By Joseph Hughes
Following in the footsteps of Amelia Earhart, an Ohio University senior and her instructor recently competed in the 27th annual Air Race Classic. Dotting the skies from Kansas to Kitty Hawk, student Susan Grundler and instructor Kristin Shoemaker followed the path of myriad female aviators dating back to the early 20th Century.
Departing from Pratt, Kan., on June 21 in a Cessna 172 supplied by the Russ College's Department of Aviation, Grundler and Shoemaker traveled 2,400 miles, finishing three days later in Mateo, N.C. Dubbed the "Flight into History," the 2003 Air Race Classic paid tribute to the centennial of the Wright Brothers' historic flight with a fly-by of famed Kitty Hawk, N.C., on the way to the finish.
Each competing plane was assigned a handicap speed, with the goal of getting its ground speed as far over the handicap speed as possible. With each team flying against its own speed, any entry has an equal chance at victory. The Classic is not a test of speed; instead, it measures the pilots' proficiency and overall excellence. The official standings were not released until the final competitor crossed the finish line; the last arrival can actually be the winner, too.
Grundler and Shoemaker finished fourth among the four collegiate participants in the classic, 26th overall. Many of the Air Race Classic's other participants were veterans of the sky. Elaine Roehrig of the winning duo, for instance, has 58 years of flight experience and has participated in 14 Air Race Classics.
"That there were only four collegiate teams speaks volumes about the hard work of Susan and Kristin," said Aviation Department Chair Juan Merkt. "It required a lot of preparation and professional teamwork. This is the first time we've participated in the Air Race Classic, so it took the support of the University and the Aviation Department as well."
An all-women's air race has existed since 1929, when twenty pilots -- including Earhart -- raced from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland in the First Women's Air Derby. Racing continued through the 1930s and resumed following World War II with the All Women's Transcontinental Air Race (AWTAR).
When the AWTAR finished its 30-year run in 1977, the Air Race Classic began. Twenty-seven years later, the extended amateur cross-country race featured more than 30 teams, including four participating in the inaugural Collegiate Challenge Trophy.
"Contests like the Air Race Classic help attract women to aviation," Merkt says. "If you look at aviation programs at universities nationwide, you'll see more men than women. We hope young girls look at the Classic for inspiration and at women like Susan and Kristin as role models. The women of our program are very active in extracurricular offerings and are quite motivated.
"For instance, women make up approximately 10 percent of our students; however, nearly half of our Flight Team are women. Our female students also participate in a Women in Aviation chapter, Alpha Eta Rho (an international aviation fraternity) and in our new airport executive training program."
Ohio University's participation in the Air Race Classic continues an impressive spring for the school's flyers. The University's flight team, the "Flying Bobcats," placed 12th in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association's (NIFA) Safety and Flight Evaluation Conference (SAFECON) this May. Placing ahead of schools such as Oklahoma State, Kansas State and the U.S. Naval Academy, the Flying Bobcats have appeared at the NIFA's SAFECON two years in a row.
Joseph Hughes is a writer for University Communications and Marketing.
