I just read some of the bios on US Team pilots on the SSA site and was
struck by a comment Pat Tuckey made: no matter how intense the
competition in the air, if a pilot has a problem on the ground, one of
his/her friends is always there with a helping hand.
I disagree. It's true that when I've had problems during a contest, my
buddies have been quick to offer assistance, when able. But equally
generous help has come from pilots I haven't known as well. My Cordele
Standard Class Nationals this year, for example, was the contest from
hell. On the practice day my Cambridge LNAV wasn't working. Chip
Garner generously loaned me his backup vario (which I was able to
return the same day when I solved the problem). When my flight
recorder had a problem, Jae Walker loaned me his spare logger for the
entire contest. Rick Sheppe, formerly of Cambridge, went out of his
way to solve a problem with a scrambled log file during his normal
working hours and saved my flight. When I landed out the same day that
Erik Mann and Bif Huss--my "crew"--also landed out, Clyde Taylor drove
my trailer out to retrieve me, with a late arrival back at Cordele . I
know Chip and Rick, though I wouldn't say well. I met Jae last year at
a contest for the first time. But I'd never met Clyde before. After
the third or fourth time one of these guys bailed me out, I was
overwhelmed with gratitude.
Soaring isn't perfect. Soaring pilots are not always completely
altruistic or noble or even good humored. But there is a camaraderie
among pilots in general and contest pilots in particular that
transcends ability or contest standing or how fancy or new is your
equipment. It's one of the things that make flying contests so
enjoyable. At roughly the halfway mark of the U.S. contest season, I
encourage those who haven't tried contests or perhaps haven't done one
in a while to join in the experience.
Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
USA
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