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Many came to earn their "I Beat Gordy at the 2006 Nationals" buttons
but when I pulled out the Worlds Heaviest Carbon Supra, faces fell...it
wasn't going to be the usual walk in the Park this year!
Some were driving to multiple zeros, in their attempts to earn one of those
buttons, working the smallest possibilities, ending up in the bean fields...out
of bounds.
The deal was best me for the day and you earn your badge, about 28
yesterday, and only 11 qualified today.
There were MANY Supra's flying this year, easily the most popular ship of
the NATS and I doubt that anyone of their pilots were disappointed in the Supra
performances.
For those of you have one, install you ballast tubes! :-) We had some
wind both days and if you had a glass version, about 16ozs seemed to be the
sweet spot, for the carbons about 8ozs seemed to work just fine. That's
about what I had in mine, half a stick of steel.
I have to say that this was one of the most fun Nats I have been to, the
atmosphere was more like Visalia than the Nats. We had none of the landing
nazi mentality of the past, even though it was the same great guys doing the
work, everything was done with a smile and bent toward everyone having an
enjoyable Nats.
Jim Thomas, Martin Downey, Steve Siebenahler, all the 'bosses' were extremely supportive of the pilots and cordially kept idiots like me moving along :-). (by the way, Jim and Steve has some incredible flights!). Man on Man format has proven to be the most exciting format, that turns
soaring into a spectator sport.
From the moment prior to the first launch in a group, everyone is watching to see who's gonna go where on the ping. Some chose to always pick their own air...guys like Mike Smith, DP, even
myself, enjoy that far more than following the pack. At the end of the
flight, good time or bad, we know it was our own decision and that the price is
worth it, good time or bad.
Sure wish you guys all could have been there!
Gordy
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