By April Barrow – reporting from CLOVER CREEK AERODROME (September 5, 2009)

I was kicked back in my favorite La Fuma lounge chair, which was at the perfect tilt for watching the pilots rip through their sequences. Jerry “Bull” Bullaboy, a Basic class contender and close friend, sat beside me. The Basic class was flying on flight line #1, directly in front of us. An Aeroworks 42% Extra 260 took off and with vested interest we analyzed the execution of every maneuver in an effort to gauge the abilities of Bull’s competition. When the plane made the turn to land, I looked over to see the pilot. There stood a man and a woman I had never seen before. As the plane’s wheels touched down, the man jogged out onto the runway and that is when I saw the woman wearing the transmitter. I whapped Bull on the arm. “Do you see that?”

“Yea, Man. And she’s good, too.” he replied. Did I detect a hint of worry in his voice?

No sooner had the pilot parked her plane under her popup than I popped over to introduce myself.

Marie “Reezie” Batson is an IMAC pilot and the only active female competitor in the Southeast region. Flying is a passion she shares with Wes, her husband, best friend, mentor, and teammate. Both joined the ranks of IMAC competitors in the 2008 season; Marie flying Basic and Wes Sportsman. The Clover Creek Aerodrome 1st Annual IMAC Challenge represented Marie’s 8^th contest and opposition was stiff that weekend. The Basic slate listed eleven pilots: 10 men and Marie.

Though the RC hobby is not promoted as exclusively for males, the fact is Marie, as a female pilot, is a rarity. As such, she generates a lot of curiosity and a little skepticism among pilots and spectators the first time they see her stroll up to the flight line wearing a transmitter. According to Wes, whenever Marie flies, it is not unusual for people to stop what they are doing to watch just to see if she can really do it. Any question of her abilities as an RC pilot is quickly answered once she takes to the sky and puts wings on her favorite maxim: “The proof is in the puddin’.” She notes, “People are always very, very, very respectful once I get in there and I show them that I can fly.”

Marie’s journey as an RC pilot began three and a half years ago. After supporting Wes for several years in the big bird 3D events, she decided to stop sitting on the sidelines and enter the game. Wes’s initial reaction: shock, followed by the purchase of a trainer. Marie chose IMAC because she loves precision flying, not a surprising choice for this woman who describes herself as analytical, detail oriented, and a perfectionist. So, the husband became the instructor and the wife the student. Marie admits it was hard at first. Not so much the flying as the husband-instructor/wife-student relationship, “At some point in the training process with each other it was like ‘Oh Lord, is this worth it?’ But once I got past the hard headedness of thinking I could learn this on my own and actually started listening to the years and years of knowledge Wes was able to give me, we were able to make some serious headway.”

According to Wes, Marie was a natural. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t challenges. When asked about the biggest hurdle she had to clear, Marie didn’t hesitate, “Women struggle with actually visualizing their left and right. When you’re flying, you don’t have time to think ‘I need to turn left or right.’ It has to become automatic.” Wes taught her the importance of “using rudder to always fly parallel with the runway and straight and level” and experience taught her how to stay totally focused on a sequence from beginning to end. After two years of piloting, Marie was ready to take the show on the road.

Acknowledgement as a skillful pilot is one thing but recognition as a formidable contender is another and the latter was Marie’s mission in the 2008 season. The Prattville Alabama contest in April last year was her proving ground. Imagine the fortitude it took to walk up to the flight line to fly her first round in an official IMAC contest. She was out of the comfort zone of her home field and local club family. She was the only female on the roster and the first female most pilots and spectators had ever seen take to the sticks. She sensed there would be more than a casual interest in her performance. Drawing on lessons learned, she tuned out all distractions, focused on immediate actions and won first place! “It was huge and of course I wanted to tear up when I won but I couldn’t. It was cool, really cool. ” 

If Marie as a female pilot is rare, add to that a husband and wife flying team and the plumb-bob swings even farther from center. Together they make up the Dead Plane Flying team. “It’s like dead man walking,” she explains. “Every plane has an expiration date. It’s just a matter of time. So, you fly it like you love it and the day it goes away, you just order another one…just like Roy yesterday (ouch).” Like any professional team, they have a logo, team t-shirts, and display team spirit with their own knuckle bump. So far this season, out of five contests, the team has accumulated eight 1^st place wins, one 2nd and three 3^rd including Freestyle. Marie attributes the team’s success to great communication, constructive criticism, and willpower. “We are each other’s best and worst critic. For example, we have been flying together so long that I know when Wes is having a good airplane day or a bad airplane day. We talk about it. We always have a little debrief after each of us flies. We not only discuss what we could do better, but we look at what we do well. Then before we fly, we say ‘just take a deep breath, relax, don’t rush, and give it all you’ve got.’”

On an individual note, the 2009 season has been a winning one for Marie. She has collected wood from every contest she has entered. Of the twelve Dead Plane Flying team placements, five are Marie’s: three 1st place, one 2^nd and one 3^rd. As of the publishing of this article, she is in 4^th position in the regional points standings making an invitation to compete in the regionals in Jacksonville Florida in November a done deal.

As the end of the 2009 season approaches, Marie can already hear her inner voice chanting, “Move up! Move up!” So, next year don’t be surprised to see “Marie Batson” on the Sportsman roster. What about Wes? Marie says he plans to move up, too. “We have an awesome relationship but I do not think we need to compete in the same class, “she laughs. But when Marie fulfills all her IMAC goals, they won’t be able to avoid it. “I would ultimately like to compete in Unlimited. And win! I would also like to perform a girly freestyle routine. Something with all girl power music. Pink is fun.”

So Guys…Be afraid. Be very afraid!