Departure Day is tomorrow

It has been very hectic getting ready for this year's air race but also very exciting.

Unfortunately we had a sad event in the family. Jerry's wife Laurie lost her grandfather suddenly on Saturday morning and the funeral was today. Laurie's family is very close knit and this was a tragic and unexpected event.

As I started this update Bill was driving Sheryl to our house from the Providence airport after her trip here from Indianappolis. I set out to get Sheryl but had a flat tire. Luckily Bill was able to complete the mission and Sheryl was not stranded in Providence.

Sheryl and I are planning on leaving for Florida tomorrow morning. The weather is not looking promising for an early morning VRF departure. The big news is that Bill will be coming with us to Florida. Bill and I have been trying to buy a house on a short sale in FL for several months and finally got the word it was a go, so Bill will need to be there on Saturday for inspections. He will then find his way home on SouthWest while Sheryl and I proceed to the start of the race in Fort Meyers.

Sheryl and Bill quickly became fast friends on the trip home from the airport and Sheryl even convinced Bill to stop for lobster and clam chowder so we had a seafood treat for dinner.

Sheryl and I spent time going over the charts for the race course this evening. Since tomorrow will be IFR and we will have Bill along, the plan is to fly the first leg out to FL with Bill and I in the front seats and Sheryl in the back. Once we get into VFR conditions we will switch Sheryl to the front for the remainder of the trip. This may allow for Sheryl to get acquainted with the Bonanza before actually flying it.

So many folks have been tremendously generous with their time and equipment to get us ready for the race. To name a few, Pete and the crew at Yankee Aviation making sure N4685M is in tip top condition, the "other Bill", Bill Griffith for Sheryl's familiarization with the Bonanza including over 10 hours of flight time in his, Ty Lingo for additional instruction and safety procedures for Sheryl, Mike Haden for helping Sheryl with presentations for race fund raising and of course the XXXXL shirts (what a hoot, never saw one that big) and hats, Craig Lesinski for flight training with Judy, Bill Snow for being an awesome husband and letting us take his plane, and of course the "other" Bill to mention again for the very, very generous check toward gas money. We also have so many, many well wishes from friends and family for fair skies and a safe flight.

Track us on www.flightaware.com if you want! All you need to do in enter the airplane tail number, N4685M. We can also be tracked via the airraceclassic.org where there is a link to track your favorite racers. We are team #1. Yippee!