On Wednesday, September 10, 2014 1:07:32 AM UTC-5, Ramy wrote:
I wonder if anywhere else in the US you get 10-20 pilots and crew to go straight out for distances up to 600 miles (often significantly more road miles) every year for the last 30 years. I was very impressed with the enthusiasm for straight out adventures that so many pilots and their crew shares. And adventures we had! Someone should write an article about it. Ramy

Aren't you "someone", Ramy? :-) Write away!

The Kowbell Klassic started in 1962. My longest flight was 552 miles in 2012. And I set a new low for my shortest flight this year, at 21.5 miles. Most Winner's Tales show up in our club newsletter. Some have made it to SOARING.

One that made it to SOARING involved a flat tire on the trailer, alternator on the crew car died, a kamakazie duck taking off the right side rear view mirror of the crew car and sending it into the back seat, right in front of the navigator's face, driving at night with the headlights off because the battery was too weak to run the lights and the spark plugs, and more.

There have been fuselages rolled out of the trailer onto a freeway on-ramp at night without a scratch, trailers that have have BOTH tires blow out at different times, crew cars that have boiled over but the crew tells the pilot "Keep going. I will deal with the car. You fly the plane!" Having to give up on the thermal because the crop duster was getting too close when he did his turns at the end of the field he was spraying. Complete gliders being carried to the edge of the field by the pilot and a stong farm kid.

And there have been uneventful trips to other airports that seem to be abandonded.

It was so much more adventure before cell phones came about. When stopped to call in and see if the pilot had landed, two locals drive up.
"What you got in the trailer?"
"Nothing."
"Well, what do you normally have in the trailer?"
"My Dad's glider."
"Where you from?"
"Hutchinson."
"What are you doing out here?" (about 150 miles west of Hutchinson)
"Looking for Dad. He said he was heading this direction."
"Well, if we see him, we'll be sure to tell him you are looking for him! Hahaha!" and of they went in a cloud of dust.

Dad won Kowbell that year.