"Burt Compton - Marfa" wrote in message
...

As seen in the film "Sun Ship Game", duplicate the final task (Marfa-
McCamey-Van Horn-Marfa) of 345 miles during the 1969 US Nationals,
where George Moffat and Wally Scott race through the big west Texas
sky past the scenic Davis Mountains for the US Championship in the
Open Cirrus B and ASW-12, respectively.

We did duplicate that task at the 1991 USA Open Nats, but in the opposite
direction (Marfa-Van Horn-McCamey-Marfa). Competitors included George
Moffat, Dick Johnson, Ray Gimmey, John Byrd, and reigning 15m World Champion
Bruno Gantenbrink. I won the day in my Ventus, aided by the SSA's 3-year
experiment with handicapping the Open Class, and was intensely aware that I
was "living the dream".

In the "Sun Ship Game", the camera is pointing at the pilots in the morning
meeting as that task is announced, and shock or disbelief is evident on many
faces, including George's. In 1969, it was by far the longest assigned speed
task ever called in America (and probably the world). In 1991, it was just
an average task for the predicted good soaring weather, and we took it in
stride. That is quite a testament to the huge improvement in sailplane
performance during the intervening 22 years.

Gary Ittner P7
"Have glider, will race"