Georgia Jets will be the site for the district 3 pattern championships held October 11-12. Myself and Gary Courtney will be the CDs this year.

The field is open for practice on Friday. We're shooting for 6 rounds, and FAI will fly F-09 on Sunday. If all present are game, we may do something else "new" as well.

If you haven't been to the Ga Jets field, you owe it to yourself to come fly at this facility. We members are very proud of it and for good reason. it has a 1000' paved (PERFECTLY smooth) runway, a working bathroom, in ground XM sattelite stereo stsyem, WiFi, web cam, and is one of the best flying fields I have ever been to. Check it out and get directions at www.georgiajets.org

There is plenty of parking and space for RVs, but no hook ups. So bring a generator [8D]

We will have consessions at the field during lunch on Saturday and Sunday.

Myself, my wife, gary and all involved are going to bend over backwards to make this a spectacular contest. I would like to personally invite all of our friends within driving distance to attend (you listening D2? LOL) Since the D2 contest is moved back a week it no longer conflicts with this contest, so with any luck I can do both myself.

I hope to see everyone there, and I'll post more details as they become available. Thanks!

-Mike

I hear you Mike Planning on it as long as nothing else goes wrong,..gee's![&o]
Two contests in a row I've missed due to just weird out of the blue stuff.[:-][:@]




Regards,
Bil Holsten

What's the "new" part Mike? Do I need to bring an extra BPA plane??

I truly wish I could make it this year. I had every plan to make it, but unfortunately I'm going to have to go back to the sandbox 2 days after the contest and I want to hang out with the wife and kids that weekend...I was really looking forward to it especially after flying in Cincy last weekend...unfortunately I decided to break my plane, so Mike has extra work anyway...I'm sure it'll be a great contest,

Arch

Chris and I will be there thursday afternoon. We'll have the rolling hotel with us and looking forward in having a great time.

Larry Odom
Team Black Magic

I wish! But I don't think the districts is a good place to test the format of running both. I'll be very interested to see how Tangerine goes. But if someone has a super bad killer BPA plane available I'd love to put on a demo at some point, anybody interested?

I have something up my sleeve but it depends on who shows up and we'll discuss it then. Just a possibility, nothing more.

There are some interesting points battles and scenarios shaping up if you haven't noticed. I wouldn't miss this one for the world even if I wasn't CDing it. I just hope the situation allows me to fly in his one as well! With a bit of help I think I'll be able to do it.

Burn this one into your calendars, I can't wait!
-Mike

PS Just thought I'd mention it...many of you are aware of the gasoline crisis in Atlanta. Don't let that slow you down, the area this contest is held in has plenty of gas, and anywhere outside of Atlanta has penty. Although the situation probably won't even exist by then, just don't roll into Atlanta on an empty tank and there are no problems at all.

I think We need to have a foamie death match. what yall think. maybe alittle fireworks too. lol



Chris Odom
Team Black Magic

I now have a death foamie with your name on the prop Chris!

-Mike

Anyone coming from/through/near enough Greenville, SC that might be willing to stop there and pick up a plane for me? If so, contact me at [email protected] Thanks

Bring it on mike

Update:

The weather for this contest looks to be about as good as it gets! Low 80s, sunshine, light winds.....perfect! There is s trong possibility that there may be cieling issues in the morning, so the start may not be as early as we'd like, but rest assured, we'll get it done.

Also the gas 'crisis" in Atlanta seems to be over. Prices have fallen and you can actually get gas again. So, thankfully that's a non-issue.

Please be there and ready for the pilot's meeting at 8:30am on Saturday morning. With Gary's help running the lines I am planning to fly in this one as well!

The field will be open for practice at noon Friday so I hope to see you all there. Some really good points battles are shaping up in most classes so this will be a great show.

I'll see you guys this weekend, come on down!
-Mike

Great contest..Enjoyed the fun and fellowship along with Larry's cooking. Looking forward to next year.Starting with the Tangerine with a new BPA airplane and hopefully another new 2 meter airplane. Great Job to our CD's Gary Courtney and Mike Hester. Our Scorekeeper did her excellent job as always,Thanks again Melissa. And also many thanks to the host field Georgia Jets. Thanks again to all.

Great contest!!! Mike H as always puts on a good show. Thanks to Melissa for the expert scoring.

Gary

Any results or pictures?

We have a bit of a family emergency, so hang tight.....as soon as I get a minute.

