Mike Haverly and I are planning to go together. Every time I see Mike, he wants to leave a day earlier for Tucson...first, it was Monday...now, it's Saturday. Weather permitting, we'll go through Boise and SLC.
Mike's all-new Freedom 45 is flying better and better, and it doesn't appear to have any "issues" at all. Mike is even flying better than usual. Despite our crumby weather this winter, the availability of a great flying site (Tacoma Narrows Airport) has made a lot of difference for all of us. We went flying today, in fact. A little more breeze would have been good, but the direction was perfect, and I bet it was close to 50F.! Not quite "stunt heaven", but plenty good enough for the tough guys from the NW...
Randy Powell had his Shoestring out; rebalanced and lots of tweeking, and it's looking REALLY GOOD! Now, Randy just has to get used to the response rates.
Last month, Pete Peterson experimented with the CG on his Super Mario brotha "Venus". (Rondinelli is too hard to spell, and I'm never sure I've got enough i's and e's in der.) Pete didn't like it with the CG more forward, and has it back as it was. Venus flies well enough to win VSC, if Pete can do his part (and I think he can!).
I wish I could say I was thrilled with the ex-McClave "Skylark", but I'm not. Working on it, with a CF prop today for the first time. A Bolly 3 blade, 11" dia, clipped from a 12" x 4.25". Needs more pitch at the tips, it seems, and I have to figure out how to fasten a 2" Randy Aero needle nose spinner to a Fox shaft extension nut. The aluminum tip/thread isn't quite long enough, and the PA nut/washer doesn't work with a shaft extension. I have reached the conclusion that shaft extensions are a lot of hassle, and to be avoided as much as possible. The good news is that I looked on the Fox website, and can't find them there, so maybe they quit making them! YAAAAAAA! Let's start that rumor, anyway. You read it first, on Stunthanger. Just say "NO!"

to shaft extensions...

Steve