Purdue News
Purdue News
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July 9, 2004 Air race team places 11th; Purdue to host 2005 raceWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue's two-woman Air Race Classic team placed 11th overall in a field of 33 teams in the four-day event, which is the longest-running all-female air race in the world.
Team captain Allison Martin, of Indianapolis, and co-pilot Tina Lukas, of Park Ridge, Ill., landed their Lockheed-Martin-sponsored Warrior III at Purdue Airport on Wednesday (June 30). The pair announced to family, friends and media that Purdue will host next year's Air Race Classic. "We want to get the word out to colleges in the region that we're hosting it, so maybe more colleges will participate," Martin said. Professor Thomas Carney, head of Purdue's Aviation Technology department, said Purdue will be the ideal site for the race. "We're going to host an event that's going to be a landmark for this group," he said. "With the long and proud history of aviation and aviation education at Purdue, the university's relationship with Amelia Earhart and preparations for her final flight, and because she was so active with the foundation of this race, it's a connection that could only happen at Purdue." One reason Martin and Lucas want more students to compete is so other young female pilots can experience the thrills and adventure they enjoyed during this year's race. "It was unbelievable," Lucas said. "I can't believe we're back already. I can't believe how much we've seen." Martin and Lukas are both juniors majoring in aviation technology in the School of Technology and both are commercial instrument pilots. They sent daily e-mails home during the cross-country race and also kept in touch via cell phone. The race began in Wichita, Kan., with a flight plan that led them to Lamar, Colo.; North Platte, Neb.; Gillette, Wyo.; Huron, S.D.; Eveleth, Minn.; Sheboygan, Wis.; and Hannibal, Mo., before returning to Wichita. "I heard from Allison every day," said her mother, Donna Martin, of Indianapolis. "I feel like I was with them all the way. Allison has wanted to fly ever since she was little, but she never had the opportunity to do it before she got to Purdue. She never had a flight lesson before she started here." The Air Race Classic has roots that go back more than 70 years when the Women's Air Derby brought pilots such as Amelia Earhart, Bobbi Trout and Ruth Elder to an air race from Santa Monica, Calif., to Cleveland, Ohio. Purdue teams have competed in the Air Race Classic for the past 10 years, finishing first in 1996 (the only collegiate team to ever do so). The Purdue Department of Aviation Technology sponsored the first all-student team to participate in the race. Last year's team, Keri Wiznerowicz and Heidi Moore, placed 10th. They were the highest finishing student team, winning the race's inaugural Collegiate Challenge Trophy. 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. Writer: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu Sources: Thomas Carney, Aviation Technology, (765) 494-9954, tcarney@purdue.edu Allison Martin, (317) 402-0341, martin44@purdue.edu Tina Lukas, (847) 975-0848, klukas@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu Related Web site: PHOTO CAPTION: A publication-quality photo is available at http://news.uns.purdue.edu/images/+2004/martin-airrace.jpg
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