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aeajr
477 Posts |
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Anker
83 Posts |
 Posted - 08/13/2008 : 07:47:07 AM
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The official contest report from the CDs:
Leading up the 35th annual Soar-In, much work had been put into refining the dolly-based parachute-retrieving system that we use to facilitate man-on-man competition. As a final test, it was used for the Easy Glider contest two weeks before the Soar-In and it performed flawlessly.
We always go to the field Friday afternoon to assemble the monster awning for the score keeping tables. When we got to the field, there was a large contingent of weekend contestants fun-flying. They had been doing this since noon, using Dimitri Katramatos’ winch and retriever. We got the awning raised, stored a few items under it and retired for the evening.
The weekend was forecast as beautiful with sun, light wind, moderate temperatures with a slight chance of a thunderstorm Sunday afternoon. On arrival at the field for setup Saturday morning there was a low overcast and light fog.
Setup and registration went briskly and we ended up with a bigger crowd than we have had in many years: 21 experts, 15 sportsmen and one novice.
By the time we were ready to fly the overcast was still very low, about 400’, and the CD, Anker Berg-Sonne, decided to start with a six minute task. The first group discovered that the lift was great under the clouds and they easily made their times. A full zoom on launch would put the plane deep in the clouds and out of sight. The best action to take is to loop the plane or put it in full landing mode. Letting it fly causes it to pop out of the clouds at an unknown point and unknown attitude. It only takes a second for a plane in a full dive to cover the distance between the cloud base and the ground. In these conditions the lift is under the clouds and the sink is in the light areas between them. Later groups that flew after the ceiling cleared had much worse air, but the man-on-man format ensured that the first groups didn’t have an “unfair” advantage.
Equipment gremlins were out in full force and we had to deal with a number of line tangles and various other equipment problems. By the time lunch arrived we had only managed to complete 2 ½ rounds.
After lunch we announced resumed flying by firing a mini-cannon Miner Crary had brought with him. No missing that signal. The afternoon went much smoother than the morning and we held to 8 minute rounds in order to maximize the rounds. Also, by popular demand, we continued flying until 5PM, which allowed us to complete 7 rounds total.
Competition was intense with landings making the difference. At the end of the day the two top experts had identical raw scores and a tiny difference in normalized scores. The 2nd and 3rd place experts had identical normalized scores with the tie broken by raw scores.
The final results were: Novice winner: George Messer. Sportsman: 3rd place: George Hill, 2nd place: Ed Anderson and 1st place Dimitri Katramatos. Expert: 3rd place: Luis Bustamante, 2nd place: Dave Walter and 1st place Steve Lucke.
A large group dined together at Papa Razzi in Concord after hastily showering and putting equipment on charge. Dinner was delicious and we had a great waitress. A superb time was had by all.
Sunday looked like a repeat of Saturday, weather wise, but the low ceiling cleared just as flying started at 9AM. The CD, David Walter, decided to start with a 7 minute round followed by 8 minute rounds the rest of the day. The equipment gremlins had taken Sunday off and flying went smoothly all day.
There was zero prevailing wind and all breezes were thermal-driven, so when there was one, it was a matter of figuring how far downwind the current thermal was. If there was no breeze you got no help from a cloudless sky. Almost all day we were in the middle of a blue hole surrounded by towering cumulus clouds.
As always there weren’t as many pilots as Saturday, but still a large group of 21 experts, 12 sportsmen and 1 novice.
Again, landings made all the difference with the majority of the experts getting all their flight times. The final results were: Novice winner: George Messer, Sportsman: 3rd place: Michael Moore, 2nd place: Robert Buxton and 1st place Dimitri Katramatos. Expert: 3rd place: David Beach, 2nd place: Dave Walter and 1st place: Steve Lucke. The grand champion mug for the weekend went to Steve Lucke. Great flying, Steve!
About an hour after we finished cleanup the skies opened.
We had invaluable help from a number of dedicated helpers: Rick Penzick, Steve Young and David Spielman manned the turnaround end of the dolly system. That end of the field was very muddy and this job is the least attractive because you are removed from the action. Steve Young also provided delicious lunches both days, and finally Dave Marshall and Les Gerhardt took care of scoring. Without these dedicated helpers we would not be able to run this event.
Anker Berg-Sonne and Dave Walter
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Edited by - Anker on 08/13/2008 3:30:48 PM |
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aeajr
477 Posts |
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aeajr
477 Posts |
Posted - 08/14/2008 : 07:42:38 AM
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Personal Contest Report – Aug 9/10 2008
We had never been to an ESL contest at CRRC’s Davis field, so Mike Lavelle and I decided to go and join the fun. We drove from Long Island to Sudbury on Friday. The weather forecast was for rain all day, but it was clear all the way to the field. And when we arrived, around 3PM, we found a lot of people flying. Guess we should have left earlier.
We got in some late afternoon flights, just to get a feel for the field and the surrounding air. My AVA found the air friendly and the lift easy to find. Hopefully the rest of the weekend would be the same.
Saturday arrived with blue skies and gentle breezes. Conditions were ideal for a light weight RES plane. So I moved the Supra to back-up plane and let the RES AVA have lead for the day.
Mike likewise left the full house Thermal Dancer for back-up opting for the lighter RES Bubble Dancer that he had finished building only a few weeks before. Mike did a beautiful job on the Bubble Dancer and it shows in the way it flies. Mike fielded questions about the build all weekend. Nice job Mike.
The contest was flown Man on Man, which is my favorite format. the first task on Saturday was 6 minutes but moved to 8 minutes for the rest of the day. We were landing on 25 foot tapes.
When lunch rolled around, we were treated to a cold cut buffet, including salads, and cookies. The food was great!
To summarize the day, I had personal best after personal best flights. I took second in Sportsman and scored the highest I ever recall at an ESL contest.
Mike also had a great day with many personal best flights. It seemed that we were going to enjoy flying in Massachusetts.
Now, no one has the right to expect two such perfect days back to back, but that is exactly what we found when we awoke Sunday. We had blue skies, big fluffy clouds and light breezes. Since we had both done well with our RES planes on Saturday, we decided to stay with them.
We did have a bit of a low ceiling in the morning. I made a test launch and my AVA disappeared into the clouds that hung over the field. But the fog lifted and the contest proceeded.
Well, I did not do as well Sunday as Saturday when it comes to score, but I had a great time just the same. The people were wonderful, lunch was a treat and the weather was better than anyone would have expected.
I would like to thank the Anker and Dave, the CDs and the entire staff for putting on such a great event. I had a wonderful weekend and look forward to visiting CRRC’s field for another ESL contest in the near future.
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Best regards,
Ed Anderson
Long Island Silent Flyers
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Edited by - aeajr on 08/14/2008 08:07:29 AM |
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Contest Report for CRRC Aug 9/10 2008
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