What’s shakin’, mother bacon?! Been a lot of stuff goin’ on ’round here lately — but I haven’t had the time to come back and rap with you, so here goes:

So, as you know, I like playing with RC sailplanes, and specifically ones that you throw into the sky with your hand (aka handlaunch). Well, the last handlaunch contest of the temperate season this side of the Mississippi was held last weekend in Wilson, North Carolina. You might remember that about this time last year I made a similar voyage to Wilson to compete in the 2004 East Coast Handlaunch Glider Festival, and this year was no different.

No, wait, it was different! Firstly, Kelly was going to travel down there with me because I went with her to her big contest — the Chicago Marathon a few weeks back. I was to be the only LASS member to make it, so she was a welcome companion. I certainly recognize her sacrifice of a perfectly good weekend to sit in a field with me! Secondly, I had managed to do pretty well at the 2005 NATS handlaunch event back in July, so I had to prove to myself that that wasn’t just a fluke.

Long, boring story short, we had a good trip and I managed to get 6th out of 22 against some of the best handlaunch pilots out there and most importantly had a lot of fun. It was nice having Kelly around, too — she’s never seen me “in action”, and it was nice to have a lady around to hug on.

Want some photos? Check them out here: 2005.10.22 – ECHLGF @ LouisvilleSoaring.org. Further coverage you can find here at RCGroups: East Coast HLG Festival ’05.