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Region 5 North Contest Report
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Rich Owen
Apr 15, 2023, 10:42:33 PM4/15/23
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First Day in the South
Team 98 drove in from Seminole-Lake in Florida yesterday and set up for the Region 5 North contest in Perry SC. Traffic was terrible but we persisted and arrived in late afternoon. Since the sun was not going down for a couple of hours, we put 98 together to give us more time to prepare for the first practice day.
Rhonda and Al Tyler put on a great contest. It is no wonder that the contest is always one of the toughest tickets to get in the US. This year we are lucky in Region 5. All three contests are oversubscribed this year! First you have to see the site. The Perry International’s runway was recently lengthened and we have more room to takeoff no matter how heavy you are. The cookhouse and all the other amenities are still here with improvements added each year. The ground crew is always sharp and well organized under the supervision of Larry Travers. Now Larry’s jokes can spill over to the non-politically correct side, but they are almost always funny.
Rhonda is our Contest Manager and a very good friend of Seminole-Lake Gliderport. She always treats us very well but I must have made a mistake this year. Our trailer is parked in the outback area of the cove. Guess we will have to make do with Doug Jacobs and Pete Alexander as our neighbors. During the pilots meeting today Rhonda did explain that her parking spot by the cook house is Her’s and Her’s alone. If you park there, you may not be able to eat that night.
Marshall McClung is again our CD and he started his part of the pilots meeting with a good explanation of his expectations for the contest. Treat everyone with respect, fly a good glider and do not mistreat the volunteers! Truer words were never said. Marshall is always fun to be around and we enjoy him as the CD.
Our launch today was expected to be around 12:15 and the weatherman, Scott Fletcher, provided us with a great picture of the day. Our task was a 2:30 Turn Area Task for all the classes. About half of the contest pilots chose to fly today. Some of them have been here for a couple of days and had participated in the Seniors just a couple of weeks ago. The rust was not as prevalent as you would expect. I think we had 5 towplanes today, and with the superb leadership of Brian Glick, we were able to get everyone up in an expeditious manner.
Our task took us from Start 3 to West Aiken, Hampton, Dry Swamp and Finish for a nominal distance of 152mi. As the gliders were being launched, it was quickly evident today was going to be a great day. In the start circle climbs were in the 3-knot range to over the 5,000ft max start altitude. Everyone was soon off on their way. The first leg had a few energy lines that went to West Aiken. However, about the center of the circle, the lift backed off dramatically. Some gliders found themselves very low and wondering where all the 3 and 4 knot thermals went. The leaders were able to see the gear shift and slow down accordingly. The leg to Hampton was a little better but the leg that really made a difference on the score sheet was from Hampton thru Dry Swamp to the Finish. Energy lines were plentiful but it was not easy to pick the best one. Several cloud streets ended in big blue holes while others had weak Cu to keep you going. For the most part, the final glides were pretty stress free. There were big smiles on the pilot’s faces while the crews were all looking forward to a good meal in town. In Sports Class, Scott Fletcher (the weatherman) finished in third place with Jim Hogue in second. Achieving a handicapped speed of 46.67mph over 137 miles was Mitch Deutsch in first place. Great job Mitch!
In the FAI Handicapped Class, Werner Ruegger finished in third place with Evan Luderman in second. Our very own Billy Kerns finished in first place with a handicapped speed of 52.98mph over 159miles. Nice Billy, keep it up!!
In the highly competitive 18 Meter Class, Nelson Howe, who has put together some very impressive flight out of the Treasure Coast Soaring Club, finished in third place today. In second place was Jake Alspaugh in a JS-3 that is for sale. In first place is another great friend of ours, Erik Nelson who achieved a speed of 66.14 over 197miles.
Finally, in Open Class, Perry West took the third and second place positions while an adopted Seminole-Lake pilot finished in first. Sam Zimmerman finished third with Team 98 (Pete Alexander and Rich Owen) placing second. Henry Retting took the first place with a winning flight of 156mile flight at 57.22mph.
Today was only the first day. Tomorrow looks to be a day where the grass is going to get watered and pilots/crews will get a day off. Monday is when the real fun starts. So, stay tuned and we will try and keep you informed and in touch with the pilots. Let me know if you have any questions by emailing me at stil...@aol.com.
Stay high, fly safe and return home.
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater
Team 98 drove in from Seminole-Lake in Florida yesterday and set up for the Region 5 North contest in Perry SC. Traffic was terrible but we persisted and arrived in late afternoon. Since the sun was not going down for a couple of hours, we put 98 together to give us more time to prepare for the first practice day.
Rhonda and Al Tyler put on a great contest. It is no wonder that the contest is always one of the toughest tickets to get in the US. This year we are lucky in Region 5. All three contests are oversubscribed this year! First you have to see the site. The Perry International’s runway was recently lengthened and we have more room to takeoff no matter how heavy you are. The cookhouse and all the other amenities are still here with improvements added each year. The ground crew is always sharp and well organized under the supervision of Larry Travers. Now Larry’s jokes can spill over to the non-politically correct side, but they are almost always funny.
Rhonda is our Contest Manager and a very good friend of Seminole-Lake Gliderport. She always treats us very well but I must have made a mistake this year. Our trailer is parked in the outback area of the cove. Guess we will have to make do with Doug Jacobs and Pete Alexander as our neighbors. During the pilots meeting today Rhonda did explain that her parking spot by the cook house is Her’s and Her’s alone. If you park there, you may not be able to eat that night.
Marshall McClung is again our CD and he started his part of the pilots meeting with a good explanation of his expectations for the contest. Treat everyone with respect, fly a good glider and do not mistreat the volunteers! Truer words were never said. Marshall is always fun to be around and we enjoy him as the CD.
Our launch today was expected to be around 12:15 and the weatherman, Scott Fletcher, provided us with a great picture of the day. Our task was a 2:30 Turn Area Task for all the classes. About half of the contest pilots chose to fly today. Some of them have been here for a couple of days and had participated in the Seniors just a couple of weeks ago. The rust was not as prevalent as you would expect. I think we had 5 towplanes today, and with the superb leadership of Brian Glick, we were able to get everyone up in an expeditious manner.
Our task took us from Start 3 to West Aiken, Hampton, Dry Swamp and Finish for a nominal distance of 152mi. As the gliders were being launched, it was quickly evident today was going to be a great day. In the start circle climbs were in the 3-knot range to over the 5,000ft max start altitude. Everyone was soon off on their way. The first leg had a few energy lines that went to West Aiken. However, about the center of the circle, the lift backed off dramatically. Some gliders found themselves very low and wondering where all the 3 and 4 knot thermals went. The leaders were able to see the gear shift and slow down accordingly. The leg to Hampton was a little better but the leg that really made a difference on the score sheet was from Hampton thru Dry Swamp to the Finish. Energy lines were plentiful but it was not easy to pick the best one. Several cloud streets ended in big blue holes while others had weak Cu to keep you going. For the most part, the final glides were pretty stress free. There were big smiles on the pilot’s faces while the crews were all looking forward to a good meal in town. In Sports Class, Scott Fletcher (the weatherman) finished in third place with Jim Hogue in second. Achieving a handicapped speed of 46.67mph over 137 miles was Mitch Deutsch in first place. Great job Mitch!
In the FAI Handicapped Class, Werner Ruegger finished in third place with Evan Luderman in second. Our very own Billy Kerns finished in first place with a handicapped speed of 52.98mph over 159miles. Nice Billy, keep it up!!
In the highly competitive 18 Meter Class, Nelson Howe, who has put together some very impressive flight out of the Treasure Coast Soaring Club, finished in third place today. In second place was Jake Alspaugh in a JS-3 that is for sale. In first place is another great friend of ours, Erik Nelson who achieved a speed of 66.14 over 197miles.
Finally, in Open Class, Perry West took the third and second place positions while an adopted Seminole-Lake pilot finished in first. Sam Zimmerman finished third with Team 98 (Pete Alexander and Rich Owen) placing second. Henry Retting took the first place with a winning flight of 156mile flight at 57.22mph.
Today was only the first day. Tomorrow looks to be a day where the grass is going to get watered and pilots/crews will get a day off. Monday is when the real fun starts. So, stay tuned and we will try and keep you informed and in touch with the pilots. Let me know if you have any questions by emailing me at stil...@aol.com.
Stay high, fly safe and return home.
