Takeoff was to have been at 8:30 this morning but it didn't happen. This is a VFR race - Visual Flight Rules. No flying in the clouds, which may have ice in them anyway. We're all hanging around the airport due to weather.
Our leg #1 is from Pasco at about 120 degrees passing near Pendleton, La Grande, Baker, Boise then timing at ID26 and landing at Mt. Home for fuel. The hangup is at Meacham, ID. If you've driven from Boise to Pendleton, Meacham is just about the high point where you drop down for Pendleton. The weather is low at Meacham and this is VFR. So we can't go until the weather lifts at Meacham and we can all get through.
We are now all carrying trackers and will have them turned on all the time we're in the air. You can track us on your computer. Go to trackerleaders.com and check on ARC 2013 then go to racer 25.
You'll find us in real time. If we're not moving we're stopping for fuel or sleeping.
Later - same day. The air race leaders decided that the race start weather en route from Pasco is not going to improve today or tomorrow. They directed the racers to find their own way to Mt. Home to start their individual races, i.e. there would be no group takeoff. So we all took off, some filing instruments and the rest flying directly south then east around the crummy weather. We stopped in Caldwell for fuel then flew the fly-by at Mt. Home and on to Logan, UT. Around 20 racers made it to Logan before dark - the deadline. Others have stopped at various places along the way and will be in to Logan tomorrow and on with the race. So the race has started, though in a rather unusual way.
I notice that these blogs all carry my signature, though I haven't written then all. So I think we'll we signing them. GNJ
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