Official Results Announcement/Congratulations from the Executive Committee

[vcaptmattsmith 3]

Before I paste in the announcement, I want to give Avsim my sincerest congratulations on winning the race. You guys did an absolutely unbelievable job. You were nearly perfect from a technical standpoint. If I may be so bold as to borrow a phrase from Tom Allensworth, Bravo Zulu!Official announcement follows:-------------------The Executive Committee is pleased to (finally!) officially announce the results of the 2006 RTW Race. Avsim.com took first place, bringing the Tornado Trophy back to their headquarters. Flightsim.com took second place and Sim-outhouse.com took third with valiant efforts from both teams. We've always believed that the RTW Race brings out the best in the Flightsim community, and this was certainly true this year. To everyone who participated in the race in any capacity this year, we want to extend our deepest thanks. It's been wonderful to see everyone's enthusiasm and enjoyment.A large number of memorable moments occurred during this year's race, however I wanted to highlight just a few. They're represent what we're shooting for in administering the race. First, I want to give a shout out to the rookies who did their first serious flying in this year's race. I remember hearing of a number of times when these people played a major role in the race, and after taking part hearing that they had the thrill of their simming lives. This is just wonderful. Secondly, I wanted to highlight all the times when pilots - rookies and veterans alike - faced serious flying challenges. Our routing team - Mike MacKuen and Reggie Fields - truly worked overtime to put a routing package together to create a large number of these moments. It seems that they succeeded. Finally, I remember reading on one of the forums someone describing the race as "the best flightsimming has to offer," or something similar. I don't know about the truth of this statement, but it's been the thrill of my life to hear someone describe the race this way. I couldn't be happier!The race wouldn't have happened without the absolutely titanic effort put forth by a large number of people behind the scenes. I'm not going to list them here for fear of omitting anyone, however the group is large and they all deserve the profound gratitude of the community. From a personal standpoint, as the fellow trying to pull everything together, I cannot thank these people enough. They make not only make my job doable - they make it easy!We'll be compiling a detailed chronicle of this year's race, putting together a more detailed history of past races, and mulling over what we learned this year to try to make next year's race better over the coming weeks. Feel free to check on our website periodically if you're interested in seeing the latest updates. Further, we're always looking for ideas on improving the race. If anyone has any thoughts, our ears and minds are open.Once again, thanks to everyone who made this year's race the wonderful event it was. We'll see you next year for the 2007 MSFS RTW Race!------------------Best Regards,Matt SmithChairman, RTWR Executive Committee

[RFields5421 1]

You guys flew one heck of a race - almost perfect !!!!Congratulations!!!

[Guest]

thank you. The competition was strong this year, the race was close with all 3 teams barelling down on the Alps just hours apart.