February 7, 2012 AnnElise, Squeege, and the Quest for the Man Trophy

The Liberty Gazette

February 7, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Since its inception in 2007 all season point winners in the Sport Air Racing League were men. So AnnElise Bennett set her sights on what she calls the “Man Trophy,” vowing to claim one for her own. Trophies for the most accumulated points are awarded at the last race each year. In her rookie year AnnElise finished 13th in points out of over 100 racers, winning second place in her class. A fellow flying a Cirrus won the First Place Overall National Champion Trophy. AnnElise says that giant wood trophy “made the angels sing in my head, ‘ooohhh, girl, you gotta get one of "those!’” No female pilot had before been to the National Championship podium. There are no monetary prizes, we race for trophies and bragging rights. For AnnElise, that trophy, those bragging rights were priceless in the male-dominated world of aviation. The only way she’d have a chance at the top spot would be to race as many races in the season as possible, accumulating points.

AnnElise: Over the next few weeks, I worked on the Man Trophy Plan in my head. Since we couldn’t afford to go to every race in two airplanes I proposed in 2010 we would fly my airplane to as many of the far away races as we could manage, so I could win a Man Trophy, and 2011 would be Bobby’s year. It was crucial to my goal to do it by myself, in my airplane, so that I was solely responsible for winning (or losing) that big, beautiful piece of wood – and the aforementioned priceless bragging rights.

Linda: But AnnElise’s mother had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, and early in 2010 her health took a turn for the worse. She wasn’t afraid of dying, but feared how her death would affect friends and family. She wanted them to live life to the fullest, and AnnElise knew that meant grabbing every experience and adventure she could, to show her mother she would be okay.

AnnElise: Mom was hospitalized several times. My sister and I took turns spending 24-hour shifts with her. And while she wasn’t an “airplane person,” she appreciated that I was, and in spite of declining health she encouraged me not to miss a single race.

2010 started out according to the trophy plan, with races in Taylor, Sherman, and Plainview, Texas; and Cecil County, Maryland. The next race, in Mesquite, would be the fourth time “X-ray” and I raced against my friend Louise Scudieri and her bird, “41Mike.” We start in speed-order, fastest first, and because my speeds had been faster than hers, I took off before she did. We were neck-and-neck around the course, and every time I called a turn, she called her turn, closer and closer, and by the time we crossed the finish line, she’d managed to creep up on me, finishing just seconds behind me – but that’s all it takes.

Mike: Louise won in Mesquite, and AnnElise congratulated her for a very tight race. After the race, however, confusion about mileage and times brought adjustments to the final standings, placing AnnElise in first place. In view of her quest for the Man Trophy, she needed those points, but she had heard Louise’s turn point radio calls and knew her rival was the winner. Being a true competitor, AnnElise declined the first-place points. If the National Championship was to be hers, it would be hers fair and square. We’ll tell you next week what happened. Until then, blue skies.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 24, 2012 AnnElise Bennett

The Liberty Gazette

January 24, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: When Bobby Bennett said to his wife, AnnElise, “If you'll go to ground school and pass your written test, I'll buy you an airplane,” AnnElise says he really meant, “If you'll get your license you can be my co-pilot,” but she quickly explains that would be a sorely mistaken thought. Frequently the Dallas area couple flies two airplanes to compete in air races because, as AnnElise says, “I insist on aviation equality.”

Mike: The Bennetts live in one of their two hangars, a grass strip runs alongside, through their 80 acre funland. This is where AnnElise took many of her flying lessons from instructor Jill Williams Shockley. The Bennett runway is oriented northeast-southwest with power lines strung just feet from the north end, meaning departures and arrivals come with less cheek-squeeze factor when taking off or landing to the north (going out to or coming in from the south). However, prevailing winds from the south bringing a screaming quartering tailwind keep AnnElise on her aviation toes.

