Adams to compete in cross-country Air Race Classic

     Jessica Adams of Buffalo Center will fly across the country next week in her first ever pilot competition, as she competes in the 40th Air Race Classic. She is one of more than 130 women pilots from around the country who will be flying in this year’s race, which begins in Prescott, AZ and ends in Daytona Beach, FL. The race, which is the oldest of its kind in the United States, will be held June 21-24.

     Adams is competing as a member of the team from Minnesota State University, where she is a senior studying aviation. Joining her on the team are her co-pilot and fellow senior Amy Dahlheimer, along with support crew members Allie Rachko and Lauren Hensley, who are juniors at MSU. This is this first year MSU has entered a team in the race, where they will also compete in a collegiate division.

     Adams and her teammates will be among 57 teams in this year’s race; flying a 2,716 mile course from Arizona’s pine forests and high desert through America’s Midwestern heartland to the sandy beaches of Florida.

     The race takes place over four days, but the first plane to reach the finish won’t necessarily be the winner. “It’s kind of a race against ourselves,” said Adams. She explains that each team took part in a handicap flight ahead of the race, which sets the time to beat for each individual plane. “A lot of it is who can read the weather and the winds the best and plan the fastest route.” 

     See story in this week's Tribune.