Team LAC at the ARC

By Nick Poucher

This summer the Lakeland Aero Club is excited to sponsor a team to participate in the Women’s Air Race Classic. The Air Race Classic is the pinnacle of women’s air racing and consists of stops in nine different states for a total route of about 2,400 statute miles. Our team will be made up of women who are at different stages in their aviation careers. This includes a CFI, a private pilot, and a student pilot that is still in high school. The team will be led by Richele Floyd who is a CFI and currently works as the scholarship director at Sun ‘n Fun where she manages flight training scholarships for aspiring aviators in high school. Richele is the new owner of a Cessna 210 and is excited for the opportunity to mentor the next generation of women aviators as she helps them race across the country. While speaking with Richele she said that she “[is] looking forward to leading this talented team of young women in the Air Race”. I also had the opportunity to speak with Kaitlin Conway who is a current college student and one of the pilots that will be participating in the race. She was excited for the opportunity to participate in the race and told me that “[she is] overly thrilled to be part of such a distinguished competition” and that it is a “dream come true”. During the week of Sun ‘n Fun the team will be at the Lakeland Aero Club and will be excited to talk to everyone about the race.