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SPA CONTEST RESULTS
FOR
THE 2011 SEASON
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2011 Masters Championship
Contest - Alabaster, AL
Competition was very keen....as has been
the case down through the
years.....flying isn't quite so precise
at the beginning of the season...but
with the "honing" during the season, it
"peaks" at the MASTERS.
As Jamie pointed out....the pilots were
at their best this past weekend, as was
the weather. Just what
CD Mike and the Alabaster club ordered.
Thanks again, Chief!.
In the NOVICE class, Garry Singleton K'd
4 of the 5 rounds for a total
score of 4000 and earned him enough
season points to receive
runner up in the points race for the
season. Ken Antos bested Garry in round
4 and Ken participated in the
Novice class "fly-off". Again, I
apologize for not having the scoresheets
for the "fly-off's" but left them with
Mike Williams. Antos wound up in 2nd in
the regular contest followed by Pete
Coleman, Charles Gray and
Joe Kutcher, in that order. A super
Novice class and Singleton will be
registering in the Sportsman class
come 2012.
Oh, only one point separated Garry
Singleton and Vic Koenig for the Novice
Points Championship. VK
had 30, Singleton 29. What a race.
What a contest in the Sportsman class
with Michael Wieczorek winning the class
barely. Mike's score was
3922 after winning round 5....with
Charlie Johns winning round 4 for a
total score of 3910. Victor Diaz copped
3rd with 3 round victories but tough
luck in round 4 and 5 dropped him to a
very respectable 3rd place score
of 3908. Dave Phillips #3 was 4th, Ron
Underwood 5th, Dan Dougherty 6th and Bob
Andrews 7th.
Just as it has been all this season, the
EXPERT class was as good as has been
reported here all year.
Jerry Black won rounds 1,2 & 4 and had a
back-up score of 998 to take the 1st
place award. Ellis Newkirk,
flying Jerry's Dirty Birdy won round 6
(after changing flight direction) and
copped 2nd with a total score of
3891. Jamie Strong (with a 2 stroke in
that beautiful airplane of Mikes) won
round 3....his 3rd place finish
score was 3889. Jeff Owens, Bill Dodge
and Dave Phillips kept the pressure on
these guys with their finish
in the order listed.
In Senior EXPERT....Keith Watson
recalled his "skills" of the past and
won rounds 2 and 4 and supplemented
with two other high scores to win the
class with a 4 round total of 3956. 2nd
place went to Russ Chiles who
won round 3 and ended with a total score
of 3868. 3rd place went to Ray Craig
who K'd round 5 on Sunday
morning. Other finishers were, Julio
Arrietta 4th, Kenneth Blackwell 5th and
Bruce Underwood 6th.
Thanks again all for a very good 2011
and a super MASTERS event.
Bruce Underwood, SPA PIO
Results
|
Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
| Kieth Watson 3956 |
Jerry Black 3998 |
Mike Wieczorek 3922 |
Garry
Singleton 4000 |
| Russ Chiles 3868 |
Ellis Newkirk 3891 |
Charlie Johns 3910 |
Ken Antos
3627 |
| Ray Craig 3848 |
Jamie Strong 3889 |
Victor Diaz 3908 |
Pete
Coleman 3595 |
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Julio Arrieta 3837 |
Jeff Owens 3812 |
David Phillips III 3630 |
Charles
Gray 2682 |
| Ken Blackwell 3374 |
Bill Dodge 3438 |
Ron Underwood 3562 |
Joe
Kutcher 1445 |
| Bruce Underwood 0000 |
Dave Phillips 2921 |
Dan Dougherty 3449 |
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Bob Andrews 2906 |
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FLY OFF SCORES |
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Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
| Russ Chiles 1000 |
Ellis Newkirk 1000 |
Victor Diaz 1000 |
Garry Singleton 1000 |
| Julio Arrieta 981 |
Jerry Black 998 |
Charlie Johns 948 |
Ken Antos 979 |
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NATIONAL POINTS CHAMPIONS FOR 2011 |
|
Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
| Julio Arrieta
34.5 |
Jerry Black
47.5 |
Charlie Johns
55 |
Vic Koenig 30 |
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Texas Wings
SPA Contest
October
8, 2011
The Texas Wings Flying Club
hosted its first Senior Pattern Association contest. The
day was greeted with cloudy weather with fifteen to twenty
mile per hour winds gusting to as high as twenty-nine, but
the wind was from the south right down the runway. The
rain was taunting, but held off until later that night.
Seventeen contestants signed up for the event. Pilots got
to fly four rounds with two flight lines going at the same
time (and no mid-airs). Mechanical
problems frustrated some pilots, two planes downed with fuel
tank problems, one with a broken engine mount (windy
landings can be entertaining), and one due to a lost
muffler.
Contestants came from as far
as Arkansas and Mississippi. Elton
Rhoten, John
Fischer, Roman Partz and John
Ebert, provided the judging so no contestants had to be
judges. Lou
Cordero handled the record keeping duties. A
very special thank you to Ken Knotts and Gary
Alphin, of the Fort Worth Thunderbirds, for their
instructional assistance on the judging and use of the
P.A.C.S.S. program.
Novice-B was won by Tony
Steely with Tim
Reed second but
disqualified themselves, (next year they will move up novice
class) This made
10 year old Parker Gaines the winner. Ronald
Kosar took second and Logan Davis finished third.
Gene Hodges won
the Novice class. He
will be moving up to sportsman next year. Mark
Ehlers finished second with Jonathan Efinger taking third.
There were eight pilots in that hard fought class.
Sportsman class was won by
Blake Arnold (will Blake be moving up to expert? We
will have to wait and see.) Ken
Knotts second place and Gary
Alphin third.
Our friends from Oklahoma couldn't
make it to this event, so Dave Dingman was left to battle
the winds of expert class by himself.
