While work is still in the early stages for the next installment of MS FS, the designer gurus Paul Lange and (my good personal friend) Brandon Seltz have published a set of free race missions to complement the missions found in the Acceleration expansion package! Inside you'll find a mission for the T-6 and Sport classes at Reno, each utilizing different pylons than those used for the Unlimited class. You'll find the 3rd mission a bit of a different type of racing - sailplane racing through hoops over scenic Austria.

So be sure to thank these guys for being good stewards to the community the next time you're in the FSX forums at AVSIM. They're watching - trust me.

Memorial Day weekend is always host to one of the premier ballooning events in the southeast, Freedom Weekend Aloft. Unlike last year, the family and I were able to get there on Sunday and enjoy the launching of the balloons. Christy Lake was especially excited to see the first balloon to take off - it was a big apple with a worm! 

The last photo is Christy, Christy Lake and Flat Stanley. He's visiting Christy's 3rd graders from an elementary school in Snohomish, WA (at least one of my readers will know where that is). I'm already looking forward to next year's Freedom Weekend!

On May 17th, Sporty's held its annual fly-in. Roy asked me to tag along with him and his friend Billy Burdette and I gladly accepted!  It was quite a windy day, but the turn-out was decent. The free hotdog was great as usual. There were several vendors there headlined by Cessna's showing the Cessna 400. I also spotted a very nice looking Comanche 250.

Just across the runway from the Sporty's complex is a very nice Warbirds museum. Visiting it is a must-do when spending a day at I69. Inside are some really well restored vintage aircraft that are all in flyable condition - at least those that are fully assembled. They are in the process of working on a P-40 from New Zealand, a Focke-Wulf WF190, and an FG-1D Corsair. What a fun day trip!

Hot on the heels of Hal's article about his recent scale aircraft ventures, I too have experienced the excitement surrounding scale flight. This week is the annual event known as Joe Nall held at Triple Tree Aerodrome in Woodruff, SC. I would put this event in the class of Oshkosh for large scale remote controlled aircraft enthusiasts. It's just one of those events you have to experience - words nor pictures really tell the whole story. People come from all over the world to enjoy fellowship with their peers in this hobby. Here are a few pictures from today.

In the picture above, the gentleman in red is Quique Somenzini also known as the godfather of 3-D. He gave a stunning performance of his Pitts Python 100 (which is based from the Pitts Model 12), including a new maneuver where the top ailerons move in the opposite direction of the bottom ailerons, acting much like air brakes. From what I gathered from the announcer and the crowd's reaction, this flight characteristic for the Python has not been seen in public. Quique also brought along his scale version of the Turbine Toucan - and yes, it has a true turbine engine!

Pat Hartness, the owner of Triple Tree has a few vintage full scale aircraft on the field, including this very well maintained Stearman PT-17.  

Finally, this is a beautiful scale Beaver that is made out of 100% Aluminum and was flown to Joe Nall in a huge crate from Germany. There are over 12,000 rivots and has real working lights! I did not get to see this bird fly, but she sure is impressive sitting still! If you have any interest in this type of flying, then Joe Nall is the place to be mid-May each year.