2009 Region Nine XC flights

[mcelrah]

Request for Region Nine XC Flights Flown in 2009

In view of the excellent start to the season demonstrated by at least one site and regional record as well as many personal best flights, I have been pushing not to retire the Region Nine XC "contest". This is just an announcement that we will be collecting flight reports for a summary article, so please send them to me and/or post them on the XC forum of this website. As I lack the gravitas of a major sky god such as Pete Lehmann, I have asked Larry Bunning to lend his prestige and advice to this enterprise - he is after all the man to beat with his recent 200-miler. I have pirated Pete's call for reports from last year below, which I will repeat at year's end. If there is sentiment for resurrecting the shorter, weekends-only version of the contest also, let me know. I am also interested in cumulative mileage, so will ask for all XC flights, not just your longest. And there will be a paraglider section as well. - Hugh McElrath

Pilots,

In order to compile a list of the Region’s XC flights in 2009 I would like those of you who made an XC flight within the Region to please send me the basic information about your longest flight of the year. To submit flights you need not be a resident of Region Nine. All that is required is that your flight originated within the Region. As I want this list to be as inclusive as possible, I am particularly curious to hear from pilots at the edges of the Region: western Ohio, southern Virginia and the eastern parts of PA.

Some pilots flew in the ECC and had good flights there from Ridgely. Those flights will count for our purposes, so please send me the straight-line distance flown from launch to landing, excluding turn points.

On the basis of the submissions I will write an article for the magazine, and have award certificates made up for the three longest flights in the following categories: Fifty Mile Class; Open Class and Rigid Wings.

For now the only information I need are the basics: Date, Site, Glider, Distance (measured straight-line). Once I have a comprehensive list I will go back to the pilots for more information to be included in the article.



You can reply via my email, mcelrah@verizon.net

Regards,

Hugh McElrath

[Paul Tjaden]

I just finished reading all the fun reports about the great flights from the Pulpit and thought to myself "What a shame that Pete has retired the region 9 XC contest" then I saw your post, Hugh. Good for you for taking the initiative to keep up this great tradition. I hope you get tons of response.

Paul

[RedBaron]

[quote]What a shame that Pete has retired the region 9 XC contest[quote]

I think the problem lies elsewhere. My best XC flight before my last one this year was 25 miles from Ridgely to Chestertown (straight line 20 miles). I was very excited because I flew upwind for the most part on a very weak day, but, honestly, what's the point in entering that flight into a contest with guys like Bunner, Lehmann, McGowan, Simon etc. around? It's not level playground and I at this stage would like to compete with folks as inexperienced as I am. Let the big guys have their own thing until some of us feel ready to give them a good run for their money.

Then, who flies regularly and goes XC? Not many. Bacil, Cavanaugh, Carlos come to mind amongst DC folks. Hugh has recently been around again, which is great. But what about the others? Why are they not interested? Because they don't know how to start. It's a big deal. Picking a field you've never landed in, bombing out at 10 miles and waiting for your retrieve in disgust with yourself, why put up with that?

We need to organize an XC clinic that eases the squeamish ones into a whole new world of hang gliding. We need someone who enjoys helping others along.
We need to build a base before we start thinking about contests and stuff.

Just my 3 cents.

[mcelrah]

Pete had structured the contest into "novice", "60 mile", and "open" classes, if memory serves. Absolutely agree that we need to hold clinics to horse people up. The sport class at the ECC was important for a few of us for breaking the apron strings tieing us to the airport (after we came back for relights, the tug pilots just towed us downwind - threw us out of the nest). At the clinic he and larry Huffman ran a few years ago, Pete said "the biggest preparation is just deciding that you are going to leave the airport" (or words to that effect). Another great line: "you will always choose a landing field that is bigger than your home field". - Hugh

[Dan T]

Hugh, I am glad to hear you are picking this up. Pete's contests have been an inspiration to improve our flying skills for years.

The Pulpit is as easy an over the back XC site as we could ask for. With the addition of the new launch the opportunities to fly there should be increased. The fields in the valley between the Pulpit and High Rock are ample and huge most of the year. A little planning and conservatism makes this an ideal site for a first XC. I guarantee that the new XC pilot will be thrilled the first time (s)he pulls off a 10 miler OTB. You don't need a Region 9 record to get your name in the magazine either.

Dan T

[mcelrah]

Yup, I think recognizing first XCs and personal bests, gaggles, flights to declared goals (e.g. Emma Jane's) - these are all motivators to promote XC flying. - Hugh