Alva Woman Pilot Wins X-Country Race

Terry Carbonell's Cessna Wins Long Distance Air Race

LABELLE, FL. -- A three-pilot team of Terry Carbonell, Ellen Herr & Laura Ying Gao won the 2010 Air Classic Race for women Saturday after racing from Fort Myers, Florida to Frederick, Maryland in Carbonell's single-engine aircraft.

The 20 all-women pilot race teams, flying in private general aviation aircraft flew 2500 miles zig-zagging from Florida through the southern states to Arkansas, Missouri and then through the midwest from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio to West Virginia, and a final landing in Maryland.

Carbonell, a lawyer who lives in Alva, Florida is a veteran women's air racer, flying a well-equipped Cessna Skylane 182 with retractable landing gear making for a speedy aircraft.  Carbonell headed up her 'Team Wild Mamma' with co-pilots Ellen Herr and Yin Gao.

Carbonell is a frequent customer and friend of LaBelle's Vernon Conly who operates Vernon Conly Air Service at the LaBelle Municipal Airport.

Arriving in Frederick, MD. on Carbonell's birthday, she said in a blog posting the the crew 'was greeted by a pile of reporters, had pictures taken and finally got to the business of cleaning out the plane' after a long 4-day journey.