Her first emergency landing tested her skills for real when she had only 197 hours logged. She had picked up the airplane at a shop where repairs were made for hail damage. Lesson learned: always do a positive control surface check when control surfaces have been removed. One person manipulates controls while another holds onto the control surface so the weights are not causing the movement. Had they done that they’d have known she had no elevator control. But AnnElise passed the test with flying colors. Not a scratch on her or the bird.

Linda: In anticipation of their sixth wedding anniversary Bobby had asked AnnElise what she’d like to do to celebrate. She didn’t know right away, but after attending a 99s meeting, where air race queen Pat Purcell and Pat Keefer were pitching the U.S. Air Race she had her answer: “I want to race for our anniversary!” She says Bobby “looked at me like I had a hole in my head and said, ‘You want to what? We can't do that in a 172!’” Bobby now competes in his super-fast Bonanza, and AnnElise has moved up to a Cessna 182.

So what’s the favorite piece of living room furniture of a woman who lives in a hangar? It’s not the installed-in-the-floor trampoline, nor the climbing rope, rock wall, or gymnastic rings which contribute to her tight figure. It’s “X-ray”, her C-182, of course, adorning the living room when she’s not soaring fast and free. Bobby and AnnElise eat, sleep, live, breathe airplanes and X-ray has had quite a life. Before becoming a Bennett, X-ray was a sadly abused jump plane, but since her adoption has blossomed into as a sleek a racer as a C-182 can be.

Not content to be just a pilot, AnnElise has also helped Bobby, a highly experienced and award winning aircraft mechanic, overhaul at least 10 engines at last count, and is hoping together they will build a faster airplane to race. She’s especially enjoyed racing against Louise Scudieri, also a C-182 pilot, and says, “Every time I'm taxiing out to race, the adrenaline flows, the breath quickens, but it flows faster and sharper when I'm racing Louise because we are so well matched.”

Mike: And then there’s the “man trophy.” That’ll have to wait until next week.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

May 27, 2014 Sunshine and Handstands

The Liberty Gazette

May 27, 2014

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

 

Mike: AnnElise Bennett directs her energy to lifting others up, giving tirelessly with compassion and encouragement. Heartbreaking circumstances have taught her to meet challenges daily with perspective: to water the flowers, not the weeds.

After the accident last year that took her precious youngest daughter Sarah, her “Sunshine Girl”, two months before graduation from Stephen F. Austin State University, AnnElise took charge of her emotional health and began to feel her way through the darkness of grief.

Each of us travels that journey in our own way, and this pilot, air racer, skydiver-dropper lady faces the grief that follows the loss of her 21-year old child, as a pilot-in-command.

She created an endowment at the university in Sarah’s name, honoring her passion for photography with scholarships. Having long been a fitness buff, she continued to challenge herself physically with yoga, Crossfit, and gymnastics. At 56, she’s more fit than most people in their 20’s.

Linda: The first year is hard. 

What to do, as much as what not to do on the date that marks one year since the start of so much pain, deserves great attention to the heart. Approaching that mark, AnnElise steered her course: to Machu Picchu, Peru, with family members.

Intensely interested and prayerfully supportive, I watched for what she would share knowing it would be completely AnnElise, and completely Sarah.

Then one after another came Facebook photos of handstands. Maybe they started as a funny pose on this special trip, but what’s evolved is a story of inspiration.

Sister-daughter-niece handstands in Moray and Lima, and all over Peru began to signify the AnnElise’s message, helping her fight the sorrow by telling the world about the funny, blissful girl Sarah was. Fighting sadness by sharing happiness.

Back from Peru with an undeniable urge to handstand, her upside-down way that helps turn pain into Sharahing Sunshine is quickly catching on.

What doubles the pleasure is that her sister Carol has been part of it from the beginning, and now their daily handstand photos are among the things I most look forward to on the social media site.

In the Bennett Easter family portrait is AnnElise, handstanding. Against a Southwest Airlines B737 engine nacelle are AnnElise and Carol, handstanding. Next to the windsock at the Bennett’s grass runway, handstanding.

Carol, a concert cellist, in handstand pose, titled one photo, “Chilling-With-The-Maestro-Before-The-Concert-Handstand”.

