Packing Tips

Summer vacation season is upon us and many of you are getting ready to dust of the suitcases and start the packing process. Our friends at AAA Central Penn have put together a number of packing tips to help ease the daunting task of what and how to pack. Here are some of the tips put together by their Travel Store staff:


Packing Tips:

1. Know your airlines baggage policy! Each airline has its own baggage policy with size and weight limitations. It’s important to be aware of such policies so you aren't surprised when you get to the ticket counter.

2. Make a packing list. Start making a list a few weeks in advance, this way you less likely to forget something if you plan ahead.

3. Pick a basic color scheme such as black, white, and red or khaki, black, and white. Then you can mix and match your clothing and layer.

4. Wear your heaviest and bulkiest clothing such as boots, sneakers, sweaters, or jackets.

5. Place all other heavy items at the bottom of your suitcase so when you stand up your luggage everything falls to the bottom. These items may include shoes, a toiletry bag, or a hair dryer.

6. Place a cardboard divider between the heavy items on the bottom and your top layer with clothing. This serves as a divider and easy access to the bottom layer.

7. Roll up all knit items such as sleepwear, workout clothes, t-shirts, and sweatpants.

8. Keep all valuables in your carry-on. These items may include your wallet, phone, keys, camera, jewelry, and medication.

9. Always follow the 3-1-1 rule for carry-ons set forth by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Only liquids less than 3.4 ounces, in a 1-quart zip lock bag per person are allowed in carry-on luggage/bags. If you are traveling for an extended amount of time, it’s best to place those liquids in your checked luggage.

10. Pack patience! When traveling there are things that often “pop-up” unexpectedly, always best to pack patience and a sense of humor!

AAA Central Penn also has a great packing checklist which is a great place to start!

Capital City Airport to Host the Oldest Historic Air Race

New Cumberland, PA — Capital City Airport in New Cumberland, Pennsylvania will be the terminus, or final stop, of this year’s Air Race Classic (ARC) which spans over 2,338 nautical miles.

The 2014 Air Race Classic will be held June 16–19. Racers will zoom through ten intermediate stops in four days enroute from Buchanan Field Airport in Concord, California in the quest for the fastest time.

This year’s ARC will have fifty-two teams and over one hundred female pilots compete for the championship title in the transcontinental air race. Follow the ARC teams at https://www.facebook.com/AirRaceClassic or https://twitter.com/2014ARC.

The race is an annual, all-female pilot air race in which pilot’s race against their own best speed in the small airplane of their choice. Racers will undergo briefings, flight planning, and a fly by study prior to take off.  Additionally, the aircraft must be “stock” models (no experimental) and have their handicap speed identified with a check pilot.  Many of the pilots race not only for the experience, but compete to refine their flight skills as the route changes each year in order to keep the race challenging.

The Air Race Classic carries on the long tradition of women’s air racing that dates back to 1929. Air racing became popular in the 1920’s, but women pilots were forbidden to race against the men in that era, so the women started their own.

The race attracts competitors of all ages around the world.  In 2013, pilots from Kosovo, Japan and Italy joined US pilots in the ultimate four day air race challenge. Collegiate teams make up nearly 20% of each year’s racers.

The race begins Monday, June 16, precisely at 8 A.M. and airplanes will take off every 30 seconds. There are 9 predetermined stops as the pilots make their way along the way eastward, where high speed low timing passes are permitted.

Once at the terminus, Capital City Airport, scores will be determined by a panel of judges and timers, and the winner will be announced at the gala Awards Banquet Saturday evening, June 21.

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The Air Race Classic, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to: encouraging and educating current and future women pilots, increasing public awareness of general aviation, demonstrating women's roles in aviation, and presenting and promoting the tradition of pioneering women in aviation.