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5th Annual East Tennessee SPA Contest
The 5th Annual East Tennessee SPA Contest sponsored by Ed Ritsko's Johnson City Heating and Air was held over the weekend of August 10-11, 2024 in Johnson City, TN. It’s hard to believe that this is their fifth annual event. Johnson City, like Knoxville, has a high concentration of SPA activity, great club participation and great facilities which make it a special venue. The weather was absolutely spectacular all weekend long with temperatures varying from cool 60s in the mornings to mid-80s in the afternoons with light & variable winds. There was also some cloud cover from time to time which helped keep things a bit cooler. We had some unwelcome “excitement” before the contest. Dave Phillips hadn’t been feeling very well before the contest but decided to make the long drive up on Thursday regardless. Thursday night he had difficulty breathing and went to the Johnson City hospital where they did many tests. They wanted to admit him but Dave opted to return home to see his own doctors as he’s had numerous health challenges over the past few years. Jerry Black arrived at the field about 8 a.m. Friday and helped Peggy reload their camper and get it hooked up. Dave then drove 7 hours home to Birmingham, AL, where he was subsequently hospitalized and treated for fluid on his lungs. I talked to him Monday morning and he was feeling much better, was released from the hospital and had arrived home shortly before my call. We appreciate Dave for all he has done for SPA, as well as his overall enthusiasm for SPA over the years. He is routinely willing to drive significant distances to our varied contest venues. Please include Dave in your prayers if you are so inclined. Many flyers arrived for Friday practice and were greeted by a light wind blowing directly in across the runway. Many practice flights were made, lots of bull was shot and everyone seemed to have a great day. Saturday morning arrived cool with very little wind. 13 pilots from 6 states registered for the contest – 3 from Alabama, 2 from Georgia, 5 from Tennessee and 1 each from Kentucky, Mississippi and North Carolina. Several of these pilots were local JCRC members. We especially appreciate those that drove long distances to get here - you know who you are! Two of our regulars, Jimmy Russell and Ellis Newkirk, missed the action due to family obligations. CD Vic Koenig called the Pilots Meeting at 9 a.m. and explained the field rules, followed by Chief Judge Jerry Black who clarified how several maneuvers would be judged, especially in regards to JCRC’s narrow, uphill, paved runway. Everyone then moved to the field’s T-33 display aircraft for the required pilot photo - see above.
Much of the competitive “action” in this contest came from BASIC and SPORTSMAN classes with really close, “down to the wire” finishes. BASIC class was hotly contested with Georgia's Victor McIntyre and Kentucky's Norman Bonnette each winning 3 rounds. Victor squeaked out the victory by a mere 18 points with Johnny Judd finishing 3rd. This is especially significant because Victor recently lost his primary Dirty Birdy aircraft to a "plane eating tree" and was flying a Park Flyer Foamy. Unfortunately, Johnny lost his primary Kaos airplane and dinged his backup during the contest. Tough weekend! SPORTSMAN class was dominated early by Howard Moore from Alabama who won the first 3 rounds. However, his small electric tail-dragger veered off the runway into the tall grass during his Round 4 takeoff. Unfortunately, he literally smoked the motor of his plane while he was trying to retrieve it. He spent the next two rounds trying to find an appropriate replacement locally. He couldn't find one which left him unable to continue because he'd only brought one plane, so he opted to return home Saturday night. Carl Zavalney developed intermittent radio trouble and missed Rounds 4 & 5. CD Vic Koenig won Round 4 and scored a 998.6 in Round 5, but opted not to compete on Sunday. Duane Wilson won Round 5 and Carl came back to win Round 6 after solving his radio problems. When all was said and done, local Duane Wilson came out on top, followed by Vic Koenig, Carl Zavalney and Howard Moore. Duane said he somehow managed to take first place basically because his engine kept running and his fellow competitors had major problems or chose not to fly Sunday ADVANCED class had Terry Boston and Jim Johns battling for top honors with Jim winning 5 rounds to take the win. Both pilots opted to sit out Sunday's 6th round to prepare for their trips home. Terry is still adjusting to his changeover from glow to electric power as well as working out the kinks in a new airplane. MASTERS class featured 4 competitors who fought for supremacy with Jerry Black taking the win with 5 K’s. Jamie Strong won the final round for 2nd place, followed by Warren Oliver and Joe Ryan. Joe got very lucky - his radio quit literally seconds after he landed during one flight! After all the trophies were awarded, it was time for JCRC'S awesome raffle. This contest has always been blessed with a great raffle due to the generosity of donors. See the pictures for who won what.
The weather was great and they really know how to run a great, fun contest here in Johnson City. We hope to see you all next year! The next SPA contest will be in Fort Valley, GA on Sept. 7th & 8th. Go to our Contest Calendar (https://seniorpattern.com/contest_calendar.html) to sign up, then come out and have some fun with us! We hope to see you there. Jim Johns & Duane Wilson |
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Senior Pattern Association |
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| Dedicated to the Building, Flying and Competition of Vintage Pattern Model Aircraft | ||
Flying began shortly thereafter with 5 rounds
completed by 4 p.m. Saturday and the 6th on Sunday
morning. Everyone completed packing their vehicles while
final scores were tallied - see the bottom of this page for
scoring details. Each pilot placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd received a
beautifully framed award created by JCRC member Glenn
Ross along with their choice of either a 20 oz. or 30
oz.
Yeti tumbler presented by 