Carolina Classic, May 2017 - sights, sounds, and flight reports

Of course, all of the contests at Huntersville consist of not only PAMPA Stunt, but also Combat, Navy Carrier, and other Stunt disciplines. Kim handled the photojournalism and videography at this season opener, and we're just beginning to get it compiled. You've been primed with a few pictures in his other thread, so now we plan to combine the visuals with some story telling. So please stand by as we get it rolling and post it as we go. It was a great weekend and much to tell.

I'm actually beginning the story near the end, but no matter, it was all a blur for me too Lol. I'll start tonight with one picture y'all have seen in its raw form, "The Winners' Circle." Will Davis took this picture of each skill class and made them part of the trophies. I haven't got my pic in the mail, so I printed one out, for now, to show off. Since Will has taken over the club as president he has tried to make the Trophies a worthwhile keepsake, rather than just a plain hunk of wood. Here is his idea for this year:

From left: Mike Lindler, 3rd place; Mike Londke, 1st place; Rusty Knowlton, 2nd place


At least I was able to outscore Leroy Polk, who pasted me in October. A few pilots in every class scratched second round due to the wind. Not as bad as Saturday, because it was not blowing through the trees and swirling, but still a formidable challenge with strong thermals switching wind directions without warning. I have been trained well in windy conditions and it paid off. After my scored inverted laps, on my 6th lap, I planted for my outside loops and felt an angry wind blasting me straight in the face! Fly much Control Line??? Then you know it's suicidal to fly stunts with the wind in your face, or it will go slack and crash. I also knew thermals are transient and it would switch back to the prevailing direction soon. But I ended up flying about 9 inverted laps before I was positive the wind was at my back again and went ahead with the outsides and the rest of my pattern. Days like this make me glad my plane is almost 10 ounces overweight, at almost 50 oz. You don't wanna be flying a featherweight on a day like this one. I also turned the needle 1/8 of a turn leaner to get some extra penetration, and it almost cost me, as my scoresheet showed my total E/T was 7:58, two seconds before running over time. Lesson reinforced; draw a spit of fuel out if you decide to make that adjustment at the last minute. My first flight at 1/8 turn richer flew 7:11 with a few laps after the 4-Leaf Clover.

Speaking of the Clover, I flew the two best I have ever done in a contest(or practice, for that matter), all scoring at or above 30 points. I also flew as good of a Takeoff/Level flight I've ever flown in either competition or practice. A good rollout, gentle liftoff, and at 180 degrees I passed the judges hip-high. I must have finished climbing to 5 feet a little faster after that than I thought because I only scored 29 or so. It's hard to know what they saw, maybe I wobbled???, who knows. But on that second flight, I got blown out of the top loop of my V8 and lost my 25 pattern points anyway, so it's all moot. My first flight was complete and got me the score I needed.

I flew the first complete pattern I'd flown since the October contest. As y'all know('cause I whined about it all winter), a nerve problem mostly grounded me and made looking up impossible. Then two weeks ago I found I could fly overhead again and did most of the stunts out at Congaree, in no particular order, before I stumbled inward slacking the lines, and pancaking it in the outside square. That happened on almost every flight over the winter. So with no practice and no confidence, I took a somewhat untested plane, and still stumbling all over the place, knocked off a personal win that completely surprised me. Mike L. had had no practice either, but there was no catching him anyway. The boy is good.

Here are a few of Saturday's pics to look at until we continue:



Mike Waldron


Sam, Mike and Howard Shenton


Mike Waldron


Derrek and Layla Barry


Profile Pits saturday


Carrier Takeoff


Al Knowlton launches Tom Weedman's Twister 60

Hope I didn't spoil the slideshow to come. I think there are plenty more pics from Sunday. These are mostly from Saturday, the day the crows were crashing Lol.
Later,
Rusty