Handstanding in the orchestra pit, the dressing room, with a Silver Fairy from the ballet Sleeping Beauty, at the door of Homeland Security, while broken down on the side of the road awaiting a tow truck, upon a suspension bridge, helping young ladies primp for the prom, up against a police car (officer in photo too, smiling), and in front of a ladder truck as the firemen were grocery shopping.

When Carol posed with a cat atop her feet, AnnElise replied with a photo titled, “I’ll-See-Your-Cat-and-Raise-You-A-Rooster-Handstand”.

Then Carol found a photo of Sarah at the beach – doing a handstand.

Now others are posting handstand photos, under water, in front of the U.S. Congress building, and the sunshine is spreading because these handstands make a statement.

For AnnElise it’s about not letting the sadness win. From the fun comes the deep-seated intent of the act: to Share the Sunshine. Pass it on.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com 

January 31, 2012 AnnElise and Squeege

The Liberty Gazette
January 31, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: The very classy and always stylish Ada Fay Schmidt said last week, “Linda! I just want to know one thing!” Curious, I asked, “What do you want to know?” Ada Fay said, “Which one of those ladies wins the race? I can't wait to find out!” I realized she was speaking of the friendly rivalry between Louise Scudieri and AnnElise Bennett, about which we’ve been writing in this space the past couple of weeks. Louise and AnnElise enjoy their competition. I've been at races where it seems everyone in the room holds their breath waiting to hear the times and speeds when those two race each other. So Ada Fay, this is for you. I asked them to tell it in their own words.

Louise: That is fantastic; Miss Ada Fay made me laugh out loud! I'm just looking forward to test pilot status in a couple of weeks. We will hopefully have everything on the new engine working by the beginning of March and right now my schedule is open March 31 for the first race of the 2012 season.

From the first time I raced a Sport Air Racing League race in Sherman in 2009 when AnnElise beat me by less than one mile-an-hour, I was hooked. Air racer and race organizer Pat Purcell found out I was racing Air Race Classic, tracked me down, and convinced me to try a Sport Air race just one month before the Classic. I am forever grateful. When Pat saw our times and speeds, she was quick to tell me I was ready for ARC and that AnnElise and I were well matched in SARL. I had such a great time from pre-planning, race brief, start, and the concentration of execution, that I felt so good after crossing the finish line I laughed my way all the way to parking! I savor the feeling and completely enjoy the experience each time (even when I miss a turn and beat myself up). Now that I have a new, faster engine I hope Bobby Bennett keeps his eyes open for a set of 520 steel cylinders on the back of a surplus truck or corner of a hangar to plug into AnnElise’s airplane to get us back into the same class. Until then, “41Mike” and I will attend every race we can fit into our schedule and invite more racers to ‘bring it’.

AnnElise: I remember being a nervous wreck the first time I raced Louise, it was the first time I'd raced anyone with the same airplane as mine. I figured she had to want it as badly as I did, being a girl competitor in the boys’ club. My highly competitive nature took hold and I went screaming around the course, flying the straightest, tightest line I could. My speed of 158.10 mph beat Louise’s 157.18. I was hooked.

Mike: These ladies compete hard. AnnElise won the first match, but come back next week (Ada Fay!), because there is more to this story and you don’t want to miss it.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

October 24, 2023 Sharah the Sunshine

The Liberty Gazette

October 24, 2023

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We have this friend, AnnElise. We've written about her a few times before. She’s been through so much. One of the most painful things in her life was the death of her youngest daughter, Sarah, in an accident ten years ago this past March. The pain doesn’t go away, but it somehow becomes part of who we are, and we learn to walk with it. AnnElise has found things to help her, one of which was a gift from Sarah.

Sarah was in college, just days from graduation. She was a ray of sunshine, brightening the lives of everyone who knew her. One thing she used to do was post pictures of doing handstands, just any place, any time. Handstanding became something AnnElise could do to “water the flowers and not the weeds.” To fight pain by spreading sunshine. Each of us travels that journey in our own way, and this pilot, air racer, crossfitter extraordinaire faces grief like a pilot-in-command.

