Thursday, May 11 saw a group of over 20 Stetsons enjoy a dinner evening with Christopher Simon and Elckar Monsalve. We were there to celebrate the incredible achievements of these two at the recently completed TOP GUN 2023 event, in Lakeland Florida.
Young Chris, at eight years old, competed successfully in Sportsman class, flew every round, impressed everyone there, and became the YOUNGEST EVER competitor at Top Gun! You might say Chris set the stage for Elckar. Elckar took up the challenge and flew superbly, taking the lead in round one, never to be caught! Our good friend Elckar is now a Sportsman class TOP GUN champion! Wow! Just Wow! Young Chris was officially recognized and celebrated as a YOUNG GUN, with trophy to match and much excitement.
Their stories of getting to Top Gun are full of drama, politics, great cooperation, huge amounts of work on the equipment, endless planning and networking. Between all the MAAC issues, Turbine certificates, AMA requirements, and all the hoops to go through, just getting everything approved and signed off was nerve-wracking until the very end. Once there, a big thunderstorm, Florida style, nearly ruined everything at 3am after the first round. Fortunately, Elckar and Chris were able to continue. Weather and it's consequences continued to upset schedules, flying order, pattern direction, and all sorts of things, in true contest tradition. (anyone who competes in contests will attest that weather can be the #1 enemy, and frequently is!)
Have a chat with them when you get the chance this summer and hear more of the stories!
In the meantime, CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRISTOPHER SIMON, YOUNG GUN, AND ELCKAR MONSALVE, TOP GUN! .