The event started with the
usual first time SNAFU, but we were able to overcome the
problems and finish with a fine, fun day. The
winds did not deter anybody from flying and they were a
pleasure to watch. Prizes
included two fiberglass short kits for a Dirty Birdy
airplane made and donated by Tim
Reed and Tony
Stelly.
Billy Talmadge
|
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
B-Novice |
| Dave Dingman 1st |
Blake Arnold 1st |
Gene Hodges 1st |
Tony
Stelly 1st |
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Ken Knotts 2nd |
Mark Ehlers 2nd |
Tim Reed
2nd |
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Gary Alphin 3rd |
John Efinger 3rd |
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Fort Worth Thunderbird's SPA Contest
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September 17, 2011
The
Thunderbird Senior Pattern Association contest was
greeted with beautiful weather and wind from the south
right down the runway. Twenty one contestants signed up
for the event with many having their first-time in front
of judges. Pilots got to fly four rounds with two
flight lines going at the same time (and no mid-airs).
The only airplane lost was in a practice flight before
the judging began.
Contestants came from as far as Atlanta, Georgia and
Cabot, Arkansas and pilots ranged in age from 10 years
to 69. Murry Adams, Chuck Ezell, Dale Sparks and Bob
Hoover provided judging so no contestants had to be
judges. Benny Throne took over for Bob Hoover in the
afternoon.
Novice-B
was won by Tony Steely with Tim Reed second and 10 year
old Parker Gaines third. Logan Davis finished a close
third and Richard Tilton was fifth when his firewall
came loose and he didn't get to fly the last two rounds.
Gary
Nelson won the Novice class with Richard Tibbits second
and Gene Hodges Third. There were seven pilots in that
hard fought class.
Sportsman class was a runaway for Blake Arnold with
Chuck Lee second and Gary Alphin third.
Ellis
Newkirk couldn't get to the field in time for the first
round of Expert class and flew the last three rounds and
won them all, taking first place. Lindy Quinton took
second followed closely by Dave Dingman.
This was
our first year to have a Senior Expert class (age 65 and
over) and Julio Arrieta assisted by his wife Petra from
Atlanta taking first with Ken Knotts second.
Many
different vintage airplanes were flown and some with
beautiful color schemes. Steve Ehlers rounded up some
really nice door prizes for pilots. Thanks for all the
help from Thunderbirds who made the contest a success.
Ken
Knotts
|
Sr. Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
B-Novice |
| Julio Arrieta 1st |
Blake Arnold 1st |
Gary Nelson 1st |
Tony
Stelly 1st |
| Ken Knotts 2nd |
Chuck Lee 2nd |
Richard Tibbits 2nd |
Tim Reed
2nd |
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Gary Alphin 3rd |
Gene Hodges 3rd |
Parker
Gaines 3rd |
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Expert |
|
Mark Ehlers 4th |
Logan
Davis 4th |
| Ellis Newkirk 1st |
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Woody Lake 5th |
Richard
Tilton 5th |
| Lindy Quinton 2nd |
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Terry Thorpe 6th |
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| Dave Dingman 3rd |
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Steve Ehlers 7th |
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| Michael Clements 4th |
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SPA - 20th YEARS AND
GOING STRONG!
PCMA HOST THE HISTORIC
CELEBRATION - SEPTEMBER 10 - 11, 2011
Twenty years ago
Mickey Walker was just launching his great experiment into
returning to the kind of pattern he liked best. Mickey had left
pattern when "Turnaround" took over, but still fondly remembered
and all the fun and challenge of competing before the judges.
He finally called a bunch of friends of his and managed to find
enough of them who shared his vision, and SPA was born in "Hotlanta",
in 1991.
This weekend we
met to celebrate his brainchild, (can you believe it's been 20
years)? It seemed to me to be more a "homecoming" or "family
reunion" than just a contest, with many folks I haven't seen in
some time, (some I met for the first time). Ron Reed, Keith
Watson, Marty Barry, (who hadn't flown in over two years), Frank
Chick, Tim Fielding, Bryan Brown, Scott Sappington,
(semi-retired but obviously not a stranger to the Paulding
County Club), and Roy Thompson were "coaxed out of retirement"
by personal phone calls from Mickey. Many of these were former
"circuit riders"-- they took the time and effort to come "home"
and observe this special contest milestone. It was great to see
these guys again, and I hope we see them on the "circuit" a lot
more in the future.
Yes, there will
no doubt be a 25th year event five years from now, but who knows
what the future will bring? This was the time to
gather and honor Mickey Walker for creating such a wonderful
outlet for R/C enjoyment--personally, it is all I need or really
care to participate in; it's my "niche" in R/C.
This was a
"nostalgia" contest, meant to be as much like the original 1991
event as possible, and NOT a "points", or "official" contest;
some of us got the word later than others, but those that came
had a wonderful time. It was supposed to be unique and special,
and it was. Competitors were divided by age bracket as they
were in the first event which made for some interesting
competitive groupings compared to the way we do it now.
The weather was
truly IDEAL this whole weekend, (and for me to say that means a
lot), that's why I'm not going to refer to Atlanta, as "Hotlanta"
anymore in this report. Temperatures were on the warm side of
perfect, with light breezes mostly down the runway. Sunday was
even better than Saturday--the weather didn't adversely affect
flying at all.
The Paulding
County club members, (with their club badges proudly displayed),
seemed to be everywhere, both as competitors and support staff
for the event--well over 20 talented people from the club, (used
to the SPA contest routine), pitched in for support in food,
scoring, running and entering scores etc. to make this contest a
very smoothly run event--like clockwork--the 30 registered
pilots managed to fly a full six rounds, and it seemed to pass
very quickly and efficiently.
This season is
also the last for the Paulding County flying site we have been
flying from (for all the years I've been associated with SPA).