And so, in her mid-50’s, she began to do handstands. To fight the sorrow and to tell the world about the funny, blissful girl Sarah was, causing happiness.

It started during a family healing trip abroad with her sister, Carol, a niece, and her older daughter, Lauren. Sometimes joined by others, they broke out in spontaneous handstanding. In Moray and Lima, and all over Peru. She and Carol returned home with an undeniable urge to do handstands; the upside-down way that helps turn pain into Sharahing Sunshine.

In the family’s Easter portrait is AnnElise, handstanding. Against a Southwest Airlines B737 engine nacelle, next to the windsock on her grass runway, handstanding. Carol, a concert cellist, went feet-up in the orchestra pit, at a housewarming party, while broken down on the side of the road awaiting a tow truck, upon a suspension bridge, up against a police car (officer in photo too, smiling), against a ladder truck as the firemen were grocery shopping. She titled one photo, “Chilling-With-The-Maestro-Before-The-Concert-Handstand.”

When Carol posed for the camera with a cat atop her feet, AnnElise replied with a photo titled, “I’ll-See-Your-Cat-and-Raise-You-A-Rooster-Handstand.”

Then Carol found a photo of Sarah at the beach–doing a handstand. 

Friends posted handstand photos–under water, in front of the U.S. Congress building–and the sunshine spread because these handstands make a statement. At the time, I supported my friend through prayer, encouragement, a listening ear. But it’d been decades since I’d tried a handstand. And I wasn’t exactly in great shape.

A couple years ago, I began strengthening and practicing my handstands. I hoped that one day, AnnElise and I could make that statement together. 

The recent Grumman fly-in was held at Pecan Plantation airpark, home to AnnElise. In the pavilion next to the runway, finally, I got to dive down, kick up, and handstand alongside my good friend. We had plenty of onlookers, and so many smiles. It felt good to Sharah the Sunshine.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

January 17, 2012 Cessna 182 Racers

The Liberty Gazette

January 17, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: I first met Louise “Squeege” Scudieri back in 2009 in Denver, as we prepared to race against each other across the country in the annual four-day long Air Race Classic.

Louise is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA), and CEO/owner of Smooth Inductions, P.C. An independent anesthesia provider, Louise puts people to sleep, wakes them up nice, and puts in epidurals and other blocks appropriate for various procedures.

But just last week Louise admitted to “fighting back tears of joy” when her mechanic left a voice message that the crated overhauled engine had arrived at the hangar. She had ordered a shiny new engine, upping her horsepower from 235 to 275. In the Sport Air Racing League that puts her in a new class, and the long time friendly rivalry between Louise and AnnElise Bennett is on hold now, until AnnElise can convince her aircraft mechanic husband Bobby to put some more ponies under “X-Ray’s” cowling (that’s what she named her plane). Louise wants very much for that to happen, too. She says of AnnElise, “She makes me fly a tighter race. I want her in my class.”

Both women own and fly Cessna 182s. Both are competitive, and I just learned that Bobby Bennett, the world’s best aircraft mechanic, is heading over to Louise’s hangar to take a peek.

The race classes in the League are mainly determined by horsepower and cubic inch displacement. With the old engine Louise’s fastest time was in 2010 at a race in Sulphur Springs, where she clocked 157.31 mph. The record for these factory-built aircraft (in Class 3 with fixed gear) is held by Red Hamilton and Marilyn Boese. They flew their Cessna 180 in a race in Sherman, Texas and turned in a speed of 187.24 mph. AnnElise’s fastest time in the three years she’s been racing the C182 was in 2010 in Courtland, Alabama, where she turned in a speed of 164.45 mph. Funny thing about how the airplanes are classed, is that in the Factory 3 Class the Cessna 182 competes against a Cirrus SR22, which is a much newer airplane with a sleeker, cleaner design, and whips through the air pretty fast.