Rich Owen
Team 98 Backseater
Rich Owen
Apr 16, 2023, 10:17:41 PM4/16/23
to
Flying the 180
Today at Perry the weather was less than optimum. Winds were up, cloud bases were less than desired and enthusiasm was low. At the pilot’s meeting, everyone was debating what were we going to do today. We heard from everyone that the day was not going to be fun. Marshall (our CD) explained that the day was poor and he cancelled the contest portion of the second practice day. He did allow pilots who wanted to fly to get airborne and check out their ships.
Team 98 had issues with our navigation system and tail water system so we worked on the glider. DJ had issues with his water system and he was working on it at Perry West.
We did have a few pilots who did get airborne and have a good flight. It certainly would not support a contest task. So, some of us went to Aiken for a good lunch after working on the gliders. We did find out the Aiken Brewery closed down this year and our favorite wine store also closed their door’s this week. The economy has hurt small businesses in the US, but most are doing well.
One thing that was great was a good friend, Brian Glick, had his daughter flying with him. Nothing is more important than the bound between a daughter and a father. I know from personal experience. Brian’s daughter is a licensed pilot but has limited experience in tail wheel aircraft. Since her dad has a Cessna 180 you would figure this could be fixed. Brian was seen doing many landings and we all gave them a thumbs up. The apple certainly did not fall far from the tree. His daughter was a natural.
Team 98 joined up with AG and company to descend on Whiskey Alley in Aiken SC. The food was great and the time we spent at The Alley was a blast. This place is a haven for beer lovers. Over 45 beers on tap and you just pay for them by the ounce. This way you can try multiple craft beers with little risk of getting a bad one.
On the way back to Perry we watched several flights that were on the OGN network. Thank you Al, for getting this system up at one of the most important contest sites in the US. Ken Sorenson did a nice flight in weak conditions today but ask him about his back rub at the pilot’s meeting. Sometimes, great friends deserve a little bit of humor to start their day off.
Tonight, we had the welcome dinner hosted by Rhonda and Al Tyler. It was again a gala that joined friends from all over the country who share a common love of soaring. It is always good to speak with other glider pilots and crews that you only see infrequently.
Tomorrow the weather will be what it is and the CD will make the correct call for the task. Tonight, I’m going to get a good rest and think of all the strong points I have to advance Team 98. I’m sure Pete is thinking of a way to control my enthusiasm and fun nature after an afternoon with Team AG.
See you tomorrow on the grid!
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater
Today at Perry the weather was less than optimum. Winds were up, cloud bases were less than desired and enthusiasm was low. At the pilot’s meeting, everyone was debating what were we going to do today. We heard from everyone that the day was not going to be fun. Marshall (our CD) explained that the day was poor and he cancelled the contest portion of the second practice day. He did allow pilots who wanted to fly to get airborne and check out their ships.
Team 98 had issues with our navigation system and tail water system so we worked on the glider. DJ had issues with his water system and he was working on it at Perry West.
We did have a few pilots who did get airborne and have a good flight. It certainly would not support a contest task. So, some of us went to Aiken for a good lunch after working on the gliders. We did find out the Aiken Brewery closed down this year and our favorite wine store also closed their door’s this week. The economy has hurt small businesses in the US, but most are doing well.
One thing that was great was a good friend, Brian Glick, had his daughter flying with him. Nothing is more important than the bound between a daughter and a father. I know from personal experience. Brian’s daughter is a licensed pilot but has limited experience in tail wheel aircraft. Since her dad has a Cessna 180 you would figure this could be fixed. Brian was seen doing many landings and we all gave them a thumbs up. The apple certainly did not fall far from the tree. His daughter was a natural.
Team 98 joined up with AG and company to descend on Whiskey Alley in Aiken SC. The food was great and the time we spent at The Alley was a blast. This place is a haven for beer lovers. Over 45 beers on tap and you just pay for them by the ounce. This way you can try multiple craft beers with little risk of getting a bad one.
On the way back to Perry we watched several flights that were on the OGN network. Thank you Al, for getting this system up at one of the most important contest sites in the US. Ken Sorenson did a nice flight in weak conditions today but ask him about his back rub at the pilot’s meeting. Sometimes, great friends deserve a little bit of humor to start their day off.
Tonight, we had the welcome dinner hosted by Rhonda and Al Tyler. It was again a gala that joined friends from all over the country who share a common love of soaring. It is always good to speak with other glider pilots and crews that you only see infrequently.
Tomorrow the weather will be what it is and the CD will make the correct call for the task. Tonight, I’m going to get a good rest and think of all the strong points I have to advance Team 98. I’m sure Pete is thinking of a way to control my enthusiasm and fun nature after an afternoon with Team AG.
See you tomorrow on the grid!
Cheers,
Rich
Team 98 Backseater
Rich Owen
Apr 17, 2023, 11:17:46 PM4/17/23
to
On Sunday, April 16, 2023 at 10:17:41 PM UTC-4, Rich Owen wrote:
>
Perry Contest Day 1
Blue, Windy and Trouble
We just got back from a nice dinner by the cookhouse hosted by Al and Rhonda Tyler. Tonight, was beer butt chicken which is a southern delicacy. It is also an audience participation meal where the crews get to help in the dinner preparations. There is something about shoving a beer can in the butt of a chicken that just seems wrong, but it tastes so good. Mac and cheese and southern style green beans finished out the dinner. Rhonda made coconut pies for desert and they were great. Pete Alexander tried a piece and he doesn’t usually eat anything coconut.
Going around the dinner table talking to the pilots, I asked them to describe in one word how the day went for them. Many of these answers I cannot put in this article. I really try to make my reports PG15 at least. Some of the most repeated words were windy, blue, struggle, challenging, a type of show I cannot say, stay positive (yes, I asked for one word and got 2) and the best was “over”. Hal Woodruff asked me to come back to him so he could think of a good retort. Well, I went back to him several times with no results. Guess that is why waitresses really don’t like it when Hal comes in for dinner. His order takes forever!!!
Enough about the dinner, lets get to the flying. At the pilots meeting, Marshall told us he has been coming to Perry for 50 years. That is amazing! The history of Perry, and the southern hospitality that Rhonda and Al have given the soaring community, is unheard of in any other sport. The amount of effort that goes into putting on any large contest is formable. To have a well-run contest that has been oversubscribed for many years is a testament to the contest management. As a contest manager myself, I always tip my hat to Rhonda. She has taken great care of all of us for all these years.
The contest has just begun and already we had an injury. Scott Fletcher, our weatherman went one on one with a very sharp knife and received 7 stiches in his hand. The doctor told him he could fly as much as he wanted to but he advised Scott that he shouldn’t do the weather reports for 6 days. Of course, Rhonda just replied, nice try Scott!
At the pilots meeting we always ask about items that go missing. Today, Fernando Silva asked if anyone had seen a pin that went missing around his glider during assembly. Everyone assumed it was the wing pin until Fernando corrected the statement saying it was a pin to his wing rigger. Larry Travers had a great joke that really got everyone laughing, but again, I cannot repeat it here due to the PG15 rating of this report. It was great though.
Everyone went to the grid to get ready for the first contest day. Things always seem to go wrong when you least expect it. Our Chief Tow Pilot mounted his stead to taxi to the head of the grid and the Pawnee just would not start. Down a tow plane, the day was just getting started. After Sports Class launched, it wasn’t long before they started returning for relights. The 20 mph winds were raising havoc with the thermals. Of course, the landings were pretty exciting also. The entire Open Class pilots were sitting on lawn chairs on the side of the hill as the first of the relights happened. It is pretty funny seeing some of the most experienced pilots yelling “TURN, TURN” to glider pilots making a downwind to base turn into a 20mph breeze on final. Many did not put out spoilers for the entire approach since they would have found themselves right in the middle of the FAI Class. In the end, everyone got up safely. Due to the large number of relights and the loss of a tow plane, the Open Class task was cancelled. It would seem we would have started right around sunset if the task was opened. We all did launch to check out the ships and just to have some fun. We came to fly, not grid the ships and put them away. On the Team 98 launch, I think we must have made Larry Travers mad. He is normally a superb launch crew director and operations head. We were hooked up to Brian Glick, a great friend and excellent tow pilot. Larry gave Brian the signal to go full power and launch while I was waving goodbye to some of the ground crew. Unbeknownst to me, we had 5 feet of slack when Brian started his takeoff roll. About 3 seconds later, we started ours. It was quit a surprise and reminded me of a carrier takeoff.
