Cargo Carrier Classic

Held high atop a floating airstrip, the annual Cargo Carrier Classic ranks among the world's most challenging aviation contests. A test of speed and endurance, the Cargo Carrier Classic challenges cargo pilots to load a stack of crates into their aircraft as quickly as possible, and then maneuver through a dangerous obstacle course until they reach the finish line. The elaborate obstacle course most recently used requires contestants to fly their aircraft through narrow canyons, inside a volcano, and even underwater while avoiding numerous boobytraps and other surprises. The pilot with the fastest times for both cargo loading and flying is named the winner.

The Cargo Carrier Classic is sponsored by several brand-name businesses, including "Hiyo Silverware", a leading producer of cheap utensils. The most recent Cargo Carrier contest was practically ruined when a local mechanic named Crazy Edie sabotaged most of the contestants' planes, intending to make a bundle off repairs after the contest had ended.

Left: Misfit mechanic, Crazy Edie.

CONTEST RULES & CONTESTANTS

The Cargo Carrier Classic consists of two phases: loading cargo and completing the obstacle course. The pilot who completes both stages in record time wins the contest. Qualifying trials narrow the list of entrants to five finalists; their starting order is arranged according to their aircraft's size. Because the Cargo Carrier Classic operates as a time trial and not an air race, each contestant runs the course separately. The clock stops as soon as the pilot clears the obstacle course and crosses the finish line. Failure to finish the contest, either due to a crash or a mechanical failure, counts as an incompletion and disqualifies that pilot.

STARTING THE RACE — LOAD YOUR CARGO

The first phase of the Cargo Carrier Classic begins with the pilot taking a sprinter's stance about 60 feet behind his plane. At the sound of the starting gun, the contestant leaves his mark and makes a quick dash to a waiting stack of six crates, which he must then load into his plane as fast as he can. Unlike the remainder of the contest, which emphasizes flying skill and aircraft performance, this initial step highlights the speed and coordination of the pilot himself, testing his ability to make a quick start under pressure. Starting times are recorded per individual, as returning contestants might like to try topping their personal best record for this portion of the event.

Mistakes at this early stage might prove costly later on, as precious seconds saved on the runway can mean the difference between victory or defeat in the last leg of the race. After loading his plane, a pilot mustn't linger too long; the clock is still ticking as the contestant climbs aboard and takes off for the real challenge — the obstacle course.

THE OBSTACLE COURSE

Few air contests boast as diverse a variety of challenges as the Cargo Carrier Classic has put forth in its years of running. When the Classic was first dreamed up, its designers wanted to avoid stringing together a set chain of events that contestants could memorize, figure out, and "beat" with ease in subsequent years. The solution they agreed upon was an elaborate obstacle course, containing a series of hazards both natural and man-made, appropriately themed to the kinds of situations any pilot could face. What's more, the obstacle course would change from year to year, so participants would never experience the same race twice!

This novel idea has proven fantastically popular as the premise behind the Cargo Carrier Classic's main arena of competiton. Equally inspired was the choice to host the Classic aboard a floating airstrip, thereby granting the race committee extraordinary freedom to devise elaborate obstacle courses ingeniously tailored to the geography of various locales. Each annual return of the contest offers contestants — and audiences — a fresh array of surprises that are often whimsical, sometimes perilous, but always challenging and thrilling.

A review of each obstacle course built for the Cargo Carrier Classic would constitute an extensive catalogue larger than these few pages will allow. Instead, the following outline lays out the course constructed for the recently-held Classic — as good an example as any of the challenges to expect in this race.

CHALLENGE #1 — PIES IN THE SKY

Upon leaving the flight deck, the pilot immediately steers his plane toward the first checkpoint, following a series of airborne signs straight into the mouth of a mountain cave. His arrival is met by the piercing wail of air raid sirens and the blinding glare of searchlights from the cavern floor, signaling the start of Challenge Number 1. In this first encounter, the contestant finds himself reliving a night mission during wartime, as gunnery crews below fire customized anti-aircraft cannons at the passing plane. Fortunately, in keeping with the light-hearted spirit of the airshow, the guns shoot custard pies instead of shells — though a well-placed shot of pastry to the engine compartment, or a layer of creamy filling covering the windshield, are concerns a pilot should take seriously.

CHALLENGE #2 — TURNING UP THE HEAT

The contestant escapes the first obstacle only to fly straight into the heart of the second, the central chamber of an artificial volcano. Like a kettle of water boiling on a stove, molten lava churns and bubbles in a cauldron mounted above a gigantic furnace, which is turned up to full blast upon the plane's arrival. The steaming, superheated contents of the chamber have nowhere else to go but up, carrying pilot and plane straight through the hole in the mountaintop in a mighty, man-made eruption.

Contest coordinators acknowledge that this is one stunt that is outright dangerous — perhaps deadly — and performed months of rigorous pre-race testing to ensure maximum safety to competitors. (An additional entry requirement allowing only planes with enclosed cockpits was an extra precaution in this stage, and an absolute must in the next challenge, addressed below.)

CHALLENGE #3 — UNDER THE SEA

Having beaten the heat of Challenge Number 2, the contestant cools his engines in the inviting waters of a coursing stream. He has little time to soak in the scenery, however, as rapid currents toss the plane over the edge of a waterfall! This newest scenario introduced to the Classic has definitely made a splash with fans, with pilots plunging directly into the ocean and traveling a short length of the race underwater! Modern airframes can sufficiently withstand the stresses of brief undersea travel (as long as the cockpit is closed). Plane engines, however, are at prime risk in this environment — the practice of bringing the plane's motors to tip-top condition before an air race becomes doubly wise in light of this unusual situation.

The undersea portion of the obstacle course takes less than a minute to navigate, minimizing the plane's exposure to underwater conditions. Besides the obvious risks aforementioned, additional hazards include mechanical decoys of sea monsters, designed to startle pilots and test their reflexes.

CHALLENGE #4 — THREAD THE NEEDLES

The major three obstacles having been completed, one final challenge remains: maneuvering the airplane through a series of closely-spaced rock formations. Most aviators would call this "threading the needles," an old-fashioned test of man and machine which demands sharp piloting and the fine performance of a trusty aircraft. After the previous encounters, a pilot might be fooled into thinking that an aerobatics trial would be a cakewalk, but actually some tricky maneuvering is needed to clear these solid stone hurdles.

ENDING THE RACE

Finishing the obstacle course and returning to the finish line ends a pilot's run through the Cargo Carrier Classic. His total time is marked and logged into the race records; all he can do now is wait for his fellow contestants to complete their runs, hoping his own time can hold up. Each pilot has a different opinion as to which spot in the lineup is most advantageous. Some flyers prefer first place in the starting order, hoping that reduced tension will allow them to set a pace competitors cannot beat; others believe last place is best, either because they thrive on that do-or-die predicament or just like to know exactly how fast they must be to win.

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