Losing a flying site is normally a time for sad faces, and
anxiety about the future, but all the Paulding County folk (to a
man), were excited about the reality of the new field, which
will be a big improvement over the "obstacle course" field they
have now. I've lost or damaged more planes there than anywhere
else--either to the 10-15 foot sheer wall drop-off, or the pine
trees on the left side of the field waiting to jump in front of
unsuspecting planes when least expected. In addition to these
"booby traps" for unsuspecting pilots from other areas, you had
to deal with unexpected gunfire, (gunfire pointed at
who-knows-what), coming randomly during the course of the
contest. An interesting place to fly--but I'm looking forward
to the new field as well.
This was a rough
weekend in terms of the toll of planes lost as the field tried
its best to grab all it could during this last major event.
There were seven planes lost during the contest proper, and
another the Friday before for a total of 8--can you believe 8?
The majority were lost by the pilots Mickey had specially
invited. Losing aircraft were Jay Marshall, Bryan Brown, Roy
Thompson(2), Ray Craig, Marty Barry, (who had "wowed" the crowd
earlier with death-defying flying, in one case below the tree
line, (I could swear I heard the sound of "swishing" leaves),
and last but not least, a horrific mid-air involving Julio
Arrietta, and Joe Grant, (who happened to share the same
canopy). I was calling for Joe at the time, and following his
plane. All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, there were two
planes and a "cracking" sound. The sky is a big place, but
somehow between Julio's loops and Joe's preparation for the next
maneuver, the sky got a whole lot smaller all of a sudden. I
had heard stories of many "mid-airs", but had never seen one
first-hand--it was unbelievable, as Julio's plane headed
straight down at full throttle, while Joe's continued on a few
yards further before spiraling down. Part of Julio's wing
fluttered down a few minutes later. MAN!! Both planes were
recovered, (along with a wing from another plane lost earlier
and a pair of women's glasses). Joe's plane is repairable
(though the fuselage was in two pieces), but Julio gathered his
valuables in a box, and is already making plans for a new
Compensator or other type for next season. He has since had a
kit donated to him, and picked up two more.
The main raffle
prize of a Spektrum 8 radio was won by DD, "Dan the Man"
Dougherty-- (hmmmm). I can't remember the rest of the
winners--someone please help.
Awards were
given for up to 5th place in all classes, so everybody took home
some hardware, with professionally taken photos--very classy.
It was a
wonderful weekend, and a chance for everyone to personally
convey their thanks and best wishes to Mickey for a "job" well
done. Thanks "Chapter ONE" for a tremendous fun contest, "walk
down Memory Lane" and a great time.
Duane Wilson
Click
to watch a fun slideshow of the event!
Results
| Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
|
Russ Chiles 4000 |
Warren Oliver 4000 |
Bob Wetzel 4000 |
Bob Bixby 4000 |
|
Keith Watson 3968 |
Scott Sappington 3936 |
Michael Wieczorek
3969 |
Joe Grant 3793 |
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Julio Arrieta 3869 |
David Phillips 3658 |
John Baxter 3813 |
Pete Coleman 3635 |
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Ray Craig 3866 |
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Duane Wilson 3710 |
Brian Brown |
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Bill Dodge 3795 |
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Tim Fielden 3572 |
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Marty Barry 3324 |
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Mickey Walker 1570 |
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Senior Sportsman |
Senior Novice |
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Dr. Phil Spelt 3979 |
Charles Gray 3986 |
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Joe Holton 3929 |
Porter Harvey 3746 |
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Jim Slocum 3896 |
Vic Koenig 3000 |
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Dan Dougherty 3709 |
Roy Thompson 2424 |
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Ron Underwood 3685 |
Jay Marshall |
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Chattanooga Classic SPA Pattern
Contest
The Chattanooga contest this weekend lived up to
it's "billing" plus more. Primarily due to the
energy and attention to details in it's planning by CD
Mike. There was nothing, absolutely nothing,
overlooked by him, after he'd find a need for it on Friday
and text Jerilynn to be sure and bring it on
Saturday. This pair, bolstered by the Chattanooga RC
clubbers ran a 1st class "soiree"!
Mike asked for divine assistance (it was given)...and
proceeded with an amplified National Anthem
playing while we all faced the combo American
Flag/windsock. This, IMHO, is just the "10 point launch"
to a spectacular SPA contest event.
23 contestants flew 6 rounds; 4 on
Saturday and 2 on Sunday and
were exiting 20 minutes prior to the finale time announced
early on Sunday morning. Scores
were posted within 15 minutes of each rounds conclusion with
individual Tennessee orange
colored copies neatly printed in a number 12 font for each
pilot after each round.
The festivities started early for a number of flyers who
arrived a day early just to "hob-nob"
and get practice flights. The SPORTSMANSHIP award is going
home with Mr. Mark Kosco
of Chicago, who drove the better part of two days to
participate in his initial SPA contest.
Kosco copped 5th in the Novice class as well. Robinson
said, as he present him the Sportsmanship award said,"here,
folks, is a genuine "trooper"!
The raffle drawings were conducted Saturday afternoon after
round four and prior to the
eating gathering at the famous Chattanooga City Cafe.
Winners were:
$50.00 Home Depot gift certificate................John
Berry
$50.00 Lowe's gift certificate...................Dennis
Bible
Flying Wing AND Super Tigre .90 engine.........Jim Slocum
$100 Home Depot gift certificate.................Bob
Andrews
The HOOKER model plans......................Richard
Tibbitts
Extra 330S foamy kit..........................................Richard
Henley
Many of us "gorged" on the excessive amounts of good food
Saturday night at
the CITY CAFE inside the Best Western Motel where many
stayed. Yum-yum.
Your reporter has been "privy" to both judging with and
flying with most all the
"Big Boys" of the era.....this contest was a replica of
those contests in the 60's
and early 70's when no one could wager, with any confidence,
the outcome of
such great competition evidenced by this EXPERT class of
pilots. Russ Chiles
and I were judging round 5 Sunday when Russ turned to me and
proclaimed,
"it's just difficult to find downgrades with these guys,
isn't it"? Most all weekend
the prevailing winds were directly in the pilot's face, same
for this round only a
nearby "thunderbumper" pushed the windspeeds up to 20 MPH or
greater. It
was a genuine challenge for these "experts" who proved they
were "up to the
task"! Please note the score "normalized" between 1st and
2nd was a mere
24.5 points out of a possible 4,000. The lead changed on
the last round. Just
"itty-bitty" errors had to be located prior to recording a
score for this bunch.