But moving up with increased horsepower, Louise will now find herself in competition with another fine chick pilot, Nancy Benscoter, who raced her first League race last October in Arizona, and turned in a speed of 164.80 mph. I figure Louise’s new engine has just got to be a whole garden full of carrots dangling in front of AnnElise. Still, the self-employed medical transcriptionist/domestic engineer of two hangars, two rent houses, 80 acres and 11 dogs who loves to turn people on to general aviation and giving rides – from a starry-eyed six year old girl with huge aviation dreams to an adventurous 80 year old lady for her birthday – wonders, is Louise actually going to race, push her new engine to its limits? I can’t wait to find out. The race season begins March 31 in Sherman, Texas. While we’re waiting for that, come back to this page next week for a peek into the life of AnnElise Bennett, race aviatrix extraordinaire. Until then, blue skies.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

May 8, 2012 A special jump

The Liberty Gazette

May 8, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We heard some great stories over the weekend and they’re the kind too good not to share. The first is but another example of the generous nature we find often within the aviation community. You’ve probably heard of wounded warrior organizations and the good work done through them as so many veterans return home with serious injuries.

HALO for Freedom Warrior Foundation provides support for wounded warriors as they face challenges encountered during their rehabilitation, reintegration and healing process. They motivate, encourage, and afford opportunities these heroes might not otherwise have, lifting their spirits while reminding them that their sacrifices will never be forgotten. HALO (which stands for High Altitude – Low Open, a military parachuting term) hosted the Wounded Warrior Hog Hunt in Mineral Wells, Texas on April 12–14 this year. For this event a tandem parachute jump was arranged for a special warrior. They would be led in the jump by HALO president and double-amputee, Dana Bowman. At the last minute a change in plans threatened this very special program. Organizers asked Southwest Airlines Captain Alan Crawford to help so the event could go on as scheduled. Here’s what the good captain (and USAF veteran) told us:

Captain Crawford: I was invited to fly my Lancair Legacy, “Spirit of America”, painted in stars and stripes, in the opening ceremony. Two O1 Birddogs and five T-34s would fly formation flights. The parachute jump would start the event, then we’d fly various passes over the landing zone, then I’d fly the last pass at high speed to close the aerial program.

Dana is amazing. He opens the program skydiving into the landing zone with a large American flag attached to him and flowing. This particular day he was to open the show leading the jump, then immediately following him out the door a tandem jump had been arranged for Medal of Honor Recipient, Sgt. Leroy Petry, an Army Ranger. www.army.mil/medalofhonor/petry

Thursday night I learned the jump plane scheduled to take the three up Friday morning had cancelled. They asked if I knew anyone who could fill in. I thought of Bobby and AnnElise Bennett. I called Mighty Mouse (a/k/a Bobby Bennett – he has earned quite a reputation among pilots as one who can be called upon to “come to save the day”) and after explaining the situation I asked if they could make it to Mineral Wells with AnnElise’s Cessna 182, “X-Ray,” for a jump Friday morning. They said yes, and AnnElise flew in to Mineral Wells early Friday morning for the briefing and had the honor of taking these men up to 10,000 feet for the jump.

As usual, AnnElise and Mighty Mouse came through on short notice. Thursday night Bobby put the jump platform on X-Ray and had the plane configured for the jump. Friday morning AnnElise showed up and was able to pull off what I think was the jump of a lifetime for Sgt. Petry. I guess the most important thing is that whenever any of us have a chance to participate in a wounded warrior program, either donating our time or money, we should try and do it. What these young warriors have sacrificed for the freedom we have should not be forgotten. It was an honor to have met them.

Mike: Dana Bowman’s website is www.danabowman.com.

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

February 14, 2012 Winning - The Man Trophy

The Liberty Gazette
February 14, 2012

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: The competition was stiff and with only five races to go in the 2010 air race season AnnElise Bennett had to make every one, but her mother’s days were winding down, and she had to be there for her. She declined the first-place points in Mesquite, wanting the National Championship to be hers fair and square.