The Sports Class finally got on task and the day got hard. It was a totally blue day with strong winds that made the thermals very difficult to center or to get any kind of smooth, consistent climb. We were only getting to around 5,000ft but some of the pilots actually found wave and were able to exceed 6,000ft. Of the 22 pilots, only 7 made it back to the proper airfield. In third place was Kevin Anderson, with Mitch Deutsch in second place. In first place was JT McMasters. Great job guys on a very difficult day!
In the 18 Meter Class, Erik Nelson continued his stellar performance with a very impressive win. His 116mile flight at almost 55mph was the fastest flight of the day of any class by a large margin. This is after he remarked about how little flying he has done over the past several months. In second place was Sergei Morozov with Sean Murphy in third place.
In FAI Combined Class, the shorter wings really didn’t help these intrepid pilots. Only 4 out of 12 made it around the course. Dieter Jaeger finished in third place with Jason Arnold in second and Jared Granzow took the day in first. What was impressive of these two flights, Jason towed the entire fleet and then jumped into his ship and started 55 minutes after his class gate opened. Jared just finished the Seniors in Florida (no he is not old enough to fly as a regular entrant or young enough to get reimbursed as a junior) and would have finished in third if he was old enough. Both of these pilots are very good and I’m sure we will see them on the podium many times in the future.
Of course, the return to the field was also a very difficult approach and landing. We were lucky today that the pilots all made pretty good decisions and none of the landouts caused damage to any glider. There was one glider that did a ground loop on landing at Perry but everything worked out for the best.
Well, that is it for tonight. My roommates want to go to bed and I’m keeping the lights on. So, have a good night and remember, being able to use your ship the next day is better than a low save 9 out of 10 times resulting in a hull lose. Fly smart, be safe and have another great day in these United States.
Good Night,
>
Perry Contest Day 1
Blue, Windy and Trouble
We just got back from a nice dinner by the cookhouse hosted by Al and Rhonda Tyler. Tonight, was beer butt chicken which is a southern delicacy. It is also an audience participation meal where the crews get to help in the dinner preparations. There is something about shoving a beer can in the butt of a chicken that just seems wrong, but it tastes so good. Mac and cheese and southern style green beans finished out the dinner. Rhonda made coconut pies for desert and they were great. Pete Alexander tried a piece and he doesn’t usually eat anything coconut.
Going around the dinner table talking to the pilots, I asked them to describe in one word how the day went for them. Many of these answers I cannot put in this article. I really try to make my reports PG15 at least. Some of the most repeated words were windy, blue, struggle, challenging, a type of show I cannot say, stay positive (yes, I asked for one word and got 2) and the best was “over”. Hal Woodruff asked me to come back to him so he could think of a good retort. Well, I went back to him several times with no results. Guess that is why waitresses really don’t like it when Hal comes in for dinner. His order takes forever!!!
Enough about the dinner, lets get to the flying. At the pilots meeting, Marshall told us he has been coming to Perry for 50 years. That is amazing! The history of Perry, and the southern hospitality that Rhonda and Al have given the soaring community, is unheard of in any other sport. The amount of effort that goes into putting on any large contest is formable. To have a well-run contest that has been oversubscribed for many years is a testament to the contest management. As a contest manager myself, I always tip my hat to Rhonda. She has taken great care of all of us for all these years.
The contest has just begun and already we had an injury. Scott Fletcher, our weatherman went one on one with a very sharp knife and received 7 stiches in his hand. The doctor told him he could fly as much as he wanted to but he advised Scott that he shouldn’t do the weather reports for 6 days. Of course, Rhonda just replied, nice try Scott!
At the pilots meeting we always ask about items that go missing. Today, Fernando Silva asked if anyone had seen a pin that went missing around his glider during assembly. Everyone assumed it was the wing pin until Fernando corrected the statement saying it was a pin to his wing rigger. Larry Travers had a great joke that really got everyone laughing, but again, I cannot repeat it here due to the PG15 rating of this report. It was great though.
Everyone went to the grid to get ready for the first contest day. Things always seem to go wrong when you least expect it. Our Chief Tow Pilot mounted his stead to taxi to the head of the grid and the Pawnee just would not start. Down a tow plane, the day was just getting started. After Sports Class launched, it wasn’t long before they started returning for relights. The 20 mph winds were raising havoc with the thermals. Of course, the landings were pretty exciting also. The entire Open Class pilots were sitting on lawn chairs on the side of the hill as the first of the relights happened. It is pretty funny seeing some of the most experienced pilots yelling “TURN, TURN” to glider pilots making a downwind to base turn into a 20mph breeze on final. Many did not put out spoilers for the entire approach since they would have found themselves right in the middle of the FAI Class. In the end, everyone got up safely. Due to the large number of relights and the loss of a tow plane, the Open Class task was cancelled. It would seem we would have started right around sunset if the task was opened. We all did launch to check out the ships and just to have some fun. We came to fly, not grid the ships and put them away. On the Team 98 launch, I think we must have made Larry Travers mad. He is normally a superb launch crew director and operations head. We were hooked up to Brian Glick, a great friend and excellent tow pilot. Larry gave Brian the signal to go full power and launch while I was waving goodbye to some of the ground crew. Unbeknownst to me, we had 5 feet of slack when Brian started his takeoff roll. About 3 seconds later, we started ours. It was quit a surprise and reminded me of a carrier takeoff.
The Sports Class finally got on task and the day got hard. It was a totally blue day with strong winds that made the thermals very difficult to center or to get any kind of smooth, consistent climb. We were only getting to around 5,000ft but some of the pilots actually found wave and were able to exceed 6,000ft. Of the 22 pilots, only 7 made it back to the proper airfield. In third place was Kevin Anderson, with Mitch Deutsch in second place. In first place was JT McMasters. Great job guys on a very difficult day!
In the 18 Meter Class, Erik Nelson continued his stellar performance with a very impressive win. His 116mile flight at almost 55mph was the fastest flight of the day of any class by a large margin. This is after he remarked about how little flying he has done over the past several months. In second place was Sergei Morozov with Sean Murphy in third place.
In FAI Combined Class, the shorter wings really didn’t help these intrepid pilots. Only 4 out of 12 made it around the course. Dieter Jaeger finished in third place with Jason Arnold in second and Jared Granzow took the day in first. What was impressive of these two flights, Jason towed the entire fleet and then jumped into his ship and started 55 minutes after his class gate opened. Jared just finished the Seniors in Florida (no he is not old enough to fly as a regular entrant or young enough to get reimbursed as a junior) and would have finished in third if he was old enough. Both of these pilots are very good and I’m sure we will see them on the podium many times in the future.
Of course, the return to the field was also a very difficult approach and landing. We were lucky today that the pilots all made pretty good decisions and none of the landouts caused damage to any glider. There was one glider that did a ground loop on landing at Perry but everything worked out for the best.
Well, that is it for tonight. My roommates want to go to bed and I’m keeping the lights on. So, have a good night and remember, being able to use your ship the next day is better than a low save 9 out of 10 times resulting in a hull lose. Fly smart, be safe and have another great day in these United States.
Good Night,
Rich Owen
Apr 18, 2023, 11:41:19 PM4/18/23
to
The Beatings Will Continue Until the Morale Improves
The sun came out in Perry this morning and we all got up with high expectations of a great day. The winds had subsided, the temperatures were higher and the weather man almost got it right. During the pilots meeting, Scott started to read the weather report and we all had a feeling of dejavu. It took a couple of minutes until we discovered he was reading the report from the previous day. That wasn’t the only funny episode we had. The FAA came out to do a Wings presentation that was excellent. The information they gave on airspace was very well received. The projector, screen and PowerPoint slides were well done. After the training, Stoney (FAA presenter) lowered the screen and Rhonda was standing behind it and said, I’m the wizard behind the screen. You had to hear the joke from the previous day to laugh at the situation.
We did not know that we had 14 landouts yesterday and Chris Carter did an outstanding job connecting retrieve crews with the pilots. She gave credit to all the pilots who were very willing to retrieve their friends. Everyone made it home safely and no gliders were damaged.
