I had been down to Three Rivers on Thursday evening for the ASC Board meeting and I arrived back there early on Saturday morning. The morning was characterized by thick fog that kept everybody grounded until about 11:00 AM, at which point competition and gunslinging events cranked into high gear. Power Parachutes dominated the events and there were relatively few fixed-wings and trikes.

One highlight of the day was a very complete FAA presentation on all aspects of the new Sport Pilot rule. The presentation was headed up by Martin Weaver, manager of the new Light Sport Aircraft Branch in Oklahoma City.
 

We had no flying gyros on the field, but we did have three projects in progress and a nice selection of gyronauts from the Mentone Aero Club (PRA Chapter 81), the Greater Midwset Chapter (PRA Chapter 18), and the Central Michigan Aero Club (PRA/ASC Chapter 63). Trying to get everone in one shot was like herding cats, so this is the best we managed. L-R: Brian Jackson, Ralph Taggart, Randy Olsen, Chuck Roberg, Tom Milton, and Tim Blackwell. We are all grouped around Tim's tractor project.
 

With all of our socializing, we all agreed that showcasing the potential of gyros to a wider aviation audience should have a high priority. One idea that emerged with wide support was to try to have a PRA booth at KIMO next year with as many gyros as possible. We will also host some gyroplane competitions along with the other competition venues, so guys who do bring flying gyros stand a great chance of taking home some trophy hardware!

For those of you that might have a pair of red/blue glasses handy, try some of these  STEREO VIEWS  of the Nationals.