AnnElise: I spent almost every day with Mom in May, June and July, leaving only to go race, with her blessing. She was eager to hear how each race went, and, even as her words became fewer and fewer, she always reminded me that I needed to “go and get that big trophy.” She passed away two weeks before the Great Canadian Air Rally in August. Flying my Cessna 182 to Canada with a side trip to Niagara Falls was the Good Fly and change of scenery I needed.

Races in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Sherman, Texas, and Courtland, Alabama all went according to the Man Trophy Plan. Going into the final race in Taylor, Texas there were at least half a dozen racers over about a 50-point spread going for three trophies. Depending on how many airplanes showed up in each class and how each of the top racers performed, it was a nail-biter to the very last airplane launched and landed. Complicating my situation, a new racer in a 182 arrived at Taylor. This would be the final obstacle between me and the Man Trophy! I do believe that was the most nervous I’d ever been before a race, because beating or being beaten by another airplane in my class was a 10-point difference. Being neck and neck with so many other (male) racers, I needed every point I could get.

One of my stiffest points competitors, Jason Rovey in his RV-8, had seven airplanes in his class. If he did well in this last race he could earn 60 bonus points. As new racers are prone to do, the new fellow in the 182 chose to take a more leisurely pace around the course than I, so when the final results were posted, I was awarded my usual second-place points, behind the fellow in the Cirrus, but ahead of the new racer for the 10 bonus points.

I had managed to survive one of the hardest years of my life, race in ten air races, winning one with Louise Scudieri and losing one to her, and finish 20 points ahead of Jason, good enough for the 2010 Sport Air Racing League Bronze National Championship! Yes, I got silly with my Man Trophy and carried it everywhere – to the party, to bed with me, and even seat belted in the back seat of my trusty steed, “X-ray,” for the ride home.

When my personal results were tallied, I’d inevitably lost my mom (too early), but what I gained in great flying experiences, wonderful new friends, self-confidence with the personal satisfaction of setting a huge goal and ultimately accomplishing that goal in the midst of family tragedy proved that I am making the most of every opportunity, living life to the fullest, and I am okay. That’s what my mom wanted. I think she would be very proud.

Mike: Bobby Bennett won the 2011 SARL Gold National Championship and AnnElise won the Silver National Championship, still the only female pilot on the podium. 2012 is going to be an exciting year!

www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

December 31, 2019 Last Flights of 2019

The Liberty Gazette

December 31, 2019

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Thanks to good weather, the end of 2019 was filled with flight. On one of those lovely blue-sky days we moseyed west to the historic Stinson Municipal Airport. This airport began life in 1915 when Emma Stinson and her four children leased five hundred acres from the city of San Antonio. They opened Stinson School of Flying, where students were beneficiaries of passionate patriotism and piloting.

Katherine, Eddie, Marjorie, and Jack Stinson made significant contributions to aviation, and the airport named for them is the second oldest continuously operated airport in the country. Only College Park Airport in Maryland, built by the Wright Brothers in 1909 is older.

We love the old stone-faced art-deco style terminal, which was built in 1936. The building got tender loving care for its seventieth birthday when the city renovated and expanded it while retaining most
of the original structure. Inside, photographs and memorabilia decorate the halls chronicling Stinson Field over the past century.

The next day was also severe-clear, so we opted to go north, toward Granbury. The city of Granbury keeps several courtesy cars available for people who fly into their airport and want to go into town.

It’s good for the businesses and the city. They figure you’ll spend money there, at least for lunch. The Granbury airport has a really nice terminal building with a porch that wraps around the west and south sides. In Cracker Barrel style, comfy rocking chairs line the porch, perfect for watching take-offs and landings. Bring your own score card, if you dare.

Inside the roomy terminal, pilots and friends sit a spell to talk about airplanes and the wonderful freedom of flight. It’s always this way when we stop in at Granbury. Always filled with happy, friendly people.

