Alva Review-Courier -

An amazing week of aviation activities is scheduled for the Alva Regional Airport June 19–23. This is the kind of thing that might sneak up on you and you could miss because it is unusual.

This column is not really meant for pilots or aircraft owners, although they are welcome to read. It is intended for citizens of all ages who might like to help make a good impression for Alva.

An informational meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 14, at the Alva Airport Terminal at 5:30 p.m. for everyone who might help out with the Women's Air Race and the Alva Fly-in a couple days later.

As Paul Kinzie told Kiwanis, on the morning of June 19 around 9:30, the skies around the Alva Airport will begin to look like Chicago O'Hare airport. There is a women's airplane race that starts in Sweetwater, Texas, at 8 a.m. that morning. It is called the 42nd Air Race Classic.

Kinzie said, “With more than 6,000 airports in this nation, somebody associated with the Air Race Classic organization apparently made a stop at the Alva Regional Airport and was impressed. The next thing we know our airport manager is getting a phone call asking if the Alva airport would consider being a landing stop on the first day of the annual race.”

This is a BIG deal. The Air Race Classic will send 56 aircraft teams our way from Sweetwater, Texas, a former training field for the WACS of World War II. Since more than one person may be riding in a plane, the estimated total will be 121 women in 56 teams from 35 states and five foreign countries landing in Alva as part of the competition. Several of the teams are students from prestigious universities such as Auburn, Ohio State, and 16 others.

Many volunteers are needed and you don't have to be a pilot or an expert on airplanes.

Because the aircraft fly at different speeds, the fastest are expected to make the trip from the starting point in Texas (300 miles away) in about 2.5 hours, depending upon winds. If a plane lands every two minutes in Alva (and you have to allow proper separation between each plane), 56 planes will take about two hours to land, say, from 9:30 to 11:30.

Besides sequencing in the air for landing, people are needed to guide the aircraft on the ground to safe parking spaces. Nearly all aircraft will need refueling and their passengers will need bathroom breaks. The Chamber of Commerce is planning to put together goodie bags and provide snacks for the pilots and passengers to enjoy as they wait their turn for fueling.

The air race is not a race between each other, but rather a handicap time created for each individual aircraft. There is a fast timing fly-by at each of the eight participating airports on the route to Maine. Each aircraft will be scored against itself. The entire route is about 2,656 miles. Faster airplanes will likely finish in two days, but slower aircraft may take four.

No one wants this to happen, but June weather in Oklahoma is unpredictable for flying. If bad weather moves into Alva, it could force an overnight stay, with a need for shower facilities, lodging facilities, transportation and food conveniently available. If Alva is going to make a great impression (our goal), then we can't leave a bunch of stranded pilots standing on the airport tarmac wondering what to do until the bad weather passes.

The air race is the Tuesday of the aviation week in Alva. Later in the week, there are other events including air shows, free flights for youth, paid flights in World War II aircraft, banquets and after-dark movies coming up. I'll write about that later.

The purpose of this column is to convince the kind people of Alva to show up at the information meeting on May 14th at the airport to determine if they can help.