Today was a special day to celebrate the birthday of a very special lady. Leigh Zimmerman was dually embarrassed by all the pilots. The 15 people who live in the cove across from the runway at the Region 5 North contest presented her with a bouquet of spring flowers. Leigh has kept everyone informed of glider contest results on Facebook for several years. This is just one of the many tasks she has volunteered to do to advance our sport. Together with her husband Sam, they have greatly improved the lives of everyone in the soaring community.
Finally, Larry Travers gave us a joke I can print. A car had an issue and would not start. The 4 engineers that were riding in it all had solutions to the problem. The mechanical engineer said it was a starter, the chemical engineer said it was contamination in the fuel and the electrical engineer said it was the battery. The IT engineer looked at the car and said, I have the answer, let’s all get out and get back in. With that, lets get back to flying.
Today was going to be blue again. The winds dropped off to a reasonable value and everyone wanted to get going. The task was set and the ships were gridded. Lift was 3-5knots to at least 5,000. Some of the pilots actually got to 6,000ft. It was a lot easier than yesterday. As the pilots returned to the field, smiles returned to the flight line. There was no bigger smile than on the face of Greg Shugg who won Sports Class. Greg is a great pilot and even better friend of mine. Kevin Anderson finished in second place with Fabrizio Di Stefano in third. Greg flew the 125-mile task at a raw speed of 47.20. Nice job Greg!
In the 18 Meter Class, Nelson Howe and Ken Sorenson tied for second place with Sean Murphy finishing in first place. Sean did the 181-mile task at a respectable 60mph.
FAI Combined had a tough task but managed to finish all the pilots back at the airfield. In third place was Jason Arnold, in second was Evan Ludeman and Jared Granzow won the class again with a 147-mile flight at 56mph. This is the second day win for Jared at this contest. Great job Jared!!
Tonight, there seems to be a problem with the Open Class results. I’ll try and find out what is happening. I do want to talk about a very interesting event on the flight line today that we can all learn from. A very experienced crew of a two-place glider started the takeoff role with the canopy open. I’m not talking about unlocked. It was open. You ask how something like this could happen. In any incident, there are actions that form a potential accident. In this case, the pilot immediately released and nothing happened other than some embarrassed looks from everyone. The lesson learned here is to never judge a pilot’s action or ground crew error but to applaud the quick decision to mitigate the incident. The quick release stopped the chain of events that could have led to injury or significant damage to a glider. During launch, releasing from the tow plane in an abnormal condition is the best thing to do. Hanging on can only exacerbate the incident to an accident.
Another day is in the books for the contest and the weather forecast looks good this week. My good friend and fellow contest manager from the Seniors is here in Perry to enjoy the festive atmosphere. This is a great event and you should put it on your bucket list of things to do. Thank you, Rhonda and Al, for the southern hospitality.
Be Safe and Come Home,
The sun came out in Perry this morning and we all got up with high expectations of a great day. The winds had subsided, the temperatures were higher and the weather man almost got it right. During the pilots meeting, Scott started to read the weather report and we all had a feeling of dejavu. It took a couple of minutes until we discovered he was reading the report from the previous day. That wasn’t the only funny episode we had. The FAA came out to do a Wings presentation that was excellent. The information they gave on airspace was very well received. The projector, screen and PowerPoint slides were well done. After the training, Stoney (FAA presenter) lowered the screen and Rhonda was standing behind it and said, I’m the wizard behind the screen. You had to hear the joke from the previous day to laugh at the situation.
We did not know that we had 14 landouts yesterday and Chris Carter did an outstanding job connecting retrieve crews with the pilots. She gave credit to all the pilots who were very willing to retrieve their friends. Everyone made it home safely and no gliders were damaged.
Today was a special day to celebrate the birthday of a very special lady. Leigh Zimmerman was dually embarrassed by all the pilots. The 15 people who live in the cove across from the runway at the Region 5 North contest presented her with a bouquet of spring flowers. Leigh has kept everyone informed of glider contest results on Facebook for several years. This is just one of the many tasks she has volunteered to do to advance our sport. Together with her husband Sam, they have greatly improved the lives of everyone in the soaring community.
Finally, Larry Travers gave us a joke I can print. A car had an issue and would not start. The 4 engineers that were riding in it all had solutions to the problem. The mechanical engineer said it was a starter, the chemical engineer said it was contamination in the fuel and the electrical engineer said it was the battery. The IT engineer looked at the car and said, I have the answer, let’s all get out and get back in. With that, lets get back to flying.
Today was going to be blue again. The winds dropped off to a reasonable value and everyone wanted to get going. The task was set and the ships were gridded. Lift was 3-5knots to at least 5,000. Some of the pilots actually got to 6,000ft. It was a lot easier than yesterday. As the pilots returned to the field, smiles returned to the flight line. There was no bigger smile than on the face of Greg Shugg who won Sports Class. Greg is a great pilot and even better friend of mine. Kevin Anderson finished in second place with Fabrizio Di Stefano in third. Greg flew the 125-mile task at a raw speed of 47.20. Nice job Greg!
In the 18 Meter Class, Nelson Howe and Ken Sorenson tied for second place with Sean Murphy finishing in first place. Sean did the 181-mile task at a respectable 60mph.
FAI Combined had a tough task but managed to finish all the pilots back at the airfield. In third place was Jason Arnold, in second was Evan Ludeman and Jared Granzow won the class again with a 147-mile flight at 56mph. This is the second day win for Jared at this contest. Great job Jared!!
Tonight, there seems to be a problem with the Open Class results. I’ll try and find out what is happening. I do want to talk about a very interesting event on the flight line today that we can all learn from. A very experienced crew of a two-place glider started the takeoff role with the canopy open. I’m not talking about unlocked. It was open. You ask how something like this could happen. In any incident, there are actions that form a potential accident. In this case, the pilot immediately released and nothing happened other than some embarrassed looks from everyone. The lesson learned here is to never judge a pilot’s action or ground crew error but to applaud the quick decision to mitigate the incident. The quick release stopped the chain of events that could have led to injury or significant damage to a glider. During launch, releasing from the tow plane in an abnormal condition is the best thing to do. Hanging on can only exacerbate the incident to an accident.
Another day is in the books for the contest and the weather forecast looks good this week. My good friend and fellow contest manager from the Seniors is here in Perry to enjoy the festive atmosphere. This is a great event and you should put it on your bucket list of things to do. Thank you, Rhonda and Al, for the southern hospitality.
Be Safe and Come Home,
Rich Owen
Apr 19, 2023, 11:21:05 PM4/19/23
to
Day 3 Report
South Carolina High
From the title of the report, you may think it has something to do with farmers growing marijuana in South Carolina. Well, that is not what we are talking about. You will just have to wait a few minutes before we explain.
As the sun was rising, the initial weather report was announcing really good conditions for the day. When we were talking at the Little Bake Shoppe, expectations were high for a super day. That usually means a low struggle to get home and disappointed pilots. The food however was outstanding. Every year the ladies at this local eatery take extremely good care of us. Last year they even named a sandwich after the glider contest. If you are ever at Region 5 North, or in Wagener, stop by for breakfast or lanch. They are closed on Sunday and Monday through.
We all got back to the pilots meeting on time and the information started to flow. The previous day went very well. Operations were getting better and all the ground crew is on station now. The winner’s speeches started and there were some interesting takes. Greg Shugg won the Sports Class and gave me a shout out for helping him with his final glides. The CD, Marshall McClung asked him why I hadn’t listened to my own own advice. That hurt since Pete and I finished next to last. Karl and Sarah won the Open Class and Sarah gave a great report. When she asked what Karl saw he replied, your memory is much better than mine. Many of the other classes talked about large variances in the conditions on course. Some were climbing like wild men while others struggled.
One of the really nice things Rhonda and Al does is to give the daily winner a small American flag as a token of their contest performance. As an American and Naval Aviator, I appreciate the gesture. We had a few VIPs in the audience that Marshall took time to honor. Don Wasness has been competing in soaring contests for very many years. He was the first winner of the Senior Soaring Championship in 1991 and we named a Sportsmanship Award in his name this year. Kerry Huffstutler was also here visiting after her stint as the Co-Contest Manager of the Seniors this year. Marshall also gave a shout out to our scorer, Sandra Danoff, for her tireless work in scoring the Region 5 North contest for several years.
