So raise your eyebrows, scratch your … oh, forget that, get your minds out of the gutter and keep reading. As you may know, our president tends to push the lifespan of his wings to the brink of collapse (pretty much how the US president does to our lives, but that's another story). Alex scored the 16th position in the world for most airtime in 2013 on Leonardo. This was without posting all his local flights that were not worthy of posting; if he had done so he would have moved up considerably.But folks started noticing how the top of Air Force One, which is a rare sighting and now we know why, was fading away, while the underside that Alex exposes to us the most still has some color. The IP 6 model was beyond its life span even with a few line set changes. Although you would never know it with his current standing as number 1 in the 2014 Hawaii XC league.
Without further ado, the new Air Force One was unveiled yesterday at Kahana. It was a strong northeasterly day but I could not wait to see the colors, any color for that matter. Alex had launched from north just as I was starting up the trail. The belly of his new wing looked the same vivid purple and orange as the old one, until he banked left, and the right tip was revealed: an additional color, sky blue. This is the best IP 7 color in my opinion, and with the palette name Merlot, how could you go wrong.
He did not mind flashing his topside as I clicked away. But with a pull of the brake and a slight turn, the new machine whizzed up above me, so some pics of the belly could be recorded. Then, flying side by side, I could see his face, and by the smile you could tell he was happy with the upgrade. He pressed on the speed bar and left me in the vapor trail, with only the sound of singing lines to be heard.
He made the bay crossing (like that is a surprise), but it did take three shots before passing by me, much higher and faster. I never made it up over there, and hitting the black hole by the Lion four times was enough. I did find the new tip color helpful: I can now tell if he is coming or going!So, I daresay, if you want to see the top of this IP 7 in action, do it while the drapes match the carpet.
It's Time to Fly Get Your Gear and Go!!
1 comment:
Funny that my claim to fame was the total number of hours logged on a distance contest, and not the distance. I may have been ranked 16th for total hours, but I was 3,034th for best score! At least Mad Dog broke 1,000th place: he was 970th for best score, and that was the best score in Hawaii last year, from a guy who flew fewer hours than most of us! Thom, your best score ranked you as 1,830th in the world. My best score ranked me as 3,034th. In the world! Yeah!! But what I lack in quality I make up for in quantity: I was ranked 180th for total distance, and 121st for total points. Not too bad considering I'm flying laps in my back yard on a small island! I may not fly big distances. But I sure fly a lot of small ones!
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