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flyeslhost
158 Posts |
 Posted - 08/24/2005 : 10:40:37 PM
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By Dave Walter, photography: Jan Kansky
08/24/05 - ... Traditionally, the Soarin is accompanied by extreme heat, fierce wind, and/or drenching rain. We almost got the triple. |
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flyeslhost
158 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2005 : 10:41:04 PM
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By Dave Walter, photography: Jan Kansky
08/24/05 - The Charles River Radio Controllers conducted their 32nd Annual Soarin
on August 13 and 14 at Davis Field in Sudbury, MA. Traditionally, the
Soarin is accompanied by extreme heat, fierce wind, and/or drenching
rain. We almost got the triple.
Saturday: Dave Walter, CD
The weather forecasters predicted W-SW wind 10-15 mph and temps in the
90's. The wind ended up more NW, but the temps were definitely in the 90's.
Thirty-five pilots arrived, with a nice balance of Experts to Sportsmen,
15 and 17 respectively. Pilots were divided into 4 flight groups, and each
flight group was allotted a 10 minute window during which the pilot must
launch. The score was the sum of the flight time in seconds and the landing
score (25 foot graduated tape). Scores were not normalized by flight groups,
so lift cycles became an important factor.
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The CD called for 7 minutes in Round 1. After noting that many got their
time, he called for 8 minutes in Round 2, expecting to continue increasing
the task each round up to 10 minutes. But the NW wind kicked in early and
flight times began to fall off a cliff. With the challenging air, the task
was kept at 8 minutes.
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Rounds 6 and 7, the final two rounds, were particularly difficult, with
fewer than 5 maxes recorded in each round. Many experienced pilots had to
take the "walk of shame" into the tall grass to retrieve their planes. When
the wind is from the NW, it pushes down the gentle slope on the east end of
the field, which means you are coming up hill, into the wind when returning
from a downwind flight. At the end of Round 6, Chris Schuck was in the lead
and needed just one more good flight to secure first place. Sadly, Chris
ventured too far downwind in the last round and was unable to return to the
field. His Mantis was last seen descending beyond the far tree line, and
still has not been found.
At the end of the day, Steve Pasierb proved to be the most consistent pilot.
He managed to max his last two flights in tough air, and that performance
earned him 1st place. Mark Drela took 2nd and Dave Walter 3rd. Tom Kiesling
struggled to 4th place after suffering through a couple rounds of horrid
air. He muttered something to the CD about "man-on-man" and "normalized
scoring", a suggestion which the CDs hope to follow in next year's
competition. Note that even with a zero round, Chris Shuck managed to pull
in 5th place.
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The king of the Sportsmen proved to be Miner Crary; his score would have
put him in 7th place as an Expert. Second and third was a tie between Rich
Watson and Jim Otis. I understand Jim graciously accepted the 3rd place
trophy, perhaps in exchange for a beer.
Sunday: Anker Berg-Sonne, CD
Sunday morning saw the return of many pilots who had flown on Saturday,
but seemed somewhat drained by the experience. While the temperature was
expected to be lower Sunday, the humidity was nearly off the chart and
most of us were a sweaty mess before the competition even began. Twenty-
nine pilots signed up, 15 of them Experts. CD Anker called for the same
format and tasks as the previous day. Light, variable wind meant there
would be fewer off-field landings, but it also created some challenging
downwind landing conditions. Up air was less powerful and harder to find
on Sunday, but with the lower wind you could venture further down range
without the fear of coming home against a strong wind.
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At the end of the 6th round, we heard the echo of far-off thunder. With
bright skies above us, the CD made the brave call to fly one more round.
That last round was executed in record time; everyone sensed that the
clock we were trying to beat was wound up by Mother Nature, not the CD.
In the end, Tom Kiesling returned to his natural position, first place.
Dave Walter followed close behind in second, and Jeff Steifel hauled in
third place. Robert Buxton was Top Dog in Sportsman class, with Rich
Plummer and Dick Williamson nipping at his heels in 2nd and 3rd place.
After hustling through the award ceremony, everyone packed up in a hurry
and the field was completely cleared just as the rain storm arrived.
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As always, the success of a competition is closely linked to the quality
of the helpers. Locals Warren Hopkins and Tomer Jackman kept the winches
running smoothly while sitting all day in the blistering sun. Tracy
Clark and Dave Spielman served a first class lunch each day. David
Marshall ran the scoring with help from Les Gerhardt. Many other club
members too numerous to mention helped with tents, tables, winch and
retriever equipment, etc. Thanks to all for pitching in!
-- Dave Walter |
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CRRC 2005 Soar In
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