Since they did not have to rent a plane, they decided they could afford to enter and they began the lengthy task of filing applications in quadruplicate. With only 150 slots in the race, it was important to file early. Once they received their charts, the women began learning the route. The 1971 event was termed a dog-leg race, since the way to be followed crooked back and forth. Armida commented that most of the races had been flown in more or less a straight line.
Strict rules governed take off and landing.
Pilots were not permitted to fly before sunrise or after sunset. To do so meant disqualification. Rolling prior to the drop of the flag will result in disqualification. The Beechcraft in which Armida and Joanne flew operated best at a low altitude, about 1000 feet above the ground. The women were literally flying around towers rather than over them.