News/Press Releases

Three generations of local women named the Above All Fly Girls, competed in the 40th annual Air Race Classic, a woman only cross-country air race.

The goal of the Air Race Classic is to increase the visibility of women in the aviation community. 130 women pilots in 55 teams from around the country compete in this annual event.

Joan Steinberger, Terry Harris and Anna Ramirez are three local pilots who represented Santa Barbara in the Above All Fly Girls.

Pilot Steinberger is 89-years-young and started flight training in Santa Barbara in 1953. In her 50 plus years of flying, she has logged 4,300 hours, as and flown in a variety of air competitions. Now retired after working for Stratman Aero Service as an aircraft mechanic for over 25 years, she spends her time at the Santa Barbara Airport as a self-described "airport bum," owning and maintaining her PA-28.

Co-Pilot Terry Harris, 60, has been an active member of the Santa Barbara aviation community since 1987. With over 7,700 logged hours, she spends most of her time teaching local pilots how to fly, helping them earn advanced ratings, and keeping them current. She is scholarship chair of our local 99's chapter, volunteers as a mentor to "young eagles" through A Different Point of View, serves for both SB's Aero Squadron and Aero Medicos in Baja, and is an active member of EAA, SAA, and SB Medical Reserve Corp.

The youngest crew member is 20-year-old Anna Ramirez who earned her Private Pilot in December 2014. Since then, she has served as an EAA volunteer pilot, flying "young eagles," and a guest speaker for numerous youth aviation groups including Santa Ynez High School's Aviation Club. She is currently studying English at UCSB.

The raced in a 1979 Cessna 182Q that was donated by Above All Aviation. It has a Lycoming O-470-U18B engine with a maximum 235 horsepower at 2500 RPM. This is the second year the plane competed in the Air Race Classic. Due to the plane's identification number ending in BP and commonly called "bravo papa," it's been dubbed the "Angry Potato" for the rough Spanish translation.

The race started last week out of Prescott, Arizona and ended in Daytona Beach, Florida last weekend. On June 24th they crossed the finish line in Florida.

At the Awards Banquet, the Fly Girls earned 4th place in the third leg of the race and 2nd place in the first leg of the race. "We couldn't have done it without our support from Above All Aviation, and all the support from family, friends, and sponsors. Thank you for following us through this journey!" they wrote on Facebook.

Visit AboveAllFlyGirls.com for more information and view their Facebook page for details and photos from the race.