HMB-9

This time we take a little trip to New Zealand - specifically near the beautiful mountains around Mt. Cook.    Not only is the scenery worth the trip, but there is a striking resemblance to the Ice World of Hoth here.    So what better place to risk life and limb than right here?   With no civilization nearby, any minor mistake includes a high price to pay.     Unless, of course, you're in a sim enjoying another MeeshTrax offering.

A quick scan of comments surrounding the latest Top Gun movie: "Maverick" reveals a lot of discussions regarding how to crest a hill and get back down the other side quickly.    In the movie, this seemingly show-off stunt was done for multiple reasons.   G-force loading, human ability to withstand positive G's vs negative G's, and visibility.   Here in the sim, you'll find that most (if not all) planes respond quicker to pointing the nose up rather than down.  Also, we can't discount the value of seeing where the next gate is.

So for the purpose of a competition such as this, the skill of cresting a hill inverted and pulling through the turn is a fairly major one.    And this course gives you plenty of chances to practice that skill.   In fact, that's the primary reason this course exists.   There were lots of crest-able peaks within a 5 mile radius, and voila!  Hold My Beer 9 was born. 

Oh, one more thing.   This one correctly belongs in the Mountain Race category.   Don't confuse it with a Glacier Downhill run that you can play on with an modestly powered LSA.   This one (like HMB-8 that precedes it) requires power, and lots of it if you want to fly direct from gate to gate.   Just to prove a point, I did set a time in an RV-7.   I had to circle multiple times on every climb to get over the top of each crest, and it took almost 30 minutes, but it can be done.   Whether you have the patience to complete that kind of a challenge is unknown.    

For your first time, use the Icon LS, the Vertigo, or a similar powerhouse.    Anything less will still be fun, but more focus will be on flying close to stall for a very long time.