Just one "total" I noticed, that is the A6 INTRUDER
that emitted that terrible
"thud" near the conclusion of Round 4 on Friday afternoon
when Daddy John
Nessler misdirected it between the 2nd and 3rd roll of a
roll series. He was
quick to own up saying "I did it!" Little John Nessler III
loaned dad his handsome
PHANTOM-1 on Sunday and dad flew to a 2nd place finish, even
won round 6.
What a great family, the Nesslers are beginning to "drawl"
their words a bit now,
what with all the "elbowing" they've been doing with us
Johnny Rebs.
Mike, you, Jerrilyn, President Paul C. Wright, Chris Benne,
Steve Shelburne and
the other CRCC members who shared the chores this week-end
including the
folks in the concession who handled lunch prep, the
operation chores, you guys
and gals handled beautifully and we folks who participated
have made memories
to cherish of a great Choo-Choo City contest. We are SO
grateful!
-Bruce Underwood, SPA/PIO
-0-
|
Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
| 1. Bruce Underwood 4000 |
1. Eric Nessler
4000 |
1. Charlie Johns 3998 |
1. Vic Koenig 4000 |
| 2. Julio Arrieta
3692 |
2. Jerry Black
3975 |
2. John Nessler 3885 |
2. Joe Grant
3883 |
| 3. Bill Dodge
3666 |
3. Ellis Newkirk
3882 |
3. Phil Spelt
3882 |
3. Ken Antos 3756 |
| 4. Russ Chiles
3601 |
4. Warren Oliver
3871 |
4. Bob Andrews 3796 |
4. Richard Tibbitts 3652 |
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5. Jeff Owens
3835 |
5. Dan Dougherty 3767 |
5. Mark Kosco 3552 |
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6 John Nessler III
3834 |
6. Jim Slocum 3732 |
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7. Duane Wilson 3630 |
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Click for |
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8. Ron Underwood 3490 |
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Bruce Underwood Photo's |
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The Pat Hagan
Memorial SPA Event - Asheville, NC
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Pattern "stalwarts" flocked to the mountains of
North Carolina July 16 & 17 to fly SPA pattern at
2200 feet (according to
co-CD Duane Wilson)...in temperatures delightfully
refreshing aside of the days of 100+ heat indices.
Many of us "Rebels"
who only brought shorts and short sleeves scrambled
to the stores for jackets and long pants. It could
NOT have been
more pleasant weatherwise, nor hospitality-wise!
25 "pattern-pros" contested 5 full rounds under
these "ideal" conditions which included the
traditional amenities provided
by co-CD Duane Wilson and Mrs. Penny at their home
"kicking off' the weekends' activities. That
"low-country boil" was
bigger and better than ever this year and the "SPA
Asheville" cake was as tasty as it was beautiful.
Mrs. Penny garnished
the evening with her "ladies-only" drawing for a
"survival-kit" of needed items for a pilots' wife.
Mrs. Julio (Petra) Arrietta
was the deserving winner. The "kit" included
sun-block lotion which Mrs. Petra could have used
the week before when
she and Julio attended an AMA event in Alabama and
she was overexposed to the sunrays and baked her
shoulder.
What a joy to meet Greg Kieliszek and Jay Marshall
who've been promising via the Discussion List to
become active
and did this week-end. A welcomed "newbie" was
Doyle Blevins of Green Mountain, NC who flew his
initial SPA contest
in the B-Novice class. Doyle's T-34 incorporates
the tail section off Ron Underwood's A-6 Intruder
that Ron gave him
last year after he had hit the huge tower just
within "eyeshot" of the site.
Warren Oliver flew his "Oliver Twist" powered with a
Hobby King electric motor, 5000MAH 6.5S 22.2V pack
which
turned an APC 13.5/9 prop.....plenty of power for
the expert sequence. John Nessler, Jr. and Eric
Nessler, the
"buckeyes", flew new winter projects, a Phantom-1
and a Daddy-rabbit, both nice performers. Greg K's
Deception
model, just like designer Jim Kimbro's original,
featured a "fixed" portion of the fuse aft, below
the rudder. Many of
us recall the Bridi Kwik-Fly II was similar. Greg
powers his model with a Webra Speed 60 turning a
12/7 prop and
15% nitro.
Competition in all classes was evident as you can
determine from the scores (elsewhere)...especially
in the
Expert class where the flying was just like the
good-ole-days, just itty-bitty errors made the
difference. Carter
Pounder, after judging a couple rounds of expert
said, "it is just difficult to find downgrades".
Accurate statement.
In Novice, Koening won 3 rounds, Joe Grant 2. In
Sportsman, Charlie Johns K'd 2 rounds, John Nessler,
Sr.
K'd 2 and Karl Gerth 1. That, folks, is close and
good execution. It was evident, practice has shown.
A close call occurred at the Motel 6 when Greg K.
plugged in his cube to charge his starter battery,
left for about
20 minutes. Upon returning, his room was filled
with smoke when, evidently, the innerds of the cube
went awry and
melted. (See Photo) I don't mean to initiate a
recall but I asked Greg for pertinents.....it was a
Mod HAN103 by
Hangar Nine cube rated for: Out 12 @ 600MA. It's
probably a good idea to use this item with caution.
He had
the cube plugged into an extension which did not
"trip" even though it was rated for 15 Amps.
Raffle winners included: Helicopter - Mark Coffin,
Taurus kit - Doyle Blevins, A-6 Intruder - Ken Antos,
Cash for gas -
Bruce Underwood. Two bright SPA shirts were
auctioned,Russ Chiles and Jeff Owens were high
bidders for them.
