Women Pilots Will Fly Over Cda

More than 40 propeller airplanes will fly past or land at Coeur d’Alene Airport on June 22 during the 19th annual All-Women’s Cross-Country Race Air Classic.

The race starts at 8 a.m. that morning in Reno, Nev., with a series of fly-bys or stops planned across the country, ending in Huntington, W.Va.

Most of the planes will reach Coeur d’Alene between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Every one of the planes must either fly past the CDA Airport tower or land here to continue in the race.

Each plane has two women pilots, many of whom stop in Coeur d’Alene to get fuel, check their times and decide whether to continue racing to the next check point.

The winning plane is the one with fewest hours in the air, not total hours taken from start to finish, said Betty Bailey of Coeur d’Alene, who is helping organize the North Idaho leg of the race.

No North Idaho or Eastern Washington pilots are involved in this year’s race, Bailey noted.

The planes taking part cover a full gamut of both single- and twin-engine aircraft, she added.