Scott Fletcher got up to give us todays weather, not yesterdays weather. He told us about the 3 things he tells new engineers at his company; 1. Be on time and show up, 2. Make good decisions and 3. Do not embarrass yourself at meetings. Scott did violate the third recommendation. Fernando did a short safety talk on thermal entry procedures. We do have a few new contest pilots and you can always keep them safe by educating them with proper thermal etiquette.
The ships were placed on the grid and soon the fleet was launched. Some changes to the launch procedures were made by the Chief Tow Pilot, Martin Hollaiz, and the launch was 10 minutes shorter than yesterday. Martin had not flown in two days since his tow plane was out of service. Apparently, the tow pilots have a race of their own when it comes to cycle times. He was lapping all the other tow pilots. Our tow pilots are the best in the business outside of the Seniors. Just kidding Rhonda.
Back to flying, time is very limited. The first legs were pretty high and very low stress and so, the legs were pretty easy for most classes. The Open Class had just under a 300k Racing Task while the other classes had Turn Area Tasks. Climbs were very good and soon all the pilots were back on the ground safely.
While we were all airborne, the ladies were conducting their book club meeting. This month’s selection was called “West with a Giraffe”, a story based on real events about a pair of giraffes traveling to the San Diego Zoo.
In Sports Class, Francois Pin finished in third place while Greg Shugg again proved his metal as a competition pilot by finishing second. Kevin Anderson took first place with a raw speed of 57.61mph over the 148mile task. Great job Kevin!!
In FAI Combined, Randy Hoffenberg finished in third while Jason Arnold has continued his fine flying, finishing in second place. Taking the number 1 spot was Evan Ludeman who completed the 191mile task in 71.18mph. This was the fastest speed of the day of any of the classes. Very nice Evan!!
In 18 Meter Class, Joerg Stieber took third place while Fernando Silva finished in second. Winning the day was Sean Murphy with a speed of 69.93mph over 186.55 miles.
In Open Class, Keith Baugh took third place after losing a tough final glide to Team 98. In second place for the day and first place overall was Henry Retting. Henry has found his sweet spot in sailplane racing by being in the Open Class. Great job Henry! The winner of Open Class for today was Pete Alexander in the Team 98 ship. Pete completed the 175 mile Assigned Task at a speed of 70.61mph. Very nice Pete, I was happy to be along for the ride. Back at Perry West, the home of SZ, AG, DJ and Team 98, Sam was heard to exclaim, “I basically beat them all day until I didn’t”. DJ talked about his desire to trade in his FLARM for a pair of binoculars. I cannot tell you how happy Team 98 was in the final thermal. We left with 500ft over a Mc of 4.5 with AG and STS thermalling above us. AG passed us half way back home but Pete reeled him in and passed him at the finish! My heart rate went up so much on final glide, I got a warning on my Apple Watch! “This is the Way”, quoting a famous Star Wars character.
The weather for the rest of the contest is going to be good, so look forward to some interesting racing in the coming next days. Tomorrow we will cover the overall rankings of the pilots in all the classes. Until then, have a great evening and pet your dog tonight.
Cheers,
South Carolina High
From the title of the report, you may think it has something to do with farmers growing marijuana in South Carolina. Well, that is not what we are talking about. You will just have to wait a few minutes before we explain.
As the sun was rising, the initial weather report was announcing really good conditions for the day. When we were talking at the Little Bake Shoppe, expectations were high for a super day. That usually means a low struggle to get home and disappointed pilots. The food however was outstanding. Every year the ladies at this local eatery take extremely good care of us. Last year they even named a sandwich after the glider contest. If you are ever at Region 5 North, or in Wagener, stop by for breakfast or lanch. They are closed on Sunday and Monday through.
We all got back to the pilots meeting on time and the information started to flow. The previous day went very well. Operations were getting better and all the ground crew is on station now. The winner’s speeches started and there were some interesting takes. Greg Shugg won the Sports Class and gave me a shout out for helping him with his final glides. The CD, Marshall McClung asked him why I hadn’t listened to my own own advice. That hurt since Pete and I finished next to last. Karl and Sarah won the Open Class and Sarah gave a great report. When she asked what Karl saw he replied, your memory is much better than mine. Many of the other classes talked about large variances in the conditions on course. Some were climbing like wild men while others struggled.
One of the really nice things Rhonda and Al does is to give the daily winner a small American flag as a token of their contest performance. As an American and Naval Aviator, I appreciate the gesture. We had a few VIPs in the audience that Marshall took time to honor. Don Wasness has been competing in soaring contests for very many years. He was the first winner of the Senior Soaring Championship in 1991 and we named a Sportsmanship Award in his name this year. Kerry Huffstutler was also here visiting after her stint as the Co-Contest Manager of the Seniors this year. Marshall also gave a shout out to our scorer, Sandra Danoff, for her tireless work in scoring the Region 5 North contest for several years.
Scott Fletcher got up to give us todays weather, not yesterdays weather. He told us about the 3 things he tells new engineers at his company; 1. Be on time and show up, 2. Make good decisions and 3. Do not embarrass yourself at meetings. Scott did violate the third recommendation. Fernando did a short safety talk on thermal entry procedures. We do have a few new contest pilots and you can always keep them safe by educating them with proper thermal etiquette.
The ships were placed on the grid and soon the fleet was launched. Some changes to the launch procedures were made by the Chief Tow Pilot, Martin Hollaiz, and the launch was 10 minutes shorter than yesterday. Martin had not flown in two days since his tow plane was out of service. Apparently, the tow pilots have a race of their own when it comes to cycle times. He was lapping all the other tow pilots. Our tow pilots are the best in the business outside of the Seniors. Just kidding Rhonda.
Back to flying, time is very limited. The first legs were pretty high and very low stress and so, the legs were pretty easy for most classes. The Open Class had just under a 300k Racing Task while the other classes had Turn Area Tasks. Climbs were very good and soon all the pilots were back on the ground safely.
While we were all airborne, the ladies were conducting their book club meeting. This month’s selection was called “West with a Giraffe”, a story based on real events about a pair of giraffes traveling to the San Diego Zoo.
In Sports Class, Francois Pin finished in third place while Greg Shugg again proved his metal as a competition pilot by finishing second. Kevin Anderson took first place with a raw speed of 57.61mph over the 148mile task. Great job Kevin!!
In FAI Combined, Randy Hoffenberg finished in third while Jason Arnold has continued his fine flying, finishing in second place. Taking the number 1 spot was Evan Ludeman who completed the 191mile task in 71.18mph. This was the fastest speed of the day of any of the classes. Very nice Evan!!
In 18 Meter Class, Joerg Stieber took third place while Fernando Silva finished in second. Winning the day was Sean Murphy with a speed of 69.93mph over 186.55 miles.
In Open Class, Keith Baugh took third place after losing a tough final glide to Team 98. In second place for the day and first place overall was Henry Retting. Henry has found his sweet spot in sailplane racing by being in the Open Class. Great job Henry! The winner of Open Class for today was Pete Alexander in the Team 98 ship. Pete completed the 175 mile Assigned Task at a speed of 70.61mph. Very nice Pete, I was happy to be along for the ride. Back at Perry West, the home of SZ, AG, DJ and Team 98, Sam was heard to exclaim, “I basically beat them all day until I didn’t”. DJ talked about his desire to trade in his FLARM for a pair of binoculars. I cannot tell you how happy Team 98 was in the final thermal. We left with 500ft over a Mc of 4.5 with AG and STS thermalling above us. AG passed us half way back home but Pete reeled him in and passed him at the finish! My heart rate went up so much on final glide, I got a warning on my Apple Watch! “This is the Way”, quoting a famous Star Wars character.
The weather for the rest of the contest is going to be good, so look forward to some interesting racing in the coming next days. Tomorrow we will cover the overall rankings of the pilots in all the classes. Until then, have a great evening and pet your dog tonight.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Apr 21, 2023, 12:43:27 AM4/21/23
to
Blue and Cu make for a Great Combination
It is really nice to watch the contest wake at the gliderport. Ships are getting assembled, covers are being removed and the lucky hangar people are still asleep. Karl always goes for a walk early in the morning and I always feel I should be doing more to keep my body in shape. Team 98 is very lucky to be the recipient of Perry West hospitality, courtesy of Eric Mozer and our hosts Leigh & Sam Zimmerman. I have always roomed with Greg Shugg and Colin Mead at Region 5 North. This year, Colin had to miss the contest and we moved Steve into his cubicle. We have been having a great time in the trailer. Thanks Steve, for the good wine. Colin, your room may be in jeopardy.
