There will be a one day contest in Sacramento at the Sacramento Area Modelers field on May 19. This will be a very simple contest, no frills, just flying and good times. I will be the CD and Ron Davies has 'volunteered' to be the Asst CD.

As most of you know, the sun can become a big problem after about 2PM since the SAM field faces west. So, we will be starting early Saturday morning. There will be no practice flying before the contest starts so we can start the rounds at 8AM, registration will be open by 6:30AM. Or, you can email your entry information to me at [email protected] . The attached flyer has all the required information fields at the bottom. If you do this, when you arrive, sign the entry forms, pay your fee and you will be ready to go. I will be also emailing a pilots briefing document to all the people that preregister, and the pilots briefing will also be handed out when you arrive.

Entry fee is $25 except for Sportsman which will $15. Any AMA legal plane is allowed in Sportsman. We will offer both FAI/F3A P15 and FAI Silver. Both will be flown together but awards will be separate for each class.

We will be following the same format we have used in the past. You need to be there on time, be ready to fly, be ready to judge when it is your turn. We have been successful getting 4 rounds in using this approach for the last couple years, hopefully we can keep the string going. Registration is available on the NSRCA website

http://nsrca.us/index.php?option=com...m-spring-1-day

Any questions or comments, let us know.

thanks
Woodie (Don Atwood)

Just got an email from Frank Capone saying he and Bob O. will be cooking lunch for the contest as they have in the past. I am sure it will be delicious again based on previous 'cookings' by Frank and Bob.... ;-)

Woodie

With Frank and Bob cooking lunch I'm making the 425 mile trip just to eat....LOL...I would like to register but the app on the NSRCA site isn't open.

Registration worked for me: http://nsrca.us/index.php?option=com...m-spring-1-day

You took the high road, I took the low road.... http://nsrca.us/index.php/d7-contest-schedule/2015

High road always works :-)

nsrca.us->Events/Results (top nav)->List Events (right nav)->District 7 (in the category dropdown at the top of the list)

Peter+

It should be a song...

One week to go to the 1 Day Contest here in Sacramento. If you haven't registered please do so on the nsrca.us site so we can get judging panels set before the contest starts. Or, just notify me directly at [email protected] You really don't want to miss the Frankie's Finger Dogs, his secret recipe ensures a culinary treat for all.... ;-)

Woodie/Don

Looking forward to it, and the Finger Dogs!

Weather is looking pretty good for Saturday, it will be cool in the mornings so bring a jacket. The SAM field will be open Friday for practice if you would like, as usual there will be no test/warm up flights Saturday before we start... Yeah, I know, big meanie, hard nosed approach, restrictive, etc etc etc..... ;-)

Woodie (Don)

Great fun for me. learned a lot in one day now to move up to intermediate and a new plane.

Just returned from attending a very enjoyable one day contest at the Sacramento Area Modelers' Club, I believe this is either the fourth or the fifth consecutive years with such event?

Since SAM field faces west, the sun becomes an issue by around 2 pm in the afternoon. Therefore, CD Woodie had us started flying right at 8 am this morning. Normally, lunch will not be available on most of these one day contest. However, since Woodie is a close friend of infamous Sacramento top chef Frank "sparky" Capone, Franky, along with his faithful sidekick Robert "Bob" Obregon graciously donated their time & worked tirelessly behind the grill & cooked for us some delicious food,

Under the capable leadership of Woodie & co-CD Ron "Chicken Man" Davies, along with the excellent automated scoring program from Peter Vogel, four rounds of flying were done by 2:45 pm. After the award ceremony, we were able to hit the road by 3.

I would like to thank all parties concerned for a job well done, & also to congratulates all of the winners. Hopefully, this contest will continue for many years to come.

Adrian

Thanks Adrian

We were fortunate again this year to have excellent weather which always helps. This was the fourth year for our 1 day 'Simple' contest. No frills, quick turnaround for judge swapping, etc. The goal has always been to get in 4 rounds before the sun becomes a problem around 2:30 so it always helps when the contestants are cooperative and are on time for their spot flying and their turns judging. This year was a bit of a challenge to balance the judging since we had 2 large classes (Intermediate and Masters) which limited flexibility in assigning judging duties. We had 18 contestants which is about as many as we can handle and get in the four rounds in the time available. But, we worked it out and everyone got in 4 rounds in great conditions. This is the kickoff for the competition year in NorCal and it was great to see the nice turnout to get our competition juices flowing. The southern part of our district gets started earlier in the season each year but we are officially started here in the northern area now....

There were no unfortunate mishaps that I am aware of which is great, always hate to see that happen. Thanks to all that attended and a special thanks to Peter Vogel for handling the scoring with his electronic system and to Frank Capone and Bob Obregon for the BBQ lunch. Thankfully the Co CD Ron Davies didn't have to 'convince' anyone to cooperate so everyone went home in one piece.... ;-)

So, thanks to all who attended and made this a successful contest for all.

Woodie

Many thanks to Don, Ron, Frank, Bob, Peter and the SAM club who all worked to make this a fun contest!

Awesome job! I wish I could have been so organized.

Thanks Anthony

Over the past 4 years, we have worked out a template for the contest that concentrates on eliminating time consuming tasks which allows us to get started right on time at 8AM. We could start earlier except the coffee hasn't kicked in for most people and they might be dozing in the judging chairs.... ;-)

Two of the hardest things to corral and control are the pre contest test flights as well as the pilot's briefing. So, we just eliminated them. No test flights and the pilot's briefing is a printed document the pilot's get at registration, any questions, the CDs can handle directly with the pilot. The first round judges know they are scheduled to judge when they arrive so they are in place at 8AM. That is the key to getting 'started'. After that, it is a matter of keeping the lines moving. It took a couple years of pilots getting used to the pace but it works well now. Not too much prodding and poking to get people where they are supposed to be.

The hardest part is pre determining the judge panels and flight line order. Luckily for us the vast majority of the competitors pre register so we have a very good idea of who will be there and the judging matrix is prepared prior to the contest. Any additional pilots that show up just make it easier for judging. No shows can become a problem if they were critical to making the judging panels work. In which case the CD or co-CD will take an extra turn in the chair for a round. Sometimes we split a class and fly them back to back for 2 rounds by swapping the judge panels between the flight lines. It all depends on how many show up for each class and what judges are qualified for each set of classes. Takes some thought and preparation prior to contest day but it has been working well. The flight line orders are prepared ahead of time also so the pilots know where they need to be before the contest starts. If time permits, we email the first round flight order and judging assignments the night before the contest so those first set of pilots and judges know what is happening before they arrive. New pattern pilots (first contest) usually get a 'veteran' assigned to them to show them the ropes and coach them thru their first contest.

It works, we get 4 rounds and lunch in about 6 hours and if the sun wasn't a problem, we could get 6 rounds in a day with 20 contestants. Like I said, the contestants know what is happening and their cooperation makes it all work.

And I always have the co-CD, Ron 'Chicken Man' Davies to 'convince' non cooperative pilots.... ;-)

Woodie

I just ordered a Galatic from F3A here in the states. I might try sportsman one more time then intermediate. Do you have a schedule of contests here in Cali?

Here ya go

http://nsrca.us/index.php/d7-contest-schedule/2015

Woodie