From the President
Jeff Owens – October 1, 2024

   The 2024 contest season is winding down - the concluding event is the East District Masters at Mac Hodges field on October 5-6. So perhaps it is a good time to take stock of where we are and what the near future has in store for us. In the East Division there have been five contests with a total of 29 contestants competing in at least one of them. While this number is smaller than we have experienced in recent years, it is encouraging that the list includes a number of newcomers. Competition is intense in several classes which helps keep the interest up. Howard Moore is off to a commanding lead in Sportsman - and he is flying a 25 sized New Era III quite convincingly! Howard is an experienced flyer and is also a CD. He is leading an effort to get a contest back on the schedule in Cullman, Alabama. Once a regular stop on the SPA circuit, it has been a few years since we last visited there. It will be good to get back to Cullman as the club there always has been welcoming.

   In the West Division there are no scheduled contests for this year. The excessively hot weather last year led to the cancellation of several events and no CDs stepped forward this year to try their luck again. Vice-President Frank Cox has been visiting clubs and putting on demonstrations in an effort to drum up some new interest in SPA competition. This is the type of grass roots effort needed to bring the number of contestants up to a level sufficient to support contests.

   We all know that pattern flying is challenging, but the effort invested to learn new maneuvers ends up making all of us better pilots. We need to spread the word that competitive flying can be both enjoyable and rewarding! In an effort to help recruit potential new members the Board of Directors, in accordance with a vote of the membership, loosened the rules for allowable pattern aircraft. The cutoff date was moved to 1992 and the use of tuned pipes is now allowed. Furthermore, any design that is similar to models from the allowed era will also be allowed. These steps help remove obstacles that might prevent some potential members from giving SPA a try. If you encounter a new member at a contest, it is important to have a welcoming attitude in order to help them adapt to the environment of competition. I know that that is typical of SPA members - always lending a hand when someone experiences a mechanical problem or has questions about contest procedures. We are all in it for the fun and enjoyment our contests provide!

   For many years Duane Wilson has served as the newsletter editor and our website contains a library of his excellent work. The newsletter has served as the main method of communicating news to our membership and, as such, it has been an invaluable aid in the growth of SPA. For years Duane produced newsletters at the rate of five to six issues per year. While beneficial for the readership, it has been a load on Duane. That is why this column is being emailed to the membership rather than being in an issue of the newsletter. I will continue to write and distribute this column to the membership via email, all the while recognizing that it can not take the place of a full newsletter. If someone has the desire to help SPA by editing a newsletter, please contact me. Jim Johns has agreed to set up a repository on the SPA website for these columns in order to provide a record of SPA-related activities.

   This is year two of our two-year cycle for officers and pattern sequences. The 2024 Pattern Committee consists of Jeff Owens (Chair), Terry Boston, Frank Cox, Wayne Galligan, Jim Johns and Dave Phillips. The committee has crafted a new set of sequences that has been forwarded to the Board of Directors for approval. When finalized, the new sequences and calling cards will be posted on our web site. As for the election of officers, there are five elected positions - President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, East Representative, and West Representative. The present holders of those positions have agreed to continue to serve. To date, no other members have expressed an interest to run for any of the positions.

   It is my intention to have more frequent communications sent to the membership and available on our web site. This can also be of assistance in recruiting new members. On the subject of recruiting, there once was a series of one-day clinics referred to as Top Novice. Not contests per se, but rather clinics for attracting new members, providing judging experience, and generally increasing the exposure of SPA flying to potential new members. It would be great if one or more clubs were to take this on as a project. Who knows how many recruits we might reach?

   Hurricane season is in full swing. Helene looked as if it would hit Tallahassee head on, but a last minute swing to the east spared us from severe damage, although it devastated other parts of the Florida Big Bend region before passing north and wreaking destruction throughout parts of the southeast. I hope that all our members made it through with little or no damage.

   Until next time, I hope to see (some of) you at the Masters.

Blue skies and great flying,
Jeff