-M

Special thanks to Mrs Score Keeper (Melissa Hester) for putting up with all of us once again and of course Mike and Gary for CDing another fine D3 champs. We had a great bunch of pilots, I think 20 in all. Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Mississippi (Doug) where well represented. A special congrats to young Chris Odom for winning the district in Intermediate and putting up some of the best flights on either line. That young gun's got the right stuff and is a great kid, I think his dad Larry is the hardest working man in pattern. I think he rebuilt 3 YS 160s over the weekend just to get one plane in the air. Team Odom is a force to be reckoned with!!!! Love you guys (oh no there is that word again

We had very challenging wind conditions but did get all 6 rounds in. We had gusts into the high 20's on sunday but everybody did a great job in the high winds, with no mishaps. We had nightly foamie wars, in fact I think every foamie was trashed by midnight on saturday. I even killed the foamie I was flying in the fireworks at D4, I think maybe I can fix it.....

man, my sides still hurt from laughing so much, we had this unknown round of FAI that everybody could enter, we where flying Ryan's little arf and we all had a blast flying that little bugger in the winds, dudes that was just crazy fun..... at least I wasn't last

I just want to say thanks to all my friends that attended and I can't wait till next season, heck I saved my new planes for next year !!! I don't have to build or paint anything for 2009 !!!!

dean

Well done Mike...great contest!

Thanks to Mike, Melissa, Gary, Dean and everyone else who put in all the work so we could come up and have fun. Thanks also to RVP for use of his "weekend manor"...nice to be landed gentry isn't it Ron?

I hope the unknown open FAI round is the start of a new tradition...I'm still laughing over that one.

-Ryan

Well Mike, Melissa and Gary, thanks for putting on a great contest. And yes I was he I was head of the class in "YS School 101". I don't believe I have ever done so much mixing and matching YS part ever and still came up with a big zero. Thanks to Ryan for having a seasoned engine that got my plane going. Now Mr. Wingo this cooking deal is not mine by itself. You laid down some pretty good stuff yourself. The foamy wars were just out right outrageous and I have never laughed so hard in my life. But the broom handle on the head was not too good. Dean I hope that battery was worth it, I still have the knot.

We had a great bunch of pilots this weekend and things went very smooth. Melissa I don't believe I have every got raw score back so fast. I would not get my plane put up after a round before she was handing me my score sheet. Great job and you go girl!!! Mike you ran as always a good contest and can't wait till we get to do it again. Jon I'm glad you and Gary were amused at my round 5 unknown intermediate sequence it was a blast. (LOL)

It was a great weekend, but I have never been so tired from a pattern contest. But I love it and can't wait till Tangerine.


Gandolf the Fat
Team Black Magic

I think the open FAI unknown is going to be tradition for a while at least my sides STILL hurt.

Well that and the night time foamie wars....the death foamie shall rise again!!!!! man I haven't seen that much carnage since......ok, never. We have video but....it might get us kicked out of the AMA!

oh yeah we had a pattern contest too. LOL

See my post above about the great weather forecast? Well scratch that, it was nasty windy, but still a lot of fun and some GREAT flying. Only 20 people showed up....but 20 people showed up!

As usual the sportsman, intermediate and advanced classes were where the most intense competition was. Forrest Shaffer, Mike Williams, Skip GEtelman and Doug "state of mississippi champion" harvell flew thier tails off in sportsman, with young Forrest taking 5 out of 6 rounds. That kid is going to be lethal boys....and most of the scores stayed in the 900s from everyone so that tells you the level of competition. Skip finally flew in his first AMA contest and did VERY well with his Focus sport.

Intermediate, well, Chris "the monster" Odom took all 6 rounds, one of which averaged almost 92%.....in darn near gale force winds. Likin that VF3 Chris? LOL Mikael Fedon (of Fedon Aircraft fame) took a well fought second with a borrowed plane, and Austin Wingo did very well with his new VF3 as well. Dean "the dude" Funk took 4th laying down some killer flights with his old V2. Victor Diaz took 5th with his recently acquired Symphony, (welcome Victor!), and "Uncle" Larry Odom brought up the rear with a combination of his musical engine Focus and Chris's VF3.

Advanced....Gary Courtney took all 4 rounds on Saturday, with Jon Lowe close behind in second, "Strong" Jamie Strong in 3rd, and Mike "dangit Austin I did all the work let ME fly a little too" Wingo having a blast and flying very well in 4th.