When your reporter says "Asheville was a COOL
contest!"....that isn't just a figure of speech it
was literal. What a
delightful number six at ABA field, renamed the Pat
Hagan Memorial in honor of the late Pat who passed
away
since the 2010 event.
ABA, Pat was above where he and the Chief blessed
this event with, not only weather but in every respect.
Many
thanks for that NC hospitality and genuine CLASS.
Will Hicks, CD, concluded the award ceremony saying,
"we
are so proud of the respect shown our field by
SPA....when you leave it looks as if you didn't have
a contest, for
the field is just as clean as it was in the
beginning". What a compliment for SPA hygiene!
Just our way of saying,
"ABA, thanks for hosting us annually". " We are
so grateful and see ya' next year"! Bruce
Underwood, SPA/PIO
Contest Results
|
Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
| Bruce Underwood |
Jerry Black 4000 |
Charlie Johns 3947 |
Vic Koenig 3972 |
| Julio Arietta 3640 |
Eric Nessler 3984 |
John Nessler Sr. 3899 |
Joe Grant 3885 |
| Russ Chiles 3614 |
John Nessler 3863 |
Duane Wilson 3753 |
Ken Antos 3680 |
| Johnny Powers 3566 |
Warren Oliver 3836 |
Karl Gerth 3702 |
Greg Kieliszek 3554 |
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Jeff Owens 3808 |
Phil Spelt 3700 |
Jay Marshall 2861 |
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Kevin Clark 3719 |
Bob Andrews 3623 |
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Bill Dodge 3555 |
Don Eiler 3461 |
B-Novice |
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Dan Dougherty 3431 |
Doyle Blevins 4000 |
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Click to see Photo's by Bruce Underwood |
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Cass Underwood Memorial- Andersonville, GA June 25 & 26, 2011
Remember in days gone by
how CD's would have "top heavy" Novice numbers? With the
current schedules and succession from the last couple of
seasons, that scenario has changed as was evidenced by the
tremendous number of good SPORTSMAN contestants here at Hodges
Hobbies Field in Andersonville this weekend. Of the slate of 20
fliers, 9 were SPORTSMAN and what a great class it was with Mr.
Charlie Johns, in the 6th and final round outpointing Victor
Diaz 1000 to 992 to "eak" out a 14 point victory. What
excitement in this class...consider this, Round one was won by
Doug Harvel, Round two by Duane Wilson, three and six by Charlie
Johns and four and five by Michael Wieczorek. Hows that for
competition?It was like a Super Bowl decided by the field goal
in the last few seconds. This is the closest, most enjoyable
competition your reporter has experienced in some few seasons.
The
EXPERT class had 6 pilots with Jeff Owens K'ing 4 of the 6
rounds and Jamie Strong the other two flying his back-up....ARF
KAOS with a Saito powerplant. Helmke, Dodge, Phillips and
Robinson kept the pressure on them. Garry Singleton just didn't
yield any errors in his flying to Pete Coleman in the Novice
class. Scorekeeper Mike Williams said at the awards
ceremony...."Singleton received four 10's in one round!" Garry,
was very modest replying, "aw, that judge did me some favors".
Current Memorial Trophy
holder Julio Arrietta was beset with stomach cramps but with the
assistance of lovely Bride Petra kept the pressure hot and heavy
in Senior Expert.
Larry Hill had the
BEGINNER Novice class to himself and was so good to see him
participating in this class which our CSP is providing this
season and next as a project to introduce newer modelers to the
SPA contest activity. (See the rules for this class if you've
never flown in an SPA contest.)
Dan Dougherty grabbed
the "bull by the horns" and recruited some assistance in running
this contest and wasn't at all bashful in his gratitude to Mike
Williams of the Alabaster club who did all the scoring and Jamie
Strong of Fountain City Flyers who did the Chief Judging . ALL
contestants judged at least one round of competition according
to Strong.
The weather was
"typical" for SW Georgia in June, hot with a few gnats but with
some OFF and the shade of that good huge shelter at Hodges,
wasn't bad at all. DD provided Pizza and soft drinks at noon on
Saturday which "hit the spot". Cass as well as other departed
companions would have been so proud of this event. Mike
Robinson offered our blessing "plea" to the Chief.
He
responded positively.
There were some
casualties, Jamie Strong lost his nice Compensator he had
obtained from Tom Stennis in round two, when the hold-down screw
for the plug-in wing decided to back itself out and the wing was
jettisoned resulting in rubble. Strong had flown 85% of round
one with this ship when the motor became "uncranked" due to the
Chief Judge doing his other chores and overlooking fueling-up
after an earlier practice flight. Is someone reading this and
suggesting maybe, a "checklist" for combo Chief
Judges/competitors? Believe me, we "jacks-of-all-trades" know
this sort of thing happens when we are burdened with so many
things to remember. CD Dan Dougherty, put in one of his blue and
yellow Dirty Birdies when exiting a reverse outside loop, up
elevator was input while the canopy was still facing terra
firma. Dan told me "heck, it was 4 years old and time to be
replaced anyway". What a great attitude! I tried my best to
console Dan by saying, "we're all awaiting our next crash!" I
asked Dan if he was aware of any other casualties, he said "Jim
Slocum allowed his model to do some "sniffin" in the cornfield
some 75 yards across the carpet-like Bermuda runway" but was
able to carry on with little damage".
Speaking of the runway,
you folks who have not been to Hodges, just imagine the 'green"
at the golf course, Mac's whole field is just like that. Mac
entertained us two times with his J3 Cub (full-scale) sitting
down on one wheel then rotating to the other traversing the
runway in front of the hobby shop. Doug Harvel rode with him
during one of the exhibitions, and it was a comedy to watch and
listen to Harvel from the rear seat of the Cub......shouting
"HELP" with prayer-like folded hands at each pass. See Mike
Robinson's photo of the Cub on one wheel. Just a great display
by Mac.
