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Scores

Photos

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The Pilots flying at the 2023 Masters
L-R: Greg Hoke, Dave Phillips, Ellis Newkirk, Jim Johns (seated), Terry Boston, Warren Oliver, Jeff Owens, John Amerson, CD Jamie Strong, Jerry Black, Norman Bonnette,  Gordon Talbot, Joe Grant, Joe Ryan & Ken VandenBosch

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I want to thank everyone that came out to support the 2023 SPA Masters. First off there are a host of people to thank for their help and support in putting on this contest.

• David Phillips always steps up with his assistance in things that need to be done.
  • Dave took it upon himself to recut the runway so we’d have our turf as low as it could be.
  • The Chili feast he puts on is always a treat. It was served on Friday evening and was a big hit as always. Dave needs to put on a seminar on making fantastic chili, he he he.
  • Dave also made sure the judging chairs were filled all weekend.
•  A big hats off to all the folks that judged this weekend. It's a tough job but it has to be done.
• As always Jim Johns set up the computer scoring system for my fellow club member Garry Singleton to enter the scores almost as fast as they came in.

Here's a recap of the contest week. Several contestants showed up on Wednesday for some extended warm-ups and bike riding, with more arriving on Thursday and Friday. The weather was good all week until Friday when the wind made it a day better suited flying box kites than model airplanes. The winds were steady at 15-18 mph from the west giving a direct 90° crosswind. A few braved the winds, but most waited until late afternoon when the winds started dying down. By dusk, the winds were virtually calm.

We had a nice grouping of 15 contestants - three in Basic, one in Sportsman, four in Advanced, three in Expert, and four in Masters. The entire weekend was uneventful with not even a broken prop. :)

Saturday started off cool (long pants weather), he he he. We were able to kick things off early by flying 90 degrees to the runway on the North flight line. The South flight line decided to fly parallel to the runway, looking directly into the bright morning sun, which made it much more challenging. But still ya have to deal with what ya got. :)  We were able to finish 4 rounds on Saturday with time available to catch some good college football games of the day. Sunday also went off without a hitch and everyone was able to get on the road home by 1 p.m. Unfortunately, those driving home on northbound I-65 encountered a HUGE traffic tie up just south of Birmingham that resulted in very slow going and a really long delay.

Here's the way things shook out in the contest. You can see full details in the final scores below.

• Joe Grant, John Amerson and Norm Bonnette made up the Basic class. Joe didn’t let up on these guys throughout the weekend. John and Norm continued to dig and gain ground on Joe each round, but at the end of the day it wasn’t to be. Joe took 1st with John and Norm nipping at his heels.
• Gordon Talbot was the only entry in Sportsman.
• Advanced had 4 contestants, and from what I could see from flight line this one was highly contested. Dave Phillips took home the gold for first place, as he has done all season, followed by Terry, Jim and Ken.
• Expert was a crap shoot with Warren, Jeff, and myself. It was nip and tuck for all 6 rounds with the placement changing every flight. Warren and I each won three rounds, but I ended up holding the acorn at the end of the day, he he he. Warren and I have been swapping the top spot all year long. Jeff is getting back in the contest groove after having a tragic house fire where he lost almost all the contents inside. Jeff will be right back at the top for 2024 after he gets his new birds all tuned in. 
•  Masters had a field of four that was also highly contested with Jerry Black and Greg Hoke swapping the lead following almost every round as well, but Jerry took the top spot at the end of the day, followed by Greg, Ellis and Joe.

The annual district Points Champions were also crowned on Sunday. Points are awarded according to each pilot's placement in every contest during the year, including the Masters. Here are this year's winners. You can see the full details at https://seniorpattern.com/east_points.html

• Basic - Norman Bonnette
• Sportsman - Gordon Talbot
• Advanced - Dave Phillips
• Expert - Warren Oliver by ONE PONT!
• Masters - Jerry Black

We elected to do the annual Memorial fly off after Round 3 on Saturday. Jerry Black and Greg Hoke put on a clinic for all to see. Boy, are these guys good!!!! Their flying styles couldn't be more different though - Jerry flew his Daddy Rabbit in a slow, steady, graceful style, while Greg flew his crazy fast Phoenix 7 in the ballistic style of the early 1980s. It was a very close contest with Greg Hoke taking the new Memorial plaque home to Georgia for the next year.

Raffle prizes were SPA legal Sig Skybolt won by Dave Phillips' grandson Nathan Phillips and the Daddy Rabbit kit won by Gordon Talbot.

Pictures should post by the weekend.

Jamie Strong, CD
Prattville, Alabama

Final Scores
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