---

Scores

Photos

---

---

The 2025 Ben Oliver Memorial SPA Contest, sponsored by the Knox County Radio Control Club, was flown on May 3-4 near Knoxville, TN. CD Jimmy Russell did a great job of running the contest under some adverse conditions. All contestants provided judging assistance along with Scott Anderson, Jamie Strong and Vic Koenig, while Jim Johns did the scorekeeping.

Bobbie & I arrived about noon Friday to find several pilots practicing. The weather was virtually perfect for early May with temperatures in the high 70s. Winds all weekend were light and generally down the runway with a bit of a crosswind. We unloaded and Jim put in his first two flights of the year with his trusty old Daddy Rabbit. He had modified it slightly over the winter so these were trim flights as well as practice.

11 pilots from 4 states showed up Saturday morning - 2 from Alabama, 1 each from Georgia & Texas, and 7 from Tennessee. Apparently some folks decided to stay home due to the weather forecast or other obligations.

Unfortunately, not all who showed up were able to compete. Vic Koenig took his Phantom up for a trim flight and met one of KCRC's infamous "plane eating trees". Luckily he was able to retrieve his plane with relatively little damage but was unable to compete due to having no backup plane. He did however help with judging for the morning before heading home. Jamie Strong chose not to compete but also helped with judging.

CD Jimmy Russell called the Pilots Meeting around 9 a.m.  Saturday's weather was vastly different from Friday's - damp and chilly with temperatures in the low 60s but the winds were still light with the same crosswind as Friday. Rain and thunderstorms were forecast throughout Saturday, so Jimmy explained that flying would be done between showers. Jimmy elected to use only 1 flight line with only 9 contestants remaining. Two rounds were completed by 11 a.m. Saturday, followed by a combination lunch break/rain delay. Jimmy's wife Shannon and daughter Everlee brought Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, chips and drinks for lunch. Rounds 3 & 4 resumed around 2 p.m. following the mid-day rains and were completed by 4. Rounds 5 & 6 were flown before noon Sunday, and pilots packed up while the final scores were being totaled.

BASIC featured Victor McIntyre and Johnny Judd in a close battle with only 8 points separating them after 4 rounds. Victor's Typhoon as grabbed by the same evil "plane eating tree" during his Round 3 landing that Vic Koenig had tangled with earlier Saturday. The damage was relatively minor and Victor was able to continue with his tiny Skylark-S foamy. Johnny decided to head home Saturday evening, allowing Victor to claim 1st Place after one additional flight on Sunday.

SPORTSMAN initially had only 1 contestant - Duane Wilson. Duane flew his obligatory official flight Saturday morning. Scott Anderson had helped judge Saturday morning but had not brought a plane to fly with him. Scott returned on Sunday, brought his Deception, paid his entry fee and flew Rounds 5 & 6. Duane was offered the opportunity to fly Sunday but declined giving Scott the win.

ADVANCED and EXPERT classes each had only one contestant, so Jim Johns and Jimmy Russell both flew only one official flight for their wins.

MASTERS featured three veterans of SPA competition - Jerry Black, Warren Oliver and Ellis Newkirk. Jerry scored 6 Ks to take 1st place, with Warren and Ellis in hot pursuit.

Awards were then handed out, followed by raffle prizes contributed by Innov8tive Designs, Balsa USA and Bob Smith Industries. Details can be found in the Photos. Packing was completed and everyone was headed home shortly thereafter.

Jim Johns

Final Scores
Back to top