This is the kind of
week-end that will be re-lived for years to come by the
attendees and numerous spectators who just came to watch the SPA
patterns flown. Tom Stennis and Bill Collins came and assisted
in judging and fellowshipping.
DD,
"ya' done good"....those
initials should be acronyms for "Delightful Deed". Your
efforts, and those of the host of volunteer helpers were
insurance that this major SPA event will continue annually at
this palatial flying sight. Thank you.
The raffle prize, a new
OS 91 4S went home with Dave Phillips of the Alabaster club. We
all congratulated Dave and shared his good fortune.
Bruce Underwood,
SPA/PIO
Click here to see Photographs!
Final Standings:
| Sr. Expert |
Expert |
Sportsman |
Novice |
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Bruce Underwood 4000 |
Jeff Owens 4000 |
Charlie Johns 3965 |
Garry Singleton 4000 |
| Julio Arietta
3709 |
Jamie Strong
3860 |
Michael Wieczorek
3951 |
Pete Coleman
3495 |
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Rick Helmke
3727 |
Victor Diaz
3898 |
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Bill Dodge
3618 |
Duane Wilson
3880 |
B-Novice |
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Dave Phillips Jr.
3581 |
Bob Andrews
3813 |
Larry Hill - 1st
Place |
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Mike Robinson
3331 |
Dan Dougherty
3786 |
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David Phillips III
3700 |
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Doug Harvel
3455 |
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Jim Slocum
3350 |
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Tulsa
Glue Dobbers SPA Classic
Fourteen pilots descended on
the Tulsa Glue Dobbers flying site for the 4th annual
Tulsa Glue Dobbers SPA Classic. All four classes were
represented and the flying and competition were fantastic. It
was a warm day, around 96 degrees with nice South wind of 12
mph. The field consisted of 3 Novice B pilots, 4 Novice, 3
Sportsman and 3 Experts. There was a nice variety of classic
planes, from the Bridi Kaos and Killer Kaos, the Phoenix 7, the
Skylark, a Curare, an Intruder, and a couple of good ol’ Ugly
Stiks.
Anthony Pickens won Novice
B flying in his first contest, improving his smoothness and
lines with every flight. Brice Crawford, the youngest competitor
in the meet at 11 years old, flew to a strong second in his
first meet, only a few days removed from his solo flight. His
Uncle (Lindy) and Grandpa (Dan), with permission from the other
competitors, plugged in a buddy box for emergencies, and with
the exception of a miraculous recovery from deep in some trees
on the first flight, the trainer switch was never released.
Everett Gunter won the first round in Novice B, then had a
couple mishaps that he bravely fought back from, and finished
third. Gene Hodges won Novice with some excellent flying,
followed in second and third by two fellow “Thunderbirds”, Gary
Nelson (2nd) and Woody Lake (3rd). Terry
Thorpe flew well all day - showing extensive improvement from
his first contes in Tulsa last year. All four pilots flew some very nice maneuvers and the quality of
flying from the first round to the fourth was dramatically
improved. Michael Ehlers, our 4th novice pilot, had
an aileron malfunction during his practice flight before the
competition and “rekitted” his Ugly Stik. Apart from Everett’s
dings it was the only mishap. Ken Knotts survived a rough first
round with some outstanding flying on his Phoenix 7 to win the
Sportsman class. Gary Alphin was a solid second showing real
improvement in his first year in Sportsman, and Dan Quinten flew
his grandson’s Ugly Stik to third, having lost his rebuilt Atlas
during practice early in the week. The expert class saw a
shootout that wasn’t decided until all four rounds were
complete. Dave Harmon wrestled his Intruder through some very
smooth maneuvers to take 3rd place. Dave Dingman,
plagued by engine misbehavior in Ft. Worth a few weeks back
solved the engine performance on Friday and flew beautifully to
finish 2nd. Only 12 normalized points separated Dave
and Lindy Quinten going into round 4. Lindy hung on to get his
first win in the expert class after four consecutive second
place finishes.
This was the largest field
in the Tulsa Classic’s four years, and some health and
scheduling issues kept out four other pilots who intended to
fly. With 19 pilots in Ft. Worth on April 30th, the
recruiting and hard work in Texas and Oklahoma is beginning to
show great results! Special thanks to all the volunteers who
really make a contest successful, keeping score, taking
pictures, preparing plaques, and running errands as needed
throughout the day. A contest simply doesn’t happen without
their presence!
Final Standings:
Expert:
-
Lindy Quinten
-
Dave Dingman
-
Dave Harmon
Sportsman:
-
Ken Knotts
-
Gary Alphin
-
Dan Quinten
Novice:
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Gene Hodges
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Gary Nelson
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Woody Lake
Novice B:
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Anthony Pickens
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Brice Crawford
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Everett Gunter
Tulsa SPA Contestants
Click here to see all the photos of this contest!
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KCRC Championships
Knoxville Tennessee
May 21-22 2011
Jerrilyn and I visited
Knoxville yesterday afternoon after attending our son's
graduation from martial arts school. (He is a
wiz-bang-black-belted Kung Fu Master now! No Kidding!) I
only had a couple of hours at the contest which was
called due to the sun setting too low. Plus all the
contestants had flown at least four rounds and some had
flown five. I did get to judge a round of Sportsman.
Many of these guys are just starting Sportsman and I
could tell they were working hard. In Expert Eric
Nessler and Jerry Black were in a battle for sure with
Eric leading at the end of round four. Being a new
Expert myself I was really impressed with the flying
skill of the whole Expert class and it sure does give me
something to aspire to. The class was rounded out by
Warren Oliver, Ellis Newkirk, and John Nessler...I may
be overlooking somebody. Anyway, I'm anxiously awaiting
the report that will come out of Knoxville and it was
good to see everybody.
