Region 6 North Adrian, MI: June 30 - July 7

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Calling All Pilots... including all R6, R7, Chicagoland, Minnesota, Iowa, Toronto, Ontario, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and even on the periphery GTA racing pilots (it's a straight shot up I-75):

Most of you are within a day's drive of Adrian (located in SE Michigan just 30 mins from I-75 & I-80). Please consider joining us as the host organizations look to revive a historic competition site and welcome pilots from all over the country to R6N and the 2018 U.S. Juniors Camp Contest (see the Nov 2017 and Sept 1965 issues of Soaring).

This year, R6N looks to host a Club Class contest (as a warm-up to Nationals in August @ Dansville, NY) along with Sports Class for everyone else including the 15m & 18m crowds.

Whether you're a beginner or an experienced top-tier competition pilot we have something for everyone. On one hand we have a contest that's good for beginners and is being billed as a "rookie camp" of sorts. On the other hand, our hope is to solicit top Club Class pilots and other pilots in Sports Class to coach, mentor, or otherwise support the beginners who are here to take advantage of the camp. Being that we've paired R6N with the Juniors Contest this year I'd expect it'll be good for the soul and the young-at-heart.. We're also hoping to host a contingency of international pilots and Canadian Juniors.

For more info, please visit us at: www.R6N.org

To register now, go to: http://www.ssa.org/Contests?cid=2419

[Don Grillo[_2_]]

I'm looking forward to flying out of Adrian again! As a young 14 year old, I soloed there in 1968, Winston Smith, Harold (Slim) Jost and Ray Nichols as instructors, anyone remember them? Left MI in '71 for the military and never went back. It'll be a great 50 year reunion for me. I hope to get a number of my Chicagoland glider buddies to attend as well.
Don

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Adrian was my first regional contest, in our 1-26, in 1969, when I was 18. A split weekend affair. We got one or two days in early but a tornado went through the airport and tore up a bunch of planes, a few gliders (I recall seeing a Dart in its trailer overturned and split open), our tent (it got REALLY dark and loud in the clubhouse where we all took refuge and we watched a shape go rolling by), and some house trailers in town. We came back the second weekend but no flying. We did get to watch Neil Armstrong's moon walk from the motel.

We tried another weekend later in the summer with the same effect. We finally got another day, maybe two, over Labor Day weekend to make it an official contest. Four weekends. Reminded me of last season: 22 possible days over 3 contests yielded 7 contest days.

My dad flew a regional there a few years earlier. Then we both flew the 15M Nationals there in 1979. I recall the FAA grounded us one day for an hour or two while NASA brought SkyLab down in a sort-of controlled crash. By the time we launched, the day was dying. Fond memories.

Chip Bearden

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For those of you worried about the "Ionia Curse" just know we scheduled the R6N Championships at the peak of our soaring season. Long distance Downwind Dashes and record Out & Return flights approaching 400 s.m. have been achieved in Club Class or older ships by the likes of Fred Huenl, Rudolph Mozer, David Nelson, and Jack Wyman on or about the first week of July.