RV8Squaz
Well Known Member
I just returned from my 4th IAC aerobatic contest, the Bear Creek Bash, held in Rome, Georgia this past weekend! As in previous contests, it was a ton of fun and tremendously rewarding! Once again it was great to see those familiar faces again and meet some new ones. However, this contest was a little different experience for me in so many ways. First, it was hosted by my home chapter, IAC 3. This was my first contest outside of Florida and it was only 60nm from my home. I also played a very minor role as Assistant Contest Director. Assistant CD just means help the CD wherever I could. I got to monitor the Unicom, welcome the arrivals, and get them parked. I also ensured the waiver was signed and organized the practice slots.
In all we had 26 contestants, 10 of which were Sportsman. Ron Shreck in his RV-8 and Bill McLean in his RV-4 competed in the Intermediate category. They had a really challenging Unknown program. There was much carnage! Great job guys! And congratulations to Ron for finishing 1st place in the second Unknown and for finishing 2nd overall beating competitors in much more capable aircraft. Way to go!
Due to the weather in Florida, we had a bit lower turnout than expected. There were about 5 or so that couldn't make the trip, including Ron Hill who is a regular contributor here on VAF. We missed you guys! However, due to fewer competitors and the fantastic weather, the CD decided we would fly four flights. It made for two very long days, but this was a fantastic opportunity. It gave us another shot in front of the judges to get some valuable critique and another chance to excel! The IAC only counts the first 3 flights for the regional standings, but the 4th flight did count toward our finish in the contest itself.
This was also my first contest without some adverse weather condition, either ceilings or winds! We had mostly clear skies and calm winds. It actually took some getting used to and I had to make some adjustments in how I flew my sequence. This is where the experience of 3 prior contests helped.
Another first for me was... visitors! Jon Abarr and Jan from the Falcon Field RV Squadron flew up from our home field in his gorgeous RV-7 to watch me compete. I think they walked away pretty impressed with the contest overall. I'm glad I didn't disappoint them with my performance! Thank you for coming and showing your support! Also, my wife Ledy and my son/copilot Max drove up to see what it's all about. It was great to have my family there with me! They even surprised me and wore their "team" shirts! That was awesome!
The competition was tough at Rome! I had a strong finish and managed 2nd place on my third flight, the Unknown1 and 3rd place on my fourth flight Unknown2. I finished 4th overall. In the end, it was an extremely close match from 2nd through 4th, with only 0.29% separating me from the the 2nd place winner. The 1st place winner, Shaun, is flying an amazing Extra 300 and has put in a lot of time practicing and training with coaches. He also developed a Free program that allows him to take advantage of his skills and aircraft performance. I hope to develop a Free program and fly it when I resume flying contests in the fall. I'm going to to take a break over the summer. It was my goal this year to fly 3-4 contests this year and so far I've flown three. It takes a minimum of three contests to qualify for regional standings. This stuff is addicting!
Here are some pics. Enjoy!
A general outline of the days' events:
Order of flight for the third flight:
Bill McLean with his RV-4:
Ron Shreck's RV-8 next to a DR-107 One Design. Can the RV become the "one design" at IAC contests that the 107 didn't? I hope so!
The Contest Director, Mark Fullerton. Great job Mark!
His awesome Panzl S-330. It looks amazing in the air with that paint job and it has throaty sound.
Time for a lunch break, a little "ribbing", and some camaraderie!
A typical score sheet. I'm starting to see more often what was once rare, a 10!
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Final standings. Look how close we were from myself at 4th to 2nd place!
Here's my son Max, which many of you have met, looking up at Daddy flying and wearing his "team" shirt! I love it!
In all we had 26 contestants, 10 of which were Sportsman. Ron Shreck in his RV-8 and Bill McLean in his RV-4 competed in the Intermediate category. They had a really challenging Unknown program. There was much carnage! Great job guys! And congratulations to Ron for finishing 1st place in the second Unknown and for finishing 2nd overall beating competitors in much more capable aircraft. Way to go!
Due to the weather in Florida, we had a bit lower turnout than expected. There were about 5 or so that couldn't make the trip, including Ron Hill who is a regular contributor here on VAF. We missed you guys! However, due to fewer competitors and the fantastic weather, the CD decided we would fly four flights. It made for two very long days, but this was a fantastic opportunity. It gave us another shot in front of the judges to get some valuable critique and another chance to excel! The IAC only counts the first 3 flights for the regional standings, but the 4th flight did count toward our finish in the contest itself.
This was also my first contest without some adverse weather condition, either ceilings or winds! We had mostly clear skies and calm winds. It actually took some getting used to and I had to make some adjustments in how I flew my sequence. This is where the experience of 3 prior contests helped.
Another first for me was... visitors! Jon Abarr and Jan from the Falcon Field RV Squadron flew up from our home field in his gorgeous RV-7 to watch me compete. I think they walked away pretty impressed with the contest overall. I'm glad I didn't disappoint them with my performance! Thank you for coming and showing your support! Also, my wife Ledy and my son/copilot Max drove up to see what it's all about. It was great to have my family there with me! They even surprised me and wore their "team" shirts! That was awesome!
The competition was tough at Rome! I had a strong finish and managed 2nd place on my third flight, the Unknown1 and 3rd place on my fourth flight Unknown2. I finished 4th overall. In the end, it was an extremely close match from 2nd through 4th, with only 0.29% separating me from the the 2nd place winner. The 1st place winner, Shaun, is flying an amazing Extra 300 and has put in a lot of time practicing and training with coaches. He also developed a Free program that allows him to take advantage of his skills and aircraft performance. I hope to develop a Free program and fly it when I resume flying contests in the fall. I'm going to to take a break over the summer. It was my goal this year to fly 3-4 contests this year and so far I've flown three. It takes a minimum of three contests to qualify for regional standings. This stuff is addicting!
Here are some pics. Enjoy!
A general outline of the days' events:
Order of flight for the third flight:
Bill McLean with his RV-4:
Ron Shreck's RV-8 next to a DR-107 One Design. Can the RV become the "one design" at IAC contests that the 107 didn't? I hope so!
The Contest Director, Mark Fullerton. Great job Mark!
His awesome Panzl S-330. It looks amazing in the air with that paint job and it has throaty sound.
Time for a lunch break, a little "ribbing", and some camaraderie!
A typical score sheet. I'm starting to see more often what was once rare, a 10!
Final standings. Look how close we were from myself at 4th to 2nd place!
Here's my son Max, which many of you have met, looking up at Daddy flying and wearing his "team" shirt! I love it!
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