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4th Annual Georgia Aircraft Modelers
SPA Contest
The 4th Annual GAMA SPA Contest, sponsored by the Georgia Aircraft Modelers Assn., was flown on June 14-15, 2025 near Fort Valley, GA. CD Greg Hoke, with help from wife Debbie, granddaughter Ellie and numerous others kept things running smoothly in spite of several rain delays. Kevin Bartoe handled scoring chores on Saturday and Jim Johns did the same on Sunday with assistance from Debbie Hoke on both days. There were a couple of "adventuresome" landings, but no aircraft were damaged during the entire weekend. 17 pilots from 5 states showed up to compete this weekend - 10 from Georgia, 4 from Alabama and 1 each from Florida, Kentucky & Tennessee. The weather didn't cooperate as well as hoped, with cloudy skies and intermittent rain showers & thunderstorms throughout the weekend, but no one's enthusiasm was dampened by it. A light 5-10 mph wind blew most of the time, varying from a direct crosswind to down the runway. More than one pilot took off into the wind, only to have it reverse directions during his flight. However, the light winds kept the temperatures pleasant and the gnats at bay most of the weekend. In short, typical mid-June weather here in the Southeast. CD Greg Hoke called the Pilot's Meeting shortly after 9:00 Saturday morning. He explained the various field rules, procedures and zero lines. He also reiterated that no gas or nitro engine runs were allowed before 10 a.m. on Sunday in deference to the neighbors. John Wolfe then did a short flight to check the ceiling to see if the low hanging "scud" cloud layer was high enough to allow competition to begin. Alas, it was not, so the first round didn't get airborne until 10:00 or so. The 1st round was completed around noon, just in time for the lunch break and a rain delay. The rain continued for about 1 1/2 hours before competition resumed. Four rounds were completed around 6 p.m. Flying resumed at 9:30 Sunday morning with Masters calls flying first because both pilots flew electric powered aircraft. Rounds 5 & 6 were completed by 12:00 because the Advanced class pilots opted out of both Rounds 5 & 6. BASIC class had a fine turn out of 5 pilots - a good sign for the future. Joe Grant won 4 rounds for 1st Place, with Victor McIntyre and Norman Bonnette each winning a round for 2nd & 3rd Places. SPORTSMAN class also featured 5 pilots. John Amerson won 3 rounds with a total score of 3,995 out of a possible 4,000 points. Howard Moore flew won two rounds for a strong 2nd Place finish only 20 points behind John and Matthew Gibbs won 1 round to take home the 3rd Place hardware. ADVANCED class opted to fly only 4 rounds, all of which were won by Scott Anderson. Gordon Talbot captured 2nd Place by only 4 points over Jim Johns in 3rd. SPA President Jeff Owens scored 5 K's to take 1st in EXPERT, closely followed by Robert Lane. Greg Hoke won every round to take the MASTERS class, while John Wolfe flew well for 2nd. The Great Planes Big Stick 60 raffle airplane was won by Howard Moore, and Jeff Owens won the pilots only drawing for $50 in gas money. Many thanks to all who helped make this a great contest in spite of all the weather challenges. As always, the GAMA club put on a great contest, led by CD Greg Hoke, his wife Debbie, their granddaughter Ellie, GAMA Secretary/Treasurer Kevin Bartoe and countless others who jumped in to help when needed. GAMA is always one of my personal favorite stops on the SPA circuit. Jim Johns |
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Senior Pattern Association |
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| Dedicated to the Building, Flying and Competition of Vintage Pattern Model Aircraft | ||
