The second contest of the year has come and gone, and good time was had by all (even the pilots involved in the midair during practice on Friday).  When I arrived on Friday, the weather was just a bit overcast and cool.  However that would be short lived as the skies cleared in the late afternoon.  We were still able to get in all the practice flights that we wanted.  The AMPS field was given a facelift last year and was sensational.  The grass runways were nicely manicured and much larger than before.  Saturday and Sunday couldn’t have been much better as we were in shorts and t-shirts most of the time! 

Saturday started with a pilots meeting at 8:30 that included a brief refresher on some key rules and judging criteria.  Wheels were up by 9am and Mariano Barrios Sr. kept us moving and did a great job CD’ing his first contest.  Lunch was included in the entry fee and Jose Guzman did a gourmet job cooking sausages, burgers, and dogs.  All 32 pilots would get in three full rounds and finish the day of competition flying by 6pm.  Several pilots used the remaining hour of daylight to cut loose and fly a little freestyle.

Sunday morning arrived and it was wheels up by 8:30.  Unknowns were flown first and then another complete round of knowns.  The demonstration pilots finished the day and wowed the crowd with their skills. Two of these pilots were only 6 years old and showed us a glimpse of what we will competing with in the near future!

See you all in Venice,

Kevin