People are sending good pictures to me (and did when I was too busy to open/look/use them).  I will post them as I get to them in the post-contest mode.

Two pics from Doug Scott – crew W2 – now freed from his captivity, one hopes.

Tom H. always has interesting T-shirts (an apparently endless supply).  Doug, an amazing tow-pilot (who may eventually be presented with that SOSA tuggie of the year award he won (third award)) thought he looked hungry and gave him lunch… then took his picture.  Towplane is QIH, our 160 hp Citabria. 
In addition to towing, Tom sniffed for us in the club L-33, and had his first flight (3 hrs) in the new Gatineau ASW-20, RM – “It goes”.  Another tireless volunteer, without whom the contest and club can’t operate.

Looking back at the contest, the thing that I will remember is the persistence of the CD, task committee, and pilots in using the very small soarable windows that Mother Nature gave us, and managing to get one of the two contests in.  You came to fly… and did!  And if it’s raining, the GGC clubhouse is comfy and cozy with the two fireplaces going…

W2, Chris Wilson, SOSA, Mosquito (crew Doug Scott); S1 in background

Hard to believe we had a day like that…  Nationals grid on one of the practice days – some competitors had not arrived yet  (Photos by Dan Duclos)

Contests stretch your abilities, make you fly on days you wouldn’t, and go cross-country on days you wouldn’t think you could…  In Eastern Ontario, we have GGC May-Fly to induct new pilots to contests, but really to make them better cross-country pilots, and the RVSS-GGC-MSC Inter-Club Contest (flown out of any of the 3 airports) to safely stretch their abilities.  It’s said that the Nationals gives you at least a year of cross-country experience.  Why not plan to attend next year’s?

If you can’t fly, why not volunteer to help?  Crewing for an experienced pilot gives you a window into how to prepare the aircraft, see the briefings, watch the contest staff do their jobs (weather, scoring, gridding, launching, recovering, retrieving)…  Even a few days would be appreciated by the organizers.  It’s rewarding.  I learned a lot about weather – by being the weatherman (thanks to Nick (as always), Joerg, and Jean Richard)

Sun shining – must have been a practice day… (photo by Dan Duclos)

How was Saturday?  Comment on OLC on a flight from Hawkesbury/MSC:

“blue start, sucker clouds that drew you in, took your money and left you with 0.5-1.0 kts. Big gaps of nothing, hot humide and ….  Until next time mother nature.”  Look familiar? 

DD