Minnesota gets the axe

The official word came from the race committee that the Minnesota stop is eliminated from the race. Due to continued IFR conditions in the area, it is just not possible to move all those planes North and then wait for the weather to clear to get them back heading to the East.

So all of the race planes are in the process of re-locating to the 4th stop point so the race can essentially begin anew from Galesburg, Illinois. That is great in theory but continued weather briefings all day have NOT RECOMMENDED flying into that airport so at least a dozen planes are still on hold in Nebraska including the Purple Hearts and their baby birds from Purdue and their now graduated team from Ohio State.

Gale force winds and downpours were so strong last night that the rain seeped through the door seal of the Archer and soaked the seats of the plane. All in all it is just a mess as far as weather. At some point, if the race route seems impossible to navigate through, the Hearts will fly further South into
the Midwest and then turn for Maine to join up with the remaining teams for the wrap-up celebration. Even if they can't complete the scheduled route, the journey and challenges along the way are what truly make the RACE!  More to follow.

-ed

Despite axing Minnesota, this still blocks racers between Nebraska and Illinois