Las Cruces 2024

[N22252]

Awesome That does look a bit like the reno backdrop of little mountains. Also looks like Reno 2022' visibility

[sierra fox]

Awesome That does look a bit like the reno backdrop of little mountains. Also looks like Reno 2022' visibility

Shades of Mojave!

[CubersWrist]

Results from yesterday

[Lockheed Bob]

Another sad day @ Las Cruces NM with plane crash ending the event?

[N22252]

Another sad day @ Las Cruces NM with plane crash ending the event?

Yes, Reno '22, Reno '23, and now Las Cruces '24 all ended about 2 hours early due to pilot fatalities.

[CubersWrist]

Yeah. What makes it more emotionally confusing is up until that point the racing aspect was great. The racing itself was good (there was a 5 wide finish for Saturday's bronze heat), the location is great, and we all learned/improved a lot on the logistics side of things. Already working on the easy fixes for next year.

https://www.kitplanes.com/las-cruces-a-win/

https://www.kitplanes.com/las-cruces-confidential/

[CubersWrist]

Composite image of the 5-wide finish on Saturday

[CubersWrist]

Sunday’s silver race

[RAD2LTR]

That was a good race. Good commentary. Thanks for posting.

Will

[CubersWrist]

That was a good race. Good commentary. Thanks for posting.

Will

Really appreciate your support and sorry you couldn't make it out to the event.
Brian has a recording for the Bronze race also, I'll share that when he gets it finished.
Working on the end of year review now and overall it was a very important year. Looking forward to the next.

[wingman]

Thank you very much for sharing this stuff here. Will is right -- the commentary was quite good and really made things more understandable. Were there many issues with the flat featureless terrain? It can be really difficult to consistently find pylons in such a place even with extra lighting and all...

[N22252]

Were there many issues with the flat featureless terrain? It can be really difficult to consistently find pylons in such a place even with extra lighting and all...

I was wondering the same thing, and also how this course compares to what RARA will have at Roswell. For spectators and photographers, the scenery of Stead was a piece of the magic. All the little mountains in the right places were the backdrop we all knew.

[CubersWrist]

Only complaints I heard were on Friday because visibility was not great and winds were bumpy. Otherwise the courses worked well. Between the unique moutains on the horizon and your proximity to the airport and the runways there are enough landmarks to keep your bearings on the course. And we can definitely continue to add more lights and signs to make the pylons even more visible.

[RAD2LTR]

I think you guys should make some cans up like Reno had. Put lights on them if need be, but those cans have to be easier to see than what you had out there.

Will

[CubersWrist]

I am not sure barrels would be much better In terms of visibility than the cherry picker rentals. Maybe white or a highly reflective color does stand out better, but we can pretty easily get some white (ideally sponsorship) banners to wrap around the baskets and achieve a similar effect.

A more complex mobile pylon was in the works but that requires additional storage and transportation cost. Being able to just rent the cherry pickers and scissor lifts from the local city was a huge logistical improvement, especially since SARC’s goal is to run multiple races every year.

Ultimately I would like to see all of the pylons lighted, covered in sponsor logos, and equipped with a 360degree camera. And with the cherry pickers and rented generators, getting power won’t be a problem.