I, too am very sad not to see Riccardo in the shortlist. Yet even though Rob and I at Aerotech will certainly pull out all the stops to now try and reach the final fifteen, we are under no illusions on how tough this will be to get through. Having watched all the other video entries I have been totally amazed and delighted to see how thriving and alive General Aviation is around the world. Yes, there will always be the rich and confident types who have discovered the joys of flying in their expensive nearly new classic replicas and fair play to them, keeping the wheels and pistons of our small aviation sector turning and burning.
However, what this open Rally competition has brought home to me after some dismal last years, watching a decline in our home market through over regulation, financial reductions on people's incomes and a loss of aerodromes and airspace, is that the spark is still there! The young lad Kyle from Oregon who runs his own vintage restoration shop at only age 24! The entry from the young Frenchman restoring and flying classics such as St Exupery's own vintage tourer and not to mention the two old boys up in the French mountains who are doing such a fantastic job with their heritage collection. What about those two intrepid young Australians, who have already flown around the world as teenagers? Yes it is all utterly inspiring and reinvigorating!
No matter the personal outcome, the rally has given me my flying mojo back and I really hope the actual rally next March can rekindle the spirit of the era in which Mollison, Johnson, St Exupery, Lindbergh, Wiley Post et al excited the world with real adventure during some grim times.
Thanks again to all for your support so far and we will do our best to keep a Flyer element going in this rally.
Cheers
Steve