Gordon Buckland and his Grand Esprit in Nostalgia.
By Mike Bergerson
Perhaps the threat of thunderstorms this morning thinned the herd a bit, but they missed out on two completed rounds in each of the Quadfecta classes. There were some great flights made in epic fashion. One involved two hotshot pilots from Virginia and Florida catching their rides, leaving everyone else in the sink. They took it downwind into the next county and specked out! I was timing for Josh Glaab, who described his lift out as a “magic carpet ride.” Gordon Buckland was just gone! I had serious doubts of them making it back to the field across the corn, but they did it easily, finishing the round with excellent results.
Who won? Check out the scores for RES Round 3…only kidding! Josh won with a 9:59/65 and Gordon had a 9:45/46. It was truly one of those days where either everyone caught something or only a few made it out and buried the group.
We flew the fourth round of Unlimited as the impending thunderstorms moved in. This time, I was out there with my Supra; downwind, specked out, and soaring against that guy! I came in with a 9:56/16 and Gordon won the round with a 10:02/74.
The flights today that took you way downwind over the corn were exhilarating! You can surely become complacent when you've got a motor up front. It's always been a rush getting back from a challenging flight without one. Currently, the leaders in Unlimited are Josh Glaab, Randy Everly, and Garry Ogilvie.
The 2 meter enthusiasts had a great time fliting and zooming all around the sky, hunting thermals or running from the sink that will quickly destroy a flight. The Sprites are fast and can cover ground in epic time, giving you the best chance of finding lift. Step in a Sagitta 600 “crunchie,” a Balsa Flyers bucket list build. Rich Simpson has flown his classic Sagitta 600 into 4th place after day 2! Currently the leader board has Josh Glaab in 1st place, Gordon Buckland in 2nd, and Bobby Burson in 3rd.
Nostalgia is currently led by Randy Everly, flying his Foxbat, Josh Glaab in 2nd place with his Maestro, and Gordon Buckland campaigning his Nats-seasoned Grand Esprit.
RES is being dominated by Jim Martin and Josh Glaab tied for first, both with perfect scores. Tom Broeski is in third.
Gavin Trussell launching his Super AVA in RES
We are all hoping we'll have a chance to fly several more rounds tomorrow before the skies open up on us again. Most everyone would always prefer…Blue skies!
The complete scores are on Gliderscore.com
