Wow! Thanks Claudio!
I tried to fly in the Nats last year but had a severely pinched nerve in my right arm that prevented me from doing that. I was determined to get healthy and fly at least one more time in the big show. I told myself that a top 20 berth would be the goal at my age, and that a top 10 position would be to me like winning the World Championships again. Imagine my surprise to have been able to place seventh, and just four points out of the Top-5! Perhaps I should practice a bit more for next year... IF the Good Lord allows me that blessing.
I felt totally accepted back into the Nats family, and this seems like the place to thank everyone. I especially want to thank the entire Nats Precision Aerobatics event staff; the judges, the tabulators, the pit bosses, the score runners (how are your legs Jeanie DeMauro?), and especially our amazing Event Director, Dave Trible and his Assistant, Michelle Lee. What a great job they all did under very stressful conditions.
My most heartfelt thanks go out to my crew (I won't even think about calling them a "squad..."), which included Joel Costantino, Rick and SaraMarie Huff, Will DeMauro, Joe Daly, Jose Modesto, Frank McMillan, John Hill, Alan Buck, George Waters, and Bruce Jennings. They are all just the best. And, a very special thanks goes out to Will Davis and Steve Hines for keeping us all fed! A special shout out to Mark Weiss who kept us all entertained at the evening meals at the campground with his storytelling expertise. (They got in the front seat, Mark?)
I'll have many more Nats observations as I process the events of the (shortened) week in Muncie. Needless to say, I am grateful for the opportunity to have had "one more day in the sun" in the event that I have loved since I was a small child.
Thanks Claudio, and thanks to all who made this possible, especially my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Bob Hunt