Decorah volunteers mount well-run operation to greet airplane racers

Volunteers help with an arriving airplane

The Decorah Airport was jammed with volunteers on Tuesday afternoon who were making sure participants in the 41st Annual Air Race Classic were getting everything they needed.

The race began Tuesday morning in Maryland.  Decorah was the third city on the route, with pilots stopping at the airport and some moving on to Brainerd, Minnesota and some spending the night in Decorah.

One of the race participants, Candie Oldham from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, said the weather was good for flying Tuesday, but she and her partner, Sue, would probably head on to Bemiji for an overnight stay to avoid a line of thunderstorms.

Volunteers at the airport had food and information available for the pilots.  Other volunteers handled car traffic or helped anchor the airplanes.
 
Decorah Airport manager Mike Connell says there may be planes landing in Decorah on Wednesday as well.  He has arranged motels, camping spots, airport shuttle vehicles, food and drink for the racers.
 
Weather permitting planes will be leaving Decorah starting at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday.
 
The 41st Annual Air Race Classic is an all-women, transcontinental airplane race with women pilots of all ages, competing on teams of two or three.   Teams must arrive in Santa Fe, New Mexico, by 5:00 p.m. Friday.  The race covers 2,648 miles across 14 states in 4 days.

Racer Candie Oldham cleans her airplane