Masters.....what can I say, "Smokin" Joe Walker all the way, his kind of weather....his kind of flying....out and WFO (means "fast" LOL). Can't touch that....but John "will this thing go any faster?" Fuqua came very close. Myself, Mike "I swear I'll build myself a plane one day" Hester took 3rd having some good solid mid 900 flights followed by one episode of utter blindness (again)....and that wrapped up masters.

FAI was a lot of good fun and comradiery between Ryan "I don't need a 2 meter!" McLaughlin and Emory Schroeter (flying my old weathered prototype) and both had a lot of fun.

But of course, NOTHING compared to the open FAI unknown on Sunday. I had a feeling if we had the right crowd, this would be a lot of fun....and for once I was right

When Melissa gets back if anyone is interested I'll post the pattern we flew....it was....umm...massochistic to say the least. It included such gems as an inverted figure M with half rolls, an inside loop with integrated roll from the top, a 2 turn then 2 turn opposite negative spin on the end of the box, a cuban 8 with 1 1/2 snaps on the 45s, well you get the idea. And it was open to anyone who had the guts...with one catch: Everyone had to fly it with Jason's prototype Era 50 in nats level winds!!!!!!!! Since Jon Lowe (the "hangin judge") and I judged it, and the rest of the pilots were required to stand there and heckle the pilot, I have to admit that was probably THE most fun time I have ever sat in a judges chair, with no close second. Heck it was raining during some of the flights and I didn't even care..... I'll put it this way, one pilot had straight zeroes, a 1, and a 2....that's it....LOLOL

The really cool thing is, nobody cared who really won or lost, we just did it and the guys did thier best under such extreme circumstances and it was like a trial by fire, a D3 "hazing" if you will. But if it matters, Ryan won, Joe Walker got 2nd, and Mikael Fedon got 3rd out of 7 pilots. (MIkael had the sweetest outside rolling loop from the top out of anyone! Kids....sheesh...LOL) our only real concern was not crashing the plane, and I am happy to report that it's not scratched, and is now enshrined as a D3 legend!!!!

There was more, and I;'ll post a more "official" report as soon as melissa gets back and I have a minute.

I want to thank Gary, my wife Melissa, Skip and Bruce, and Ga Jets for the use of thier awesome facility. I also want to PERSONALLY thank each and every person in attendance, you are why we do what we do, and you are why no matter what, it's always "worth it".

-Mike

OK, after the flying in the rain part I was really worried... would have rathered my plane not been used like that. BUT knowing that it is in 1-piece... I can now go to sleep. although the term used is... not scratched... not... not broken...lol. Sounds like a blast. Still wouldn't have missed it for Colombia... but sounds like a typical D3 contest. Too much fun. Might have to put the new Era 50 together now.

LOL Man that plane is awesome!!!!

Don't worry, it's unharmed in any way...as in, not broken, not scratched, utterly unharmed ok so maybe the engine got a little warm....hot....temperature elevation....yeah...

And ok it was more like mist....err ok drizzle....not rain per se.....well, wet.....sorta....LOL

It was felt that using a 2 meter would be like cheating, and since the Era will actually DO those heinous manuevers, it was perfect! Ryan, Joe and Mikael actually looked good with it too. THAT'S the round where I wish someone would have taken video...although it would have been really shaky from the laughing....the manuevers were the funny part.

So yeah you need to build another one for a backup!!! LOL

We missed ya man, but it looks like you a good weekend in Colombia! We'll see you at Tangerine. So have the Era ready for battle!!!!! (Or not, we could just all pick a BPA plane to do it with instead....)

BTW seriously, the plane was never in any real danger, or we would have pulled the plug. That was understood from the outset.

But we gotta do that again!!!

-Mike

Sorry about the delay on posting this but here it is .. This was the Unknown schedule flown Sunday and the standings from it .
Melissa

opps I forgot to change it on the 9th maneuver it was a half roll not full roll ..

And here is the standings for the D3 Championship ..
Thanks guys , Had a great time .
Melissa

Thanks to Mike, Melissa and Gary. It was a fun contest!

Emory

Ok now who has all the pictures of this contest. And I know there were pictures taken or video of the foamie wars at night. So lets get these pictures and stuff up here.


Gandolf the Fat
Team Broom chucker