The first SE region contest of 2010 is in the books! Friday started with cloudy skies and high winds. Who knew how valuable practice would be this day? About twenty pilots showed up and got in their practice for this event. Unfortunately I had to work this day and would have to drive down VERY early Saturday morning. The good part is my lovely wife Sherry was able to make the trip with me!!
Upon arriving at around 8:30 am Saturday morning, and registering at the last minute, it was hurry up and wait for about an hour. Once the low clouds lifted at nearly 10, we got under way. 38 pilots showed up, Basic and Intermediate were first up, and all others soon followed, as this turned into an absolutely wonderful day of flying. Winds were moderate, but right down the runway, and we flew until dusk. At the end of the day, we had gotten in two full rounds for Sportsman and Intermediate, and three full rounds for all other classes. After hours, Jason Schulman thrilled the spectators with a display of the complete flight envelope with his new 100cc Votec prototype. This will surely be a competitive offering from his company. Plane Addicts was also in attendance, with a very nice display of their state of the art products. (Thank you for the wonderful raffle prize!)
Sunday blew in with clear skies and we were able to get to the unknowns by 9am. Winds were brutal, quartering from the Southeast at 20 to 30mph but skies were relatively clear. With only a brief 5 minute shower, we had no delays today and got unknowns completed by 11, and Sportsman and Intermediate knowns completed by 1pm. Even with the rough conditions, we had NO incidents or accidents! There was no formal freestyle but several folks flew to the Bay City sound system before awards. All pilots flew well and should be commended as these competitors ARE the best of the best. The fact that they even flew in conditions that most would consider un-flyable, and then flew a judged sequence, proves the determination and focus of these pilots.
Many thanks to Greg Baggerly and the whole Bay City Flyers crew for a great season opener! Congrats to my Jacksonville teammates, Dowd Kieslich for his first Sportsman contest, and Don Gentry for his first Basic contest. I look forward to coming back to Land O Lakes in April for the Spring Classic.
Best regards,
Kevin Wilson