CAPTION:
Keri Wiznerowicz, a Purdue graduate student and organizer of this year's Air Race Classic, plans the race's route at the Purdue University Airport. The Air Race Classic, the longest-running and only remaining all-women's air race, will take place from June 21-24 and will begin and end at the Purdue Airport. (Purdue News Service photo/David Umberger)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/wiznerowicz-airrace.jpg

PHOTO CAPTION:
(From left) Katherine Conrad, a sophomore from Cincinnati; Kristina Lukas, a junior from Park Ridge, Ill.; Kirsten Korkus, a junior from Mouth Prospect, Ill.; and Sarah Anderson, a senior from Wabash, Ind., show off their team shirts for the Air Race Classic. This is the first year Purdue will sponsor two teams of student pilots in the more than 2,400-mile race. (Purdue News Service photo/Dave Umberger)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2005/airrace-shirts.jpg

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