With the Open Class ships being first on the grid, all of us went to the Little Bake Shoppe in downtown Wagener. The ladies have again found the way into our hearts with good coffee, fantastic food and great service.
The pilots meeting is always a hoot. Rhonda covered the usual items and thanked all the folks who helped in the low country boil. As a Floridian, I can tell you it does not get any better than at Perry. It is very easy to overcook the shrimp and undercook the potatoes. Last night, like in the years past, was perfect. Thank you to all the cooks and servers, your work is always much appreciated.
Marshall went through all the department heads with no comments. That is a hallmark of a well-run contest, when everyone is happy. The FAA came back today to clarify a few things that were brought up from a pilot meeting 2 days ago. We asked for a clarification of some comments made, and to their credit, did a great job researching the issue and provided documents to support what we thought. It had to do with gliders not having to have ADS-b out to operate in the transponder veil of a tower-controlled airport. I will be sending the documents and legal opinion to the SSA and SSF. This is great news to document what we have been told in the past. Thank you, Jeanette Baugh (Team AG and part time Team 98) and the FAA FAST Team in SC, for the outstanding response.
Uncle Hank always provides the group with cogent advice. I certainly have benefited from his words of wisdom. He did a great safety brief about the effect of age, proficiency and proper checklist accomplishment to the group. We have almost had a couple of gear up landings and 2 attempted takeoffs with canopy’s open or unlocked this week. None of us are immune from making these mistakes, but Hank certainly explained how to avoid the bad consequences.
Marshall talked about yesterday’s contest. He said that it can be considered a home run if you have the quickest launch, no relights and no landouts. When the mike was given to Larry Travers, he did a really good joke but I cannot tell this to you. It certainly exceeds the PG-15 rating of this report, but it was pretty funny.
At the end of the meeting, Marshall was explaining that the regular entry sniffers could land opposite direction to the front of the grid and launch right away. He explained to David McMasters he could not offer the same to him. THAT got a laugh when he said he would not need it. There was a point that David was a little low and I can imagine some of the pilots on the grid was waiting for him to land back at Perry for a relight. David did do a great job as a guest sniffer and climbed away. Nice job David, Team 98 was routing for you!
The launch went great and the day turned out to be really good. Smoke from a nearby fire caused some pilots some problems in the start circle, but soon we were on our way to the skies of SC. Open and 18 Meter flew the same turnpoints, but Open had a TAT and 18 Meter had a racing task. Open is at the back of the grid every day so we have to fly more miles latter in the day. But that is ok because, “That is the way”. Had to put that in to bring a smile to a friend’s face.
Down south there was a mix of clouds and blue conditions. The real issue was to determine how far you could deviate to the cloud field and not affect your overall task speed. As you will see from the scores, some did a very good job of doing it.
In Sports Class today, Greg Shugg finished in third place with Francois Pin in second. Winning the day with a raw speed of 62.68mph over a 166mile task was Kevin Anderson. Nice job Kevin!!
For the FAI Combined Class, Evan Ludeman finished in third behind Billy Kerns in second and Doug Jacobs who won the day at a speed of 66.25mph over 145miles.
The 18 Meter Class was a race to the finish. In third place was Sean Murphy, who did a great job in the 18 Meter Nationals last year at Bermuda High finishing in second overall. Second place today was captured by Jim Frantz and the winner was Erik Nelson completing a 217mile course at 73.59mph. This was a great flight and I’m lucky to have flown with Erik a few times in an Arcus. Thanks for the lessons and seeing this from afar.
Finally in Open Class, it was a fine day for a race. Cloud fields off in the distance and blue skies everywhere else made some pilots a little nervous. I have to take my hat off to the 18 meter crowd because they went some places I’m glad we didn’t have to go. I appreciated the forethought of our advisor, Sam Zimmerman, to switch to task B before task opening time. There were two turnpoints I did not relish going to the center of and the cloud street going home was a pleasure to ride. Unfortunately, the geometry for the 18 Meter folks did not work out to well. All in all, it was ag great day to race!
After the ships were put away, dinner plans were executed. Some went to Aiken but most stayed local. I’m sure the local Mexican restaurant and an unnamed bakery, are going to have the best month year to date. A few of us went to Chris and Gary Carters for dinner. It was great catching up with these fine folks. Chris runs the registration for the Seniors and is the Co-Contest Manager for the Cordele Region 5 South contest the first week of June. Under her management, Cordele, is oversubscribed for the first time in a long time. Great job Chris!!!
I’ll give you the overall standings tomorrow morning and a look at how the different classes may turn out. Tonight, I’m just going to enjoy a quiet time to reflect on the 16-point finish penalty I caused with Team 98. Just kidding, not about the penalty but the result. We all make mistakes and it’s not about the size of the mistake but how you recover. Tiger Woods led in the bounce back category in professional golf for a long time. That means, when he made a mistake (bogey), how many times did he score a birdie (1 under par) on the next hole. Being able to shake off a bad start, decision on course or an oops on a final glide where you were at 120mph for over 30miles, is key to living a great life and keeping your best friend.
Thank you for reading this in the morning. We all appreciate the interest in our sport.
Sincerely,
It is really nice to watch the contest wake at the gliderport. Ships are getting assembled, covers are being removed and the lucky hangar people are still asleep. Karl always goes for a walk early in the morning and I always feel I should be doing more to keep my body in shape. Team 98 is very lucky to be the recipient of Perry West hospitality, courtesy of Eric Mozer and our hosts Leigh & Sam Zimmerman. I have always roomed with Greg Shugg and Colin Mead at Region 5 North. This year, Colin had to miss the contest and we moved Steve into his cubicle. We have been having a great time in the trailer. Thanks Steve, for the good wine. Colin, your room may be in jeopardy.
With the Open Class ships being first on the grid, all of us went to the Little Bake Shoppe in downtown Wagener. The ladies have again found the way into our hearts with good coffee, fantastic food and great service.
The pilots meeting is always a hoot. Rhonda covered the usual items and thanked all the folks who helped in the low country boil. As a Floridian, I can tell you it does not get any better than at Perry. It is very easy to overcook the shrimp and undercook the potatoes. Last night, like in the years past, was perfect. Thank you to all the cooks and servers, your work is always much appreciated.
Marshall went through all the department heads with no comments. That is a hallmark of a well-run contest, when everyone is happy. The FAA came back today to clarify a few things that were brought up from a pilot meeting 2 days ago. We asked for a clarification of some comments made, and to their credit, did a great job researching the issue and provided documents to support what we thought. It had to do with gliders not having to have ADS-b out to operate in the transponder veil of a tower-controlled airport. I will be sending the documents and legal opinion to the SSA and SSF. This is great news to document what we have been told in the past. Thank you, Jeanette Baugh (Team AG and part time Team 98) and the FAA FAST Team in SC, for the outstanding response.
Uncle Hank always provides the group with cogent advice. I certainly have benefited from his words of wisdom. He did a great safety brief about the effect of age, proficiency and proper checklist accomplishment to the group. We have almost had a couple of gear up landings and 2 attempted takeoffs with canopy’s open or unlocked this week. None of us are immune from making these mistakes, but Hank certainly explained how to avoid the bad consequences.
Marshall talked about yesterday’s contest. He said that it can be considered a home run if you have the quickest launch, no relights and no landouts. When the mike was given to Larry Travers, he did a really good joke but I cannot tell this to you. It certainly exceeds the PG-15 rating of this report, but it was pretty funny.
At the end of the meeting, Marshall was explaining that the regular entry sniffers could land opposite direction to the front of the grid and launch right away. He explained to David McMasters he could not offer the same to him. THAT got a laugh when he said he would not need it. There was a point that David was a little low and I can imagine some of the pilots on the grid was waiting for him to land back at Perry for a relight. David did do a great job as a guest sniffer and climbed away. Nice job David, Team 98 was routing for you!
The launch went great and the day turned out to be really good. Smoke from a nearby fire caused some pilots some problems in the start circle, but soon we were on our way to the skies of SC. Open and 18 Meter flew the same turnpoints, but Open had a TAT and 18 Meter had a racing task. Open is at the back of the grid every day so we have to fly more miles latter in the day. But that is ok because, “That is the way”. Had to put that in to bring a smile to a friend’s face.
