Thank you guys Bill, Karl, and Ron for your kind words and encouragement!
One of my goals this year was to extend my reach and try a few contests in some other regions. All of the contests I flew in my first full year or so were in the SE region. Four of the five contests I flew from fall 2016 through 2017 were in Florida. The fifth was in Georgia. An additional goal was to fly a couple of more contest throughout the year for some good continuity. So I had decided to fly 3 in the SE region and 3 in the NE region. So far, I have flown in 2 and 2, with this last contest, the Kathy Jaffe Challenge at the South Jersey Regional airport in Lumberton NJ. Every time I got introduced, it was "Jerry Esquenazi, all the way from Atlanta Georgia!"
This one was another great contest and will go down in the record books for me. Each contest has its own flavor and a new set of faces. I got to meet many new people and see some friends from previous contests. Despite some issues with late arriving contestants, weather, and even radio trouble with one of the aircraft, the contest was well run and a ton of fun! Contest Director Ron Mann who flies an Extra 300 did a great job keeping it entertaining! Also, similar to the Wilson NC there was great variety in aircraft represented.
There was another RV-8 flown by Oliver Spatscheck in Sportsman. I'm glad I finally got to meet him and his family. Oliver flew very well and did a nice job.
A Laser in the foreground. Note the individual on the left looking like he's meditating. He's getting ready to do the aerobatic dance, an exercise done prior to a competition flight to mentally prepare and help visualize the stick movements, aircraft attitude, and geographic references used during the 3-5 minute intense flight.
A Christen Eagle, a couple of Extras, a Super Decathlon, and a Giles 202.
A Bücker Jungmann expertly flown by Greg Stringer. I knew he was one to watch. He had won a previous contest and I was in awe watching him practice. He finished in first place after the first flight. He did well on the second flight, but so did everyone else, including me!
This is Krysta with her One Design. Krysta flies in the Unlimited category and does an amazing job. Watching an unlimited flight makes my head spin! She is hoping to secure a spot on the US Unlimited Aerobatic team for next year, which will be determined at this year's National competition at Oshkosh. Good luck Krysta!
It takes a lot of people to run a contest. Oliver and I are on the board for judging. When I wasn't flying, I was judging most of the day. It's a busy day, got to squeeze in time for aircraft prep, chair flying, the aerobatic dance, and lunch. After the day is done, airplanes go back in the hangar and then it's time for a social event in the evening.
A typical scoresheet. Got to take in the good with the bad! Other sheets had some more positive comments about my performance. The key is to compare the sheets from all five judges and look for consistent comments, so you know what to work on. Figure 9, aka the Goldfish, leaves a lot of room to pick up slight errors and deviations. They can add up so the key is to minimize them.
Here's the lineup, Decathlons, Pitt's, Eagles, Rv-8s, the Bücker, and an Extra. It's always nicer when I can beat an Extra!
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way to go JERRY
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