The best 39.52 seconds of my life!

[Balsa Pilot]

Greetings to all!
I just returned home from the Non-Nationals in Geneseo New York, which started last Wednesday with registration, and then on to the field for some fun!
Having said this last year, let me say again what an absolute blast it is to go, watch, learn, but most of all fly, fly, FLY!
There are numerous upcoming contests- one is in Muncie, Indiana, which may be in August or September, Westfac 6 is in October for those in the southwest, they are so much fun! Build a couple of your favourites and go- you can't lose.I I learned so much, just walking along the flight line, looking at airplanes, and watching. When you start asking questions then it really starts. People want to help, and will answer anything you can ask. I took 9 airplanes, some just for fun, others to try competing with.
I got a catapult launch glider of an F4 Phantom, and talk about addictive! This thing comes off the catapult screaming at about 90mph, and goes vertical with the coolest barrel roll transition to the glide, MAN, it takes your breath away. Gauranteed fun for anyone. For a complete rookie I felt pretty good at placing 21st, (about middle of the pack), but had only completed the Phantom the night before I left, so all in all a good show.
I also learned about how to pack airplanes for a long drive (7 hours) and damage control. I'll be making much more secure boxes for the next event, as a smashed wing on the 30" w/s Val did nothing to make me happy as it was one of my favourites for FAC scale. Note to self: having the tonneau cover blow off the back of your pickup truck does NOTHING to ensure your airplanes longevity! I was super lucky not to have way more damage, so a word to the wise? Check everything-everything, before you pull out of the driveway.
Through a glitch in my timing I missed the Thomson trophy race for thr WEDDELL-WILLIAMS, but life is about learning, and time management is a big piece of competing with such a big schedule.
World War 2 combat ( mass launch) was the last category I was entered in, and there were 38 pilots registered to compete! The launch line was about a quarter of a mile long. My entry was Kit 406 Focke Wulf 190, I had 3 loops of 1/8" rubber, and 750 turns on a 9.5" Gizmo Geezer prop, because I hadn't wound anymore in testing and didn't want to go crazy and I had been trimming for a couple of hours before hand. It's a really very "special" feeling, when you are lined up for the very first time, with a whole crowd of other pilots-talk about a case of nerves. When the Contest Director said, "LAUNCH", we all did, and there is the culmination of four years into the hobby, sailing away, pulled behind its silver blurred disc of a propeller. That was a sight never, never to be forgotten ever, the airplane ghosting along, perfectly stable, and looked totally awesome, and when it landed, it had done 39.52 seconds, which while not enough to make the second round, that just didn't matter, and I couldn't have been happier, indeed I was grinning like the proverbial Cheshire cat for several hours at least, and am still ecstatic.
People say Guillows kits are heavy and they don't fly? Guess what everyone? They DO fly, and if you trim your ship right it will fly as well. Don't miss out, there is a world of fun to be had out there, and it all starts right here. As I was packing up, a family with a young teenager approached me and asked if I could tell their son how to get started. The teenager and I immediately walked out onto the flight line with the catapult glider and spent the next 20 minutes having a blast. And I told him, get an airplane, a glider, a rubber powered stick model, and fly, fly, fly. Have fun everyone and fly, fly, fly!
Henry
I