Most contests, including nationals, have about half the pilots without
crew. Basically, there are pilots whose spouses come, and there are
pilots whose spouses don't come. A few pilots bring along clubmembers
or new pilots as crew but it's getting pretty rare.

It's best to go to a contest with a few buddies, and agree to crew for
each other. In addition, the crewless pilots usually get together and
agree to form a bigger group to look out for each other when the buddy
system breaks down. If you're crewless, make sure you attend this
meeting. (Make sure this meeting happens!) Then, after each flight,
make a habit of asking the retrieve office who needs help, and never
leave the airport until everyone is accounted for. Put some favors in
the favor bank! If you go get someone, you just found your crew for
the rest of the contest.

If you're crewless, you need to put a little more effort into making
it to an airport, and get an airtow retrieve. This is especially
important if the weather is getting bad or the day is about to die.
An occasional "bad luck" landout in good conditions isn't a big deal,
because most of your buddies will make it home and be happy to come
get you.

The problem happens when there is a mass landout and all your buddies
have landed out too! Now if a lot of you didn't get to an airport,
it's going to be a long night. If you're crewless, you must be
prepared to get retrieved, and then go right back out and get someone
else!

John (perpetually crewless) Cochrane