"Lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it's been." - Robert Hunter
With its appearance at the 2015 Nats, the long and strange saga of the Second Wind twin has finally reached an end. I've been working on this ship for more than seven years. There were times when I doubted if it would ever be finished and flown. I know that some of you who have been following this marathon thread had similar thoughts...
I finished the Second Wind a week before the Nats and was able to get two full patterns on it before leaving for Muncie. For the record, I finished in eleventh place in Open Stunt with it, and at the end of the Nats it had a grand total of 17 flights on it! Considering that there were pilots there who had hundreds (or, in some cases, even thousands) of flights on their ships, and put in as many as 25 flights a day in preparation, I don't feel too bad. In fact, I feel great.
The ship flew virtually "off the board." There are still a couple of minor trim changes that need to be made, and lots of motor/prop experiments that need to be done, but, overall it was a resounding success. The ship turns great and has an excellent lock after corners. It tracks very well and grooves through rounds extremely well.
I was determined to get this ship to the Nats in spite of the debilitating back problems I was having. Massive physical therapy sessions helped me to get back on my feet long enough to finish the bird and get it to Muncie. The week was long and grueling, but I made it through in pretty good shape.
My thanks go out to all who followed this thread and the progress of the Second Wind twin. Thanks also go out to my "crew," who went above and beyond the call of duty to help me through the rigors of the past few months. That crew consisted of (in alphabetical order) Ken Armish, Rich Giacobone, Tom Hampshire, Frank Imbriaco, Tom Luciano, Frank McMillan, Mark Weiss, and Buddy Wieder. These guys are just the best!
And now, an announcement: This was my final Nats in Open Stunt competition. I have decided that the flying of the electric, retract-gear twin in competition is a fitting exclamation point to my long career. I will be going through a lot of surgeries in the future, and will not have the mobility that I've enjoyed for most of my life. I will continue to design, build, and develop new models, and I'll always share my findings with all of you. I have lots of new ideas, and most of them are for things that will help the beginner, intermediate, and advanced fliers to achieve better stunt performance. Naturally, I'll post about them here.
My most heartfelt thanks go out to all who have supported me and have befriended me over the years; they are too numerous to list here, but they all know who they are. I love you all.
Without the inspiration, guidance and help of my father, none of this adventure would have happened. Without the love and support of my wife and family it would not have either.
Mostly I want to publicly thank and Praise the most important entity in my life, my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him I'm nothing.
I'm signing off on this thread with the posting of a few great photos of the Second Wind that Will Hubin took at the Nats. Hey, I think it looks pretty good in the air!
Fair winds - Bob Hunt