RCU Forums - View Single Post - Emerald Coast Beachcomber Pattern Classic, Oct 8-9 2011

09-22-2011 | 11:50 AM

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RE: Emerald Coast Beachcomber Pattern Classic, Oct 8-9 2011

Fellow Pattern Flyers,Here’s the update on the Emerald Coast Beachcomber Pattern Classic, Eglin AFB, FL, 9-10 Oct 2011:Ken Blackwell opened registration on the NSRCA D-3 website. Please register if you haven’t done so. It allows us to set up PACSS in advance and will make things easier Saturday morning.Field Availability: The field will be available for practice on Friday, 10 Oct 2011. Once we have a “critical mass” of contest pilots, I will close the field to sport flying. I expect that to occur about noon.Security Procedures: 1. We are not able to accommodate spectators because of increased security at Test Site C-3. The gate at Route 285 must remain locked during non-duty hours. We simply do not have the people available to escort people to and from the gate during the contest and we are not authorized to provide unescorted access to the site (i.e. provide the lock combination) to the general public. 

 2. Aerial cameras are not permitted. We had an accidental fly-away a few months ago and the incident is currently under investigation. Unless we hear otherwise from the Air Force, aerial photography is prohibited at our field.

 3. The site chief approved the addition of a second lock to the gate at Route 285! When you arrive at Test Site C-3, the gate to the site will be locked with two locks, a black one and a gold one. The black one is the Air Force’s lock and the gold one is the club’s. I will provide the combination to the club lock. The conditions set by the Air Force are as follows:

 a. The club lock will only be in place during daylight hours while contestants are at the field. It will be removed once all non Eglin Aeromodellers’ guests have left for the day and will be returned to the gate the following morning by either the contest director or designated representative. At the end of the contest, it will be permanently removed.

 b. Contestants flying in this event will be considered temporary Eglin Aeromodellers club members and will be provided the combination to the second (gold) lock under the following provisions:

 (1) The combination shall not be provided to anyone who is not a registered contestant.

 (2) The gate must not be left uncontrolled at any time. When entering the gate, you must immediately lock the gate behind you. Other authorized persons can enter with your vehicle. However, if you do not recognize the individual(s) in the vehicle, challenge them. If the person(s) state they work at C-3, politely ask them to not tailgate you and to unlock and secure the gate using the Air Force’s lock. Also, if you know your buddy will be along “in a minute”, lock the gate behind you. Leaving the gate unsecured for even a few minutes is unacceptable to the Air Force. If you have any issues or problems at the gate, please call me on my cell at 850-499-7095.

 (3) I will e-mail the combination for the lock to registered contestants about a week before the contest. So, please register on the NSRCA D-3 website.

 (4) I apologize for the inconvenience. The Air Force has determined increased security at the site is needed, so we need to respect the wishes of the site owner.Fun Stuff: Now that the boring, bureaucratic stuff is out of the way, it’s time to get to the good stuff!1. FAI: The response to the poll on RCU was unanimous, so we will debut the new FAI “P” sequence. FAI pilots will fly six (or as many as possible) rounds of P-13.

 2. Saturday Night Dinner: I reserved the back room at Ed’s Steaks and Seafood. Please shoot me an e-mail if you plan on attending so the restaurant can make arrangements for the extra staff to accommodate us.

 3. Sportsman: Any AMA legal airplane, up to 20 pounds may be flown in Sportsman.

 4. “Club Only Sportsman” I am running a non-sanctioned event in parallel with the contest. I dubbed it “Club Only Sportsman”. This event is only open to Eglin Aeromodellers club members with no previous competition experience. My goal is to introduce pattern flying to sport flyers in a low(er)-pressure environment and hopefully recruit some new pattern flyers for next season. This event will be mostly transparent. They will fly with the Sportsman pilots, be judged to the sane criteria. The only difference is they will be “racked and stacked” in a separate competition class, complete with its own set of awards. See you at the field!

 We’re expecting fabulous weather – October is our best flying month. And, this is the last regular season contest before the District Championship. So, if you need a few more points to improve your standing, or you want to sharpen your skills a bit before the D-3 Championship contest, If you’re not in D-3, come on out! Rob Campbell, Contest Director[email protected]850-499-7095

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