Sling # 4 TAE off to the President's Trophy Air Race this weekend where the team of Slings did exceptionally well... here's what team member Andrew Pitman of The Airplane Factory had to say about the race...
"Sho, what can I say…… I feel a slight twinge of disappointment, not because we didn’t do well, because hell we did, but more because this adventure has come almost to an end.
Guys and girls I can confirm that the Sling is seriously as accurate as she is sexy. We got our flight logs after the race and I swear it looks like a gps was flying the plane! We have surprised even ourselves…. Take a look at our flight logs. Apart from one small diversion, to check out the local wildlife (yes we knew we were so ahead of the game we took time for sightseeing); we were almost perfect the whole way!
The result???? Well ZU-TAF started in 96th position and finished in provisional 17th!!!!!!!!!!!!! with ZU-TAE and ZU-FRX just behind (they were both more harshly handicapped tha...n we were).
The course today was beautiful, but challenging as you will see from the photos. There were some sections where for 20 miles there was not one distinguishable mark on the horizon. We had to trust the compass and keep our eyes on the horizon. I have a thumping headache from the hours of squinting through the desert sun trying to spot that elusive 3 foot high beacon the map tells you should be there, dehydrated from fear of needing to stop for a wee and stiff from craning my neck to watch for overtaking gas guzzlers. But hell it was worth it. The look on the officials’ faces when despite our handicaps we came in 17th is worth all the pain a race can offer. Added to that the satisfaction of seeing all those racers in their 5 million Rand planes being whipped by a home grown classic makes the whole affair just sweet.
So, its off to prize giving and the banquet tonight to get the official scores. I will be sure to post them once we have them.
Until then, start hatching a cunning plan as to how we can make the Sling a little more slippery, as if we can, we will be in first, second and third next year!
Thanks as always for your messages, thoughts and kind words. We build planes because you love to fly them!"
Guys and girls I can confirm that the Sling is seriously as accurate as she is sexy. We got our flight logs after the race and I swear it looks like a gps was flying the plane! We have surprised even ourselves…. Take a look at our flight logs. Apart from one small diversion, to check out the local wildlife (yes we knew we were so ahead of the game we took time for sightseeing); we were almost perfect the whole way!
The result???? Well ZU-TAF started in 96th position and finished in provisional 17th!!!!!!!!!!!!! with ZU-TAE and ZU-FRX just behind (they were both more harshly handicapped tha...n we were).
The course today was beautiful, but challenging as you will see from the photos. There were some sections where for 20 miles there was not one distinguishable mark on the horizon. We had to trust the compass and keep our eyes on the horizon. I have a thumping headache from the hours of squinting through the desert sun trying to spot that elusive 3 foot high beacon the map tells you should be there, dehydrated from fear of needing to stop for a wee and stiff from craning my neck to watch for overtaking gas guzzlers. But hell it was worth it. The look on the officials’ faces when despite our handicaps we came in 17th is worth all the pain a race can offer. Added to that the satisfaction of seeing all those racers in their 5 million Rand planes being whipped by a home grown classic makes the whole affair just sweet.
So, its off to prize giving and the banquet tonight to get the official scores. I will be sure to post them once we have them.
Until then, start hatching a cunning plan as to how we can make the Sling a little more slippery, as if we can, we will be in first, second and third next year!
Thanks as always for your messages, thoughts and kind words. We build planes because you love to fly them!"
Heres the link to some more photos of the race
