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HOME GEORGIA'S PILOTS PILOTS 2 PILOTS 3 N.Carolina's Championships 2004 IMAC Judging School 
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On Friday morning, October 31, 2003, Georgia's contingent prepared to invade S. Carolina as we did two weeks previously in N. Carolina. Our representation in the Sportsman class was Kevin Hamilton with his brand new Composite ARF Yak 55 & Craig Horrell with his old faithful Cap 232, which he had to resort to because of an accident with his Composite ARF Extra 330 while practicing. In the Intermediate class, Joe Ryan was ready with his Giles 202. There was going to be a "Battle Royale" in the Advanced class, with Nick Foster & his Carden Extra 330S (still high on his win in N. Carolina) and Ron Storer who was prepared with his Radiowave Extra 330L. It seemed that I would be the only attendee from Georgia/Jamaica in the Unlimited class to the prestigious event. The three day event was well planned & Stan Stockman (C.D. of the Championships) started the pilots meeting with clear indications & directions as to how the contest would be run. There was another event being held on the other side of the trees consisting of hunting dogs, horses & their handlers, so we had to keep the airplanes closer in to the flight line. Most pilots did a good job at that, so there was no noticeable complaint from our "neighbors." Each day we were all provided with lunch and a very tasty barbecue on Saturday night. We were graced with the presence of Julie Johnson, Nora Stockman, Tom Miller, Bill Lairsley, & Bill Hollingsworth who took the time out of their busy schedule to help with top class judging. Bill Lairsley came all the way down from Maine under his own steam. During the meeting Fred Johnson presented the prizes for the S.E. Points Champion for the year of 2003. These prizes are tabulated according to points scored throughout the year in competition. The Lord smiled on us the entire weekend, as the weather was perfect throughout. A little "nippy" in the mornings, but as the day wore on, it warmed up and was very comfortable, while the evenings made us (especially myself) break out the sweat shirts/jackets. The wind was light so wind correction seemed easy for us all. The contest took the usual IMAC format with Knowns being flown on Friday. Each class had two rounds of knowns on the first day, with a third round flown by Intermediate & Advanced to take up a little "slack." Flying went until sundown & we were issued with our first Unknown for the next day. Saturday dawned with bright sunshine& little wind and flying started after a short pilots meeting. The Unknowns were "toned down" for #1, but as we found out later, they, and I DID say "THEY" got progressively harder. It seemed that Fred Johnson got out his "unusual" manual & selected some stuff directly from it. We were treated to some great flying in all the classes & the competition was intense but friendly. I will leave the finer details for Boli's report on the contest. Triple Tree events are highlighted with their "signature" Barbeque, and Saturday night was a time to break bread with friends & relax with great food. After the excellent meal, Fred Johnson had a meeting & gave a synopsis of where IMAC now stands & where it was headed. The consensus was to have a membership drive in our region to increase our numbers in each state. Afterwards, we were handed our TWO Unknowns which would be flown on Sunday. Saturday night was as intense as preparing for a final exam in school having to decipher, study & write out directions for our callers. It WAS fun! Sunday spewed another beautiful day across the sky & the Unknowns got underway promptly. This was where contests could be lost or won by making mistakes or by being spot on. Bill Kersey from Florida (Sportsman) had an engine failure which made his bid for the top out of reach. Tim Durbin from N. Carolina (Intermediate) also had an engine failure which put his thrust for the win off target. It was most unfortunate for these guys, two very competitive pilots having to retire the contest in this manner. Kevin Hamilton in Sportsman kept the pressure on Carlos Paez the entire weekend and Carlos knew if he slipped on the banana, the Georgia "Bulldog" would have devoured him. Kevin finished in SECOND place. Carlos won First place in Sportsman & also was the First place in the points Championships for 2003. Flying in Intermediate, Joe Ryan showed how much he has improved since the last contest in N. Carolina and was always a threat if anyone "stubbed" a toe. Joe commandeered the FOURTH spot. Boli Muentes had a good trip back to Florida with the FIRST place in Intermediate & also First place points Champion for 2003. The Advanced class had a serious "bob & weave" tussle going on & it was anyone's game right up to the end. Nick Foster came through with a strong charge in the final Unknown to "cop" the gold with a FIRST place. He now has to move to Unlimited next year, a change which he is looking forward to. Incidentally, Nick Foster is now an Amsoil dealer in the Georgia area. Anyone needing oils can contact him here. David Moser won the points Championship in Advanced for 2003 & moved up to Unlimited where he is making many of us "sweat". For myself, I ended up in FOURTH place in Unlimited. I held that spot throughout the contest & felt good about it, considering the caliber of flying I was up against. Brian Hannah took home the Gold back to N. Carolina. Baron Johnson won the points Championship for Unlimited in 2003. We were treated to three very nice routines of Freestyle put on by the competitors & it was a welcome break from the discipline of Aerobatics which we all went through over the weekend. Stan Stockman did a splendid job of running the contest with the able help of Nora, his wife, April Barrow (computer guru & score-keeper), W.C. Fischer (Flight-Line Boss) and many others who made the Halloween weekend most enjoyable. We all had a tremendous time, renewed & made new friendships, and went home with visions of where to begin for next year. During the rest of the year, plans & announcements will be made regarding the different Judging Schools which will be held in our region for next year. Make the effort & take the time to attend, it will be well worth it.... I'm speaking from experience.... Look at what it did for me! SPORTSMAN |
