Goal Strike IX

Photography by Pete Donath - (#309)

A/C No. Pilots STARS* 019 Merle Clements "Merlybird" Josh Meyers 024 Gary Dickson "Two by Four" Brian Dickson Mike Farmer 026 Harry Baldwin Zeke Mazur 144 Del Blomquist "High Gross" Tom Bashum 157 Kevin Ford Chuck Pifer 184 Devin Martin Anouk Tydgat 187 Joedy Gregory "Jolly Green" Kathleen Gregory 196 Charles Shaw Jo Shaw Jo Shaw Charles Shaw 198 George Powell "Hawkeye" Norman Simpson Mark Simpson Brain Dickson 242 Curt Laumann Lynn Kot 277 Al Gough Mike Conlar Ralph Biesmeyer 309 Pete Donath Mark Britton 317 Doug Levy Mike Longwell Greg 382 Bob Hurni Jim Armstrong 412 Jim Zapata Dave Boss 446 Paul Bowmar Ralph Biesmeyer 460 Rich Gillock Stepanie Campbell 540 Dennis Sharp Raymond Swartz Carol Sharp Patricia Stark 559 Tom McMullen Brenda McMullen * Sociable, Tenacious Aircraft Retreiver

THE LINEUP During the first week of June 1998, 19 1-26s, 22 pilots and 23 crew-persons converged on Jean, Nevada seeking silver, gold and diamonds at Goal Strike IX, a fun event hosted annually by the Las Vegas Valley Soaring Association. New faces this year included: Charles and Jo Shaw, who took turns flying # 196, Josh Meyers, who flew silver altitude and distance in "Merlybird", Devin Martin in his newly acquired #184, Paul Bowmar who flew the LVVSA club 1-26, Dennis Sharp and Ray Swartz, who shared #540, and Pete Donath, who flew #309 and performed the duties of official Goal Strike photographer. On opening day, Goal Strike organizer and that now famous shirt designer, Del Blomquist, passed out the official GS-9 shirts. (This year’s colors appear to have been chosen by a Marine Corps drill instructor - red on gold). Del also passed the word in no uncertain terms that there would be no more landing on the taxiway and that violation of class B airspace would not be tolerated. THE WEATHER El Nino was credited with keeping the temperatures below the three digit highs which were common at previous Goal Strike meets. A cold front passed through during the middle of the week bringing strong winds and resulting in a higher than normal 1-26 "fall out" rate in the vicinity of the Pioneer Saloon. BADGES Merle Clements demonstrated the spirit of camaraderie for which 1-26ers are famous by loaning "Merlybird" to newcomer, Josh Meyers, long enough to allow Josh to fly over 100 miles at altitudes exceeding 15,000’ to the Beatty, NV airport - a flight which qualified for silver distance and altitude. Ray Swartz made his first off-field landing in a 1-26 and flew silver distance. Unfortunately, his claim was negated by the dreaded 1% rule. LONG FLIGHTS Doug Levy, Kevin Ford and Garry Dickson made several long distance flights in excess of 200 miles, landing at remote sites beyond Tonopah, NV. On Thursday, Bob Hurni led the way across the Colorado River into Arizona. He flew to Williams (180 mi) and Flagstaff on Friday (211 mi). Curt Laumann flew all the way to Turf Soaring and Doug Levy landed at Circle City - both airports are located near Phoenix. A FUN FLIGHT On the Saturday before Goal Strike officially began, Al Gough suggested a race from Jean to the Shoshone, CA airport. First pilot and crew to land, de-rig, drive to Tacopa Springs and jump into the hot bath would be declared the winners. Hawkeye and his crew were the first to arrive at the hot springs. However, when greeted by a totally nude bather with, "Hi there, Big Boy!" - all bets were off and the race was forfeited. THE "FLIPPER" INCIDENT While derigging Hawkeye at the Jackass NV airport on Monday afternoon, a dust devil flipped #198 upside down. Unable to right it, Pete Donath and Mark Britton raced from the Cherry Patch to provide assistance. Del Blomquist flew #144 to the rescue (an extra 20 miles beyond his intended landing site). Under Del’s expert supervision, the wing was carefully removed while the glider was inverted. Damage was minimal, and the bird flew perfectly the next day. Pete snapped the incriminating photos which appear on this month’s cover. THANKS TO OUR HOSTS Many thanks are due the members of the LVVSA for making Goal Strike IX possible. Next year will mark the tenth anniversary of this classic event, at which time your editor will hire a band, make arrangements for the press to attend, and invite all the citizens, especially the patrons of the Pioneer Saloon, to witness his Intentional Tenth Anniversary Goodsprings Landing. I’ve had enough of those unplanned events! See you next year - at the Pioneer! "Hawkeye" (#198)

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