Mike Robinson
(PS - With Mickey
and Ed judging many of the Expert rounds I know
the pilots had to execute those maneuvers just
right. --- NO FORGIVENESS! Haha!!)
Mike,
Many thanks for
driving up to visit us Saturday Afternoon, Mike. It
was my delight to see you and Jerrilyn again, and to
see that your eyes are progressing well enough for
you to be able to judge a round. We finished up the
contest about noon today (Sunday), and presented the
awards. I got home by 1:45pm, even after collecting
trash and all my junk from the contest. We had 19
registered pilots.
Ellis Newkirk, from the Dallas, TX, area won the
drawing for $50.00 "gas money" -- fitting that it
should go to the one who came from the farthest
away. It was also a great pleasure to welcome back
the Nessler family -- Dad John, and sons/brothers
John and Eric. KCRCers populated all classes, and
took home some of the hardware. As KCRC President, I
had the pleasure of shaking the hands of all the
placing pilots while I handed out the trophies as CD
Dennis Hunt read the names. We gave framed
photographs of the pilots with their planes, with
Top Notch Trophies plates listing the Class and
place at the bottom of the frame surround. Many
thanks to the Underwoods for providing those. We
missed Bruce and Jane this weekend, as they are
still recovering from the devastation wrought by the
recent wave of tornadoes that hit Mississippi,
Alabama and Georgia. We were also graced with the
presence of Dan Dougherty and Mickey Walker from
PCMA for the day Saturday.
Class winners were Ed Hartley (Sr. Expert), Eric
Nessler (Expert), Don Eiler (Sportsman) and Vic
Koenig (Novice).
So much for the brief addition to Mike Robinson's
writeup. I will do a more complete writeup for Duane
Wilson's next Newsletter. Check The SPA website for
the full results of the event. Webmaster Ed Hartley
will have them posted soon (as soon as that slacker
Phil Spelt gets the standings run)..
Finally, please note that the newly completed
2011-2012 SPA Competitor's Guide is now posted on
the SPA website. This edition includes the new
electric rules, as well as the Antique rules and
schedules.
Phil Spelt
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Duane
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From Ed
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4th ANNUAL
BILL JOHNSTON MEMORIAL
SPA CONTEST
March 26-27
PRATTVILLE, AL........2011 is underway with a wonderful
event the weekend of Mar 26 & 27. The Fountain City Flyers
always host a nice event and despite the horrendous weather,
this one was a "dandy".
CD Jamie Strong solicited the help of 3 of his members and
Mike Williams recruited two to assist him in scorekeeping
with the nice computer program he modified for this cycles
patterns and this team performed like the Auburn Tigers
football team did in the 2010 National championship season.
21 "fun-loving" and "flying-loving" contestants flew 4
rounds (for most classes), three for Super Senior with only
one (1) mishap.....Garry Singleton re-kitted his Intruder
which he told this reporter "had
324 1/2 flights on it"....when "I dumb-thumbed it between
the 2nd and 3rd horizontal roll". He said he intended to
write a song much like George Jones's......only call this
one...."I stopped flying her today". It happens to all of
us, Garry. Glad you had the "back-up" to finish the meet
with.
Friday was a super nice day, 75 degrees, wind 3 MPH and
sunshine for practice flying. Tom Stennis arrived from
Mississippi toward the latter part of the week and got in
some good flights with his electric Dirty-Birdy (see the
photos). Your reporter was privvy to flying it on Friday
afternoon and was amazed by it's excellent response and very
adequate power. Tom said the airplane was a convert from gas
to electric. Motor is an AXI 4/20/20 turning an APC 14/12
cut down to a 13/12 which pulls 1303 watts from a 6S 4900
battery pack. Tom used a "wattage" meter to determine the
watt consumption at full throttle (see photo of meter). He
inserts this meter between the battery pack and the ESC
(electronic speed controller) for readings. A 2nd nicad pack
is aboard for receiver. The model has
4 servos as the ESC does the throttle work. Stennis says the
ESC was $16.00 from Hobby City and is rated up to 70 Amps.
Leslie Smith from Corinth, MS was joined by his Son, Chris
from Tallahassee, FL. Chris, a chopper model pilot, flew his
first SPA contest with dad. He flew an ARF KAOS 40 with an
LA-46 engine.
Perhaps the "furtherest traveled" honor was copped by Mr.
Steve Harrop, of Rhode Island, caller and crew-chief for Mr.
Bob Andrews of Brewton, AL. Bob and Steve were both in the
Air Force at Eglin AFB in the late 60's. Bob was deployed to
SE Asia, Steve to Thailand, Bob later to Vietnam, etc. This
is their first reunion in 25 years. Bob was Steve's "best
man" at his wedding in 1970.
One of the "first-timers" was Victor Diaz (see photo of he
and wife Linette) from Covington, GA who is an accomplished
AMA pilot. Vic flew Mike Williams' Compensator beautifully.
While on the subject of "firsts" Dave Phillips (Dad) flew
his first contest in Senior Expert. He determined his 2
stroke engine needed more fuel for the longer pattern as it
didn't have enough on board for the extra maneuvers.
CD Jamie, invoked the Chief's blessing at the outset
Saturday morning. Jamie announced the Figure M maneuver in
the Expert pattern was in "limbo" at present and said, "just
tell the judge whether you'll fly it with 1/4 or 1/2 rolls
and do it that way". Some did it one way and some others. No
problem. He said, "if B-Novice pilots need help landing in
this strong wind" have an experienced pilot land for you and
that is no problem".
Richard and Sue Tibbitts came from Cabot, Arkansas, his 2nd
Southern SPA contest, Richard flew his "Something Extra"
airplane, a SIG kit powered by an OS 52, 4S spinning an 11/6
Master Airscrew prop.
More great "bloodline" pairs included Daddy Dave Phillips
and Dave III, and Grandaddy Ken Blackwell and Grandson Will
Blackwell. What a joy to see these folks participating
together and sharing the pleasures of our sport/hobby.