Down south there was a mix of clouds and blue conditions. The real issue was to determine how far you could deviate to the cloud field and not affect your overall task speed. As you will see from the scores, some did a very good job of doing it.
In Sports Class today, Greg Shugg finished in third place with Francois Pin in second. Winning the day with a raw speed of 62.68mph over a 166mile task was Kevin Anderson. Nice job Kevin!!
For the FAI Combined Class, Evan Ludeman finished in third behind Billy Kerns in second and Doug Jacobs who won the day at a speed of 66.25mph over 145miles.
The 18 Meter Class was a race to the finish. In third place was Sean Murphy, who did a great job in the 18 Meter Nationals last year at Bermuda High finishing in second overall. Second place today was captured by Jim Frantz and the winner was Erik Nelson completing a 217mile course at 73.59mph. This was a great flight and I’m lucky to have flown with Erik a few times in an Arcus. Thanks for the lessons and seeing this from afar.
Finally in Open Class, it was a fine day for a race. Cloud fields off in the distance and blue skies everywhere else made some pilots a little nervous. I have to take my hat off to the 18 meter crowd because they went some places I’m glad we didn’t have to go. I appreciated the forethought of our advisor, Sam Zimmerman, to switch to task B before task opening time. There were two turnpoints I did not relish going to the center of and the cloud street going home was a pleasure to ride. Unfortunately, the geometry for the 18 Meter folks did not work out to well. All in all, it was ag great day to race!
After the ships were put away, dinner plans were executed. Some went to Aiken but most stayed local. I’m sure the local Mexican restaurant and an unnamed bakery, are going to have the best month year to date. A few of us went to Chris and Gary Carters for dinner. It was great catching up with these fine folks. Chris runs the registration for the Seniors and is the Co-Contest Manager for the Cordele Region 5 South contest the first week of June. Under her management, Cordele, is oversubscribed for the first time in a long time. Great job Chris!!!
I’ll give you the overall standings tomorrow morning and a look at how the different classes may turn out. Tonight, I’m just going to enjoy a quiet time to reflect on the 16-point finish penalty I caused with Team 98. Just kidding, not about the penalty but the result. We all make mistakes and it’s not about the size of the mistake but how you recover. Tiger Woods led in the bounce back category in professional golf for a long time. That means, when he made a mistake (bogey), how many times did he score a birdie (1 under par) on the next hole. Being able to shake off a bad start, decision on course or an oops on a final glide where you were at 120mph for over 30miles, is key to living a great life and keeping your best friend.
Thank you for reading this in the morning. We all appreciate the interest in our sport.
Sincerely,
Rich Owen
Apr 21, 2023, 10:50:29 PM4/21/23
to
Turn Off the Lights, the Party Is Just Starting
Well, it was a great day at the Region 5 North regional in Wagener SC. The weather tomorrow is expected to be not only be unhospitable for flying, it may be a little dangerous. So, the Rhonda (CD) and Marshall (CD) decided it would be much better to cancel the last day and get the majority of the pilot’s home before the bad weather overtook Perry.
Today Team 98 and Team AG headed for Christies which is a small breakfast place in the middle of Perry. It is a one-woman operation that that feeds a lot of the locals and many glider pilots. We sent an hour talking to Christy and asking about the restaurant. Like most business owners, her operation was negatively affected by Covid and the economic downturn in the last two years. But she has a positive outlook and expects that things will turn around. I had a chance to talk to a local about a wild hog problem we have at the gliderport. He gave me several really good tips on how to deal with the problem and offered to come down to Florida and help. All we had to do was pay the gas. Americans in the south are a different breed of helpful folks.
We returned to the cookhouse and waited for the pilots meeting. Talking with friends about the flights this week and renewing old acquaintances is one of the more rewarding perps of attending a contest. This was the first time I met Monte Sullivan from Harris Hill and is half owner of M&H Soaring. His partner, Heinz Weissenbuehule, is usually here with his wife Karen. Frankly, hanging with an Air Force pilot isn’t my cup of tea, but I really missed Karen!
Starting a pilot meeting on time is like herding cats. You cannot imagine the moving parts of a contest unless you have run one. Rhonda and Al have been running this contest for over 30 years. The amount of infrastructure, runway improvements and time they have put into the contest is staggering. The runway was extended by 1,000ft, and for those of us in Open Class, we really appreciate the effort. It is so nice to close the end of the runway at a height that guarantees you have a landable operation under you at all times. Thank you, Rhonda and Al Tyler.
Yesterday there was a note in the safety box that asked Marshall to keep the ice chest on the CD’s front table because it improved the view. What you do not know is that Marshall was completely hidden by the cooler up to the time he spoke. This is the second year Region 5 North gave out a very special award, the Ed Byers Sportsmanship Award. This is presented to an individual or a group that have dedicated themselves to contest organizations, so we can go to contests and fly. Chris Carter and Al Tyler talked about Ed Byers and his impact on the soaring community. He will be greatly missed but his memory will be forever etched in our memories. This year’s winners are no strangers to the contest scene. John Godfrey has been competition in glider for good long while. And both of them score many contests during the year.
Scott Fletcher finally found a way to silence Larry Travers. He told a joke that originally was about Larry. It cannot be shared here, but it was funny. Everyone could not keep from laughing too hard. The weather forecast tomorrow is pretty dismal
Well, most of the ships are in the box and we just finished a great dinner curtesy of the Tylers. The final scores are in and here are the results. In Sports Class, today’s winners were: third place was Greg Shugg, second was Francois Pin and winning the day with a speed of 63.55mph over the 169mile task was Kevin Anderson. The overall winners in Sports Class were: third place was Francois Pin with Jim Hogue in second and winning his first regional, was Kevin Anderson. Kevin has been working on his flying for the last couple of years and it has really paid off. Congratulations Kevin!!
In 18 Meter Class today’s results found Robin Clark in third place with Ken Sorenson in second place and winning the day was Erik Nelson with a speed of 72.76 over a 226mile task. Overall winners in 18 Meter saw Ken Sorenson in third place, Erik Nelson in second and Sean Murphy in first.
FAI Combined daily winners were Billy Kerns in third, Doug Jacobs in second and Evan Ludeman winning the last day. For the contest, Evan placed in third, Jason Arnold in second and Jared Granzow winning the big prize. Jared flew as a guest at the Seniors a few weeks ago and was not being scored. If he was old enough, he would hae finished in third place. A great accomplishment considering the level of competition.
Finally, in Open Class, the daily winners were Team Arnold and Striedieck with Sam Zimmerman in second. Winning the day was Henry Retting flying 230miles at 75.10mph. Great flight Henry!! If that was not enough, overall, Keith Baugh finished in third overall, Team Tyler and Nixon took second and guess what, Henry Retting won the contest. Dick Butler better be watching his six when they fly against each other in Cordele for the Open Class Nationals.
Well, that is all for the night. I’m going to get some rest and come back tomorrow for a wrap up report. Stay tuned and thank you for being interested in one of the most fun and competitive contests in the US.
Good night,
Well, it was a great day at the Region 5 North regional in Wagener SC. The weather tomorrow is expected to be not only be unhospitable for flying, it may be a little dangerous. So, the Rhonda (CD) and Marshall (CD) decided it would be much better to cancel the last day and get the majority of the pilot’s home before the bad weather overtook Perry.
Today Team 98 and Team AG headed for Christies which is a small breakfast place in the middle of Perry. It is a one-woman operation that that feeds a lot of the locals and many glider pilots. We sent an hour talking to Christy and asking about the restaurant. Like most business owners, her operation was negatively affected by Covid and the economic downturn in the last two years. But she has a positive outlook and expects that things will turn around. I had a chance to talk to a local about a wild hog problem we have at the gliderport. He gave me several really good tips on how to deal with the problem and offered to come down to Florida and help. All we had to do was pay the gas. Americans in the south are a different breed of helpful folks.
We returned to the cookhouse and waited for the pilots meeting. Talking with friends about the flights this week and renewing old acquaintances is one of the more rewarding perps of attending a contest. This was the first time I met Monte Sullivan from Harris Hill and is half owner of M&H Soaring. His partner, Heinz Weissenbuehule, is usually here with his wife Karen. Frankly, hanging with an Air Force pilot isn’t my cup of tea, but I really missed Karen!
