Shannon Hicks-Hankins of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, has been flying for 30 years while co-pilot Pam Rudolph has been an aviator for a much shorter time. But both agree they enjoy the freedom they feel when flying.
"I learn sometime every time I go up," admits Rudolph.
Hicks-Hankins and Rudolph along with teammate Frances Irwin make up Team No. 27 – Three of a Kind Racing in the 2017 Air Race Classic. It's a 2,652-mile race involving 115 female aviators divided between 52 airplanes. The race started Tuesday, June 20, at Frederick, Maryland, and concludes Friday, June 23, at Santa Fe, New Mexico. Plainview is the final stop before the planes made a final turn to the west and head toward their destination.
As of 6 p.m. Thursday, eight teams already had completed the course and were safely on the ground at Santa Fe. Ten more were on the ground at Plainview, and local race officials were expecting many more to overnight at local motels. By waiting until morning, the teams can take advantage of cool, smooth air over the mountains of New Mexico before afternoon heating makes conditions rougher.
"We could have as many as 30 planes tonight," speculated Rocket Aviation's Tim Hardage about 1 p.m. Friday as two race planes were on the tarmac and more were on the way.
Reviewing the race thus far, the members of Team 27 admitted they had faced their share of challenges from strong headwinds. "We should be making 168 mph, but we haven't been able to do that because of the conditions," said Hicks-Hankins. They are flying a Piper/Comanche PA-24-180 showing the registration number N5390P.
Her biography explains why Hicks-Hankins participates in the all-female event. "I race because it is fun and challenging. The amount of knowledge you gain from the experience is extraordinary. The shared aviation experiences with other women aviators is priceless."
Currently she helps run the family business by handling office work. She also is a flight instructor and has been flying for 30 years. She worked as a captain flying FedEx freight for Empire Airlines in a C208 for three years.
Copilot Pam Rudolph worked as a pharmacy technician for Kaiser Permanente around San Diego County before retiring and moving to Arizona. After moving to Lake Havasu, she worked at Desert Skies FBO.
"Tookie took me on my first race in 2009, the Palms to Pines, and I was hooked," her biography states. "I love the challenge of planning and executing the perfect cross country with Shannon and Frances, flying the airplane as fast as it will go, and enjoying a week of camaraderie with the other women pilots."
Teammate Frances Irwin developed her interest in aviation during 13 years of employment with a leading distributor of aircraft parts, Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co. With her marriage in 2003, she became part of the ACS Products team involved in manufacturing aircraft parts, and her passion for flying continued to grow.
"I race for personal challenge and camaraderie of other female pilots," she write. "Skill development and fun."