Couples related by wedding vows appearing on the flightline
included the Owens' and the Arrieta's. "Hadn't an SPA pilot
rather have a spouse that can call good plus cook as well?"
Scores are posted elsewhere...but here are the "extra"
winners. Jamie opted to go economical on the award plaques,
share $200.00 with the club for the field use, pay the few
expensed for the pizza, etc, then draw for "gas money" to
the contestants for the remainder of the "take". Ed Lyerly
donated two kits for the raffle.....an Ultimate KAOS kit and
a shortkit of a DECEPTION. Here are the winners:
Ultimate KAOS - Richard Tibbitts DECEPTION - Julio Arrieta
$50.00 - Frank Comer $50.00 - Garry Singleton $50.00 -
Charles Gray $50.00 - Mike Williams $50.00 - Will Blackwell
$20.00 - Dave Phillips (Dad)
The National Weather service alerted contest officials of
the hailstorm/thunderstorm on Sunday in ample time to
complete round 4 for the Sportsman and EXPERT classes.
Awards were presented and "farewells" completed just as the
rain and hail commenced.
Fountain City, you've launched the 2011 season in a
tremendous manner. We are so grateful for the hospitality,
fun and fellowship shared. Club members declared, "we have
STRONG leadership of our events, that's the reason for our
success". Your reporter definitely agrees.
Bruce Underwood
SPA PIO
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SENIOR EXPERT |
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1. |
Bruce Underwood 2000 |
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2. |
Julio Arrieta 1848 |
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3. |
Dave Phillips 1707 |
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EXPERT |
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1. |
Jeff Owens 3000 |
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2. |
Rick Helmke 2925 |
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3. |
Bill Dodge 2770 |
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4. |
Mike Williams 2424 |
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SPORTSMAN |
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1. |
Victor Diaz 3000 |
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2 |
Douglas Harvel 2721 |
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Kenneth Blackwell 2718 |
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4. |
Bob Andrews 2670 |
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5. |
Karl Gerth 2470 |
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6. |
David Phillips #3 1368 |
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7. |
Tom Stennis 887 |
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NOVICE |
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1. |
Charles Gray 2971 |
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2. |
Garry Singleton 2918 |
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3. |
Leslie Smith 2901 |
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4. |
Frank Comer 2300 |
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B –
NOVICE |
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1. |
Richard Tibbitts 2974 |
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2. |
Will Blackwell 2917 |
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3. |
Chris Smith 2827 |
Where Pictures are present, click for a larger view. Back
Button to return.
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I Believe
these Photos are by Bruce Underwood |
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Thunderbird
SPA Contest Results
April 30, 2011
The winners;
Novice - B
1st - Tim
Reed
2nd - Jeff
Dalton
3rd - Tony
Stelly
Novice
1st - Gene
Hodges
2nd - Mark
Ehlers
3rd - Gary
Nelson
Sportsman
1st - Michael
Clements
2nd - Ken
Knotts
3rd - Blake
Arnold
Expert
1st - Ellis
Newkirk
2nd - Lindy
Quinton
3rd - Dave
Dingman
The Thunderbirds are looking forward to
the fall SPA contest to be held on September 17, 2011 and
the new field should be open by then. Several
pilots attended this meet as a spectator who said their
airplane would be ready for the fall event.
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PERRY GEORGIA
March 2011
Perry, GA.............What a
wonderful weekend visiting,
recruiting and raffling at the
SPA tables in the GAMA SE Model
gathering here.
Many thanks to Pete Coleman who
performed "Yeoman's" chores
subbing for Mike Robinson (whose
eye surgery so far has really
gone well).
Pete sold more raffle tickets
than any of us, including the
winning one.We are so grateful
to Ron Chidgey of
scratchbuilderwarehouse and
World Models for their
contribution of the
GROOVY-90 ARF. A solid performer
and beautiful model. And the
winner was Richard Douglas of
Elizabetrh City, N. C. Richard
purchased 25 tickets for $20.00,
the winner was almost in the
middle of the string of 20
tickets. Mr. Williams
tells me the River City club
consists of 24 members and he
thinks only one, (before today)
is an SPA member.
Richard is the newest applicant
for membership with his initial
dues payment and application
submitted today. Congratulations
Richard and thanks for becoming
one of us.
The raffle grossed $272.00
Renewals received from:
Frank Schwartz Hendersonville,
TN
Robert Blackwell E. Ridge, TN
New Members:
Charlie Myers Estill Springs, TN
Tony Patterson Foley, AL
Tom Hastings Elizabeth City, NC
Richard Douglas Elizabeth Ctiy,
NC
Duane had hundreds of lookers
and admirers visit his huge
SIMLA which he displayed.
Ron Chidgey sold lots of goodies
from
scratchbuilderswarehouse.Com
We bought and sold lots of model
stuff....and most of all enjoyed
seeing and visiting with so many
of our good friends who enjoy
the same passion as do we.
Thanks to all who visited the
SPA tables and especially the
participants in the raffle. |
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Thunderbird SPA
Benbrook, Texas
April 30, 2011
The weather was
great and the flying even better. There were 19
pilots signed up to fly at this year's event and
pilots showed a variety of airplanes and flying
skills. We managed to hit the weather perfect as
the wind was blowing 30+ mph the day before and
a cold front came through Sunday with strong
winds, lightening and rain.
The Novice-B pilots were first to go on flight
line one. When they completed their first round
we opened the second flight line and continued
the day flying two aircraft at a time. The four
dedicated judges allowed us to get in five
rounds in all classes.
Fatalities were few, although a wing decided to
go its own way from one plane and pilot
disorientation after going through the sun was
the demise of another. Several pilots
participated in their first competition.
Steve Ehlers gathered a lot of donations for the
event and every pilot received a gift. He also
raffled a Futaba 6EX radio and a Sunrise EP
pattern airplane. Sponsors were very good to us
and everyone was very pleased with the quality
of the prizes.
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