After we fueled up the Elyminator, we messaged our friend AnnElise Bennett, who lives at Pecan Plantation airpark, just nine miles from Granbury. We hopped over and got the grand tour of her new house and the hangar where her Cessna 182, “X-Ray,” lives. We also happened upon several neighbors, most of whom we already knew, making for an impromptu reunion of friends.

Day Three was hanging on with decent weather again, so we ventured southwest to Mustang Island. What a great scenic flight along the beaches of the Texas Gulf Coast!

Not far from the island, we noticed circles on the ground—bomb craters. Along that route, there had once been towers where observers watched how close the students came to hitting the targets. Amazing that the rings of the craters still show up, decades later, despite floods and high winds.

At Mustang Island Airport, you can rent golf carts to go into town. Our picnic lunch on the island was superb, and the flight back made us think of a quote by William Langewische: “I ask people who don’t fly, ‘How can you not fly when you live in a time in history when you can fly?”

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com

June 4, 2013 Pixar Planes!

The Liberty Gazette

June 4, 2013

Ely Air Lines
By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: We bumped up our departure time by a few hours the Friday before the annual Memorial Air Race in Terrell, Texas, southeast of Dallas. The pre-race party would be at the home of our good friends, Bobby and AnnElise, but the call went out for racers to try to arrive by mid-day: Disney was sending a sound crew to the Terrell Airport to record airplane noise for their upcoming Pixar movie, Planes, premiering August 9.

When we arrived there were already five or six of our race buddies flying high-speed passes down the runway, providing a nice mix of different types of airplane noise for the microphones.
Check out the storyline and description of the cartoon airplane characters at www.pixar.wikia.com/planes. There’s a canard named Ishani (voiced by Priyanka Chopra), so James Redmon made several low passes in his award-winning Berkut (a canard type of airplane), which he built himself.

Dick Keyt, who lives in Granbury, brought the unique and super-fast Polen Special to provide the powerful sound emitted by the amazing experimental airplane capable of 325 mph speeds with only a 180 horsepower engine – and it is the world’s fastest four cylinder vehicle. It’s a handful according to Dick, who is an airline captain and former U.S. Air Force pilot. Maybe the Disney folks can use the sounds of the Polen Special if they don’t find a real F4U Corsair to record for the sounds of "Skipper Riley", the Corsair voiced by Stacey Keach.

Mike: World speed record holding brothers Mike and Mark Patey offered their smooth singing Lancair muscle machines for Pixar/Disney’s pleasure. Those two might make a good fit for the sounds of Ned and Zed of the Ripslinger Team (voice by Gabriel Iglasias), although it sounds like Team Ripslinger is made up of bad guys - the Patey brothers are really nice guys. The main Ripslinger character, voiced by Roger Craig Smith, looks a lot like "Relentless", which races at the Reno Air Races, piloted by Kevin Eldredge.

The Pixar site shows other characters including a stealth bomber, F-15 fighter jets, a blimp, and a classic biplane (Stearman) named Leadbottom. Bulldog is a twin-engine British plane, voiced by John Clease. El Chupacabra is the name given to the Gee Bee looking airplane – the kind that used to be symbolic in the air race fanatical days of the 1930’s when the National Air Races were in Cleveland, Ohio.

Julia Louise Dreyfus lends her voice to the airplane named Rochelle, which looks like a V-tail Bonanza, except that it’s a twin-engine. Bobby Bennett flies a Bonanza and he provided several opportunities for the sound crew to capture the true voice of a V-tail.

And then there’s the star of the show – Dusty the crop duster. We all kind of snickered when we saw the movie trailer that showed the Air Tractor, a fixed-gear airplane, with its gear up in one scene, but hey, what does Hollywood know? For that matter, most of the audience who watches Planes won’t know whether the sound they hear fits the airplane they see on the screen. So while we don’t see a Grumman Cheetah in the all-star line-up, we just may hear our own engine whiz by in a high-speed low pass, an engine start, or taxi, all of which were recorded on May 24^th.

Pass the popcorn!

^{www.ElyAirLines.blogspot.com}