Valley duo will be flying high

June 19, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/Frontiersman

WASILLA - By the time you read this, Charlotte Luckett and Jacquie Biloff will have already begun a 2,500-mile journey that will take them over portions of 14 states and one Canadian province over the course of the next three days.

Luckett, of Palmer, and Biloff, a former Palmer resident who now lives in Pierre, South Dakota, are the first-ever Alaskans to compete in the annual Air Race Classic, an all-women's flying race founded in 1977 to follow in the footsteps of the original Powder Puff Derby, which began in 1947.

In Oklahoma City Monday, the women said they're excited at the prospect of racing across the country together in their Cessna 180.

&#8220Oh yeah,” Luckett said via cell phone from an Oklahoma grocery store Monday as the two stocked up on supplies for their journey.

The women are longtime friends from Biloff's days in Palmer. They first got the idea of competing in the national competition when Luckett accompanied Biloff to South Dakota when Biloff moved last year. Shortly after that flight, Biloff proposed the duo team up again.

&#8220She called me up and that's all it took,” Luckett said.

Biloff noted that while she now lives in South Dakota, she still has strong ties in the Valley.

&#8220I'm still an Alaskan at heart,” she said.

The Air Race Classic has stops in nine locations as contestants snake their way north from Oklahoma City to St. Johns, New Brunswick. Along the way, two-woman teams stop in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, New York, Vermont and Maine.

Luckett explained that the race isn't necessarily a speed event. Instead, teams must follow a strict set of guidelines. Points are deducted for flying in unsafe weather or at night. In addition, teams are judged based upon what type of aircraft they use.

&#8220It's a race with a handicap,” Biloff said.

Luckett and Biloff are the only team in the competition flying a 180.

&#8220We're the only ‘tail dragger' in the race,” Biloff said.

Both women are experienced pilots with more than 4,000 hours of flying time under their belts Biloff currently runs Born to Fly Graphics in South Dakota, while Luckett is an Aviation Safety Inspector for the FAA in Palmer.

The race is expected to finish in Canada on Thursday. To follow the duo's progress online, visit www.airraceclassic.org.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com