Sorry for the short report for Saturday but I was beat!
Ok here we go.....
Frank wasn't kidding as we pulled out at 05:30 for our now standard breakfast meet and greet. Fred Light and Bob Obregon met us at the local Folsom Gold Miner Cafe.
We arrived at the field along with most all competitors and started setting up . The weather was clear but a thin layer of low cloud developed and slowed the start for half an hour or so.... several attempts were made but the planes kept disappearing:-) . Soon the sun worked it's magic and we had clear skies and light winds for most of the day.
The FAI guys got in a fourth round the previous afternoon so all the other classes started first to get caught up. Things ran smoothly and everyone was enjoying the contest. A hot lunch was provided for the judges and available for pilots and spectators alike. Frank made every effort to sell raffle tickets throughout the day as he had a huge array of prizes. He sold lots of red tickets... and a few yellow ones as well :-)
Our only major loss of the contest was Jon Carter's beautiful Oaxi Azurit that suffered a wing failure during his down line 1-1/2 snap. The recovered airframe was inspected and Jon will be in touch with the manufacturer with his findings.
New Sportsman flyer Jerry Hays cleaned up in the Sportsman class. This was his very first event and I suspect your will see him on the circuit next season. Intermediate was won by Dale Olstinske who has just returned after a lengthy hiatus. He has not lost his touch and flew very well. Dave Wick gave chase but couldn't catch him.
Advanced was won by Gary Fontaine who has been flying pattern for the last five years. He looked pretty happy when he received his award. Masters flyer and K-Factor Editor Chris Fitzsimmons won Masters with Jon Carter and Bill Sneed trailing behind. The FAI class was dominated by Troy Newman with Don Atwood a close second. Both Tom Messer, Craig Blogett and myself had close scores going into the last round but things pretty much stayed the same after the final round.
I packed up my plane as Hartley was heading home right after the contest and would take all my gear home to Sechelt.
The awards were presented and the raffle prizes drawn. The Blogett family once again cleaned up but did leave a few items for the rest of us:-) Everyone said their goodbye's and the flying site was soon deserted.
I had a great time and even met up with fellow flyer Andrew Beranek and his wife Char who are on vacation in the area. Also had a short visit with Dave Sullivan who comes up and flies at my RC club's annual charity event each year.
Everyone made us feel welcome and part of the group. Don Atwood, Bob Obregon, Ron Davies and the rest of the local pattern guys were great ambassadors for their club. Both Kelly and I are especially thankful for the kind hospitality of our hosts Frank & Linda Capone. We look forward to many more contests & visits together.
We head back into San Francisco tomorrow morning for some sightseeing and catch a flight home in the evening. Hope everyone enjoyed the contest reports.
More pictures posted at http://picasaweb.google.com/Dave.Reaville/BudGarricPatternClassic#
Sunday, October 11, 2009
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