Starting a pilot meeting on time is like herding cats. You cannot imagine the moving parts of a contest unless you have run one. Rhonda and Al have been running this contest for over 30 years. The amount of infrastructure, runway improvements and time they have put into the contest is staggering. The runway was extended by 1,000ft, and for those of us in Open Class, we really appreciate the effort. It is so nice to close the end of the runway at a height that guarantees you have a landable operation under you at all times. Thank you, Rhonda and Al Tyler.
Yesterday there was a note in the safety box that asked Marshall to keep the ice chest on the CD’s front table because it improved the view. What you do not know is that Marshall was completely hidden by the cooler up to the time he spoke. This is the second year Region 5 North gave out a very special award, the Ed Byers Sportsmanship Award. This is presented to an individual or a group that have dedicated themselves to contest organizations, so we can go to contests and fly. Chris Carter and Al Tyler talked about Ed Byers and his impact on the soaring community. He will be greatly missed but his memory will be forever etched in our memories. This year’s winners are no strangers to the contest scene. John Godfrey has been competition in glider for good long while. And both of them score many contests during the year.
Scott Fletcher finally found a way to silence Larry Travers. He told a joke that originally was about Larry. It cannot be shared here, but it was funny. Everyone could not keep from laughing too hard. The weather forecast tomorrow is pretty dismal
Well, most of the ships are in the box and we just finished a great dinner curtesy of the Tylers. The final scores are in and here are the results. In Sports Class, today’s winners were: third place was Greg Shugg, second was Francois Pin and winning the day with a speed of 63.55mph over the 169mile task was Kevin Anderson. The overall winners in Sports Class were: third place was Francois Pin with Jim Hogue in second and winning his first regional, was Kevin Anderson. Kevin has been working on his flying for the last couple of years and it has really paid off. Congratulations Kevin!!
In 18 Meter Class today’s results found Robin Clark in third place with Ken Sorenson in second place and winning the day was Erik Nelson with a speed of 72.76 over a 226mile task. Overall winners in 18 Meter saw Ken Sorenson in third place, Erik Nelson in second and Sean Murphy in first.
FAI Combined daily winners were Billy Kerns in third, Doug Jacobs in second and Evan Ludeman winning the last day. For the contest, Evan placed in third, Jason Arnold in second and Jared Granzow winning the big prize. Jared flew as a guest at the Seniors a few weeks ago and was not being scored. If he was old enough, he would hae finished in third place. A great accomplishment considering the level of competition.
Finally, in Open Class, the daily winners were Team Arnold and Striedieck with Sam Zimmerman in second. Winning the day was Henry Retting flying 230miles at 75.10mph. Great flight Henry!! If that was not enough, overall, Keith Baugh finished in third overall, Team Tyler and Nixon took second and guess what, Henry Retting won the contest. Dick Butler better be watching his six when they fly against each other in Cordele for the Open Class Nationals.
Well, that is all for the night. I’m going to get some rest and come back tomorrow for a wrap up report. Stay tuned and thank you for being interested in one of the most fun and competitive contests in the US.
Good night,
he...@mandhsoaring.com
Apr 22, 2023, 4:05:40 AM4/22/23
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HW
Rich Owen
Apr 22, 2023, 1:29:17 PM4/22/23
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That’s All Folks!
The 2023 Region 5 North competition is officially over. The ships are going in the box due to a cold front moving in bringing windy and rainy weather. For the last 7 or 8 days we were practicing or competing over the skies of central South Carolina. The terrain is very hospitable and there are a lot of airports. Nice thing about landing at an airport here, the owner knows Al & Rhonda Tyler.
There were no breakfasts this morning since the pilots meeting and awards presentation started at 9am. Rhonda thanked all the volunteers and contest staff. Scott Fletcher the weatherman, Sarah Danoff the scorer, Chris Carter the retrieve office, Larry Travers Operations and our tow pilots, Martin Hollatz (Chief Tow Pilot), Sarah Arnold, Jason Arnold, John Molumphy, Larry Ruggiero and the official tow pilot of Team 98, Brian Glick. It was always nice to see Martin and Brian at breakfast every day to catch up on the local airport gossip. We also had to take hats off to our CD, Marshall McClung. He did a superb job and made each class have a challenging but safe & fair contest. Every one looked like they liked the idea of an early finish.
The nice thing about Perry, everyone pitches in to help. The tables and chairs were put up, the circus tent came down easily and was packed away. Uncle Hank has this process down pat and directs the efforts of all the pilots. We covered the results in last nights report so I’ll just give you some highlights of yesterday. The first 2 legs were good but not like the last two legs. Over 50 miles out there were cloud streets that made the run home so very exciting. Strong lift, cool temperatures and pretty countryside, priceless! The results in Open Class for those in second thru seventh place were only separated by 27 points. This was a Turn Area Task also where scores are not that tight. In Sports Class, the top two were only separated by 6 points. In 18 Meter Class, the overall winners between first and second was only 6 points.
On the flip side of the contests, Henry Retting, Kevin Anderson and Jared Granzow all won their classes handily. Consistently good results over the contest days usually results in a good finish. It is also important not to leave points on the table by taking those extra couple of turns in weak lift, making mistakes in programming your task or by getting an unnecessary penalty. Those few points can mean being where these good pilots are and those in the audience.
Well, that is all from Perry West, Perry International Airport and the Region 5 North contest. We always want to thank Rhonda and Al for the great southern hospitality and providing us with a spectacular week of flying.
Hope everyone drives home safe. See you in Mifflin!
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team98 Backseater
The 2023 Region 5 North competition is officially over. The ships are going in the box due to a cold front moving in bringing windy and rainy weather. For the last 7 or 8 days we were practicing or competing over the skies of central South Carolina. The terrain is very hospitable and there are a lot of airports. Nice thing about landing at an airport here, the owner knows Al & Rhonda Tyler.
There were no breakfasts this morning since the pilots meeting and awards presentation started at 9am. Rhonda thanked all the volunteers and contest staff. Scott Fletcher the weatherman, Sarah Danoff the scorer, Chris Carter the retrieve office, Larry Travers Operations and our tow pilots, Martin Hollatz (Chief Tow Pilot), Sarah Arnold, Jason Arnold, John Molumphy, Larry Ruggiero and the official tow pilot of Team 98, Brian Glick. It was always nice to see Martin and Brian at breakfast every day to catch up on the local airport gossip. We also had to take hats off to our CD, Marshall McClung. He did a superb job and made each class have a challenging but safe & fair contest. Every one looked like they liked the idea of an early finish.
The nice thing about Perry, everyone pitches in to help. The tables and chairs were put up, the circus tent came down easily and was packed away. Uncle Hank has this process down pat and directs the efforts of all the pilots. We covered the results in last nights report so I’ll just give you some highlights of yesterday. The first 2 legs were good but not like the last two legs. Over 50 miles out there were cloud streets that made the run home so very exciting. Strong lift, cool temperatures and pretty countryside, priceless! The results in Open Class for those in second thru seventh place were only separated by 27 points. This was a Turn Area Task also where scores are not that tight. In Sports Class, the top two were only separated by 6 points. In 18 Meter Class, the overall winners between first and second was only 6 points.
On the flip side of the contests, Henry Retting, Kevin Anderson and Jared Granzow all won their classes handily. Consistently good results over the contest days usually results in a good finish. It is also important not to leave points on the table by taking those extra couple of turns in weak lift, making mistakes in programming your task or by getting an unnecessary penalty. Those few points can mean being where these good pilots are and those in the audience.
Well, that is all from Perry West, Perry International Airport and the Region 5 North contest. We always want to thank Rhonda and Al for the great southern hospitality and providing us with a spectacular week of flying.
Hope everyone drives home safe. See you in Mifflin!
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Team98 Backseater
AS
Apr 22, 2023, 2:30:53 PM4/22/23
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Uli
'AS'
Charlie M. (UH, Pi & 002 owner/pilot)
Apr 23, 2023, 12:58:06 AM4/23/23
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You do it, Janine (J9) does it, etc. it's a rare thing but much appreciated. I understand it's a volunteer thing, so it's good to read.
Charlie, Pi in sports in Perry.
raylov...@gmail.com
Apr 23, 2023, 9:01:49 PM4/23/23
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On Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 2:30:53 PM UTC-4, AS wrote:
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