I arrived home at 8:15 PM tonight after a 10 hour plus drive and 1.5 hour "cruise" to Victoria :-) A total of 2112 km added to the trucks odometer but it was well worth the experience.
I will start an album in the morning and throw a link onto this page, the Face Book Page and PWNews once I get organized.
Special thanks to my #1 supporter Kelly for letting me head out to the competition without her. I know she would have loved to have come to Calgary but work took priority for her...... as she now has another reason to keep the travel funds coming in. :-)
Off to the rack... and I mean it!
Tuesday... Ok thanks to Ron Kennedy and Hartley Hughson I managed to put together an album of the weekends activities. I took a few but didn't spend much time doing it.... had other things on my mind :-)
Go here to view.... https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/109651057526301753852/albums/6054523383634506641
Monday, September 1, 2014
Sunday Day #2
Sunday Day #2
(First off I apologize for the publishing delay as I finish this day’s report on Monday morning in Monarch Campsite at Kicking Horse Pass. We stopped here last night after leaving Calgary to get a jump on the trip home. Pat & Hartley offered a bunk in their RV :-) No internet/cell service here so if you're reading this then I have found some on the way through Golden, BC and uploaded to the blog)
Another great day in Calgary as day 2 of the Nationals and Team Trials gets underway. Scattered cloud and west winds will be on tap with possible rain forecast for around 4PM. We should be all wrapped up by then.
Lots of good battles in all levels with the exception of Sportsman of course. Intermediate was the closest battle as the top spot spread to second place was only .13 of a point! Bill Hurst narrowly beat out Travis Sayler to take top honours. Third place went to John Maher of Calgary.
Advanced was also a dogfight with Dennis Peperkorn slipping past Danny Gill after swapping bullets most of the contest. Don Sinclair also flew well for someone that doesn’t practice much… a natural I suspect. Dan picked up a new ZNLine Caelestia airframe after the event so look out world! :-)
The top three Masters pilots fought tooth and nail with Thomas Khunlein edging out Arizonian John Bentley. John came up to Calgary after his teaching ended… and I suspect to avoid the heat in Arizona! Nedim Bek was a close third and flew well considering the practice time available. Nedim’s new dog Zeus dragged him around all weekend :-)
The FAI battle continued with Chad well out in front of course and it was clear that second favoured Michi Akimoto. Third was up for grabs for sure and the pressure was mounting. The winds came up and we had the meter reach 30 kph. Colin zeroed his first stall turn and Michi first F was not his best as he flopped his Center Stall turn. Clean rounds would help immensely :-) True to form I managed to equalize the field with a flopped spin :-( argghhh!
Ethan and Will both had good rounds and beat us all.
Round 2 of F-15 was basically flushed as Chad put in a killer F round that push our scores out of the calculation. (His wife Agnes was calling so he had to fly good or he’d hear about it!!) Will had a solid round and I flew pretty good but my triangle was not my strongest. Colin’s Top Hat snap went the wrong way and it cost him. Been there, done that and Michi finally put together his usual F and he secured his placing.
The awards were presented, helpers thanked and the team was announced by Chad.
The Canadian FAI F3A Team for 2015 will be Chad Northeast, Michi Akimoto, Ethan Chariandy as our Junior pilot and myself. Alternate will be Will Gross. We will proudly represent Canada at the 2015 World Championships in Switzerland. Team Manager is TBA at this point but discussions will be underway in the next few days.
I personally thanked all the judges after my last round as they did a great job over the course of the two days. They all flew as well so I am sure they were exhausted.
Special thanks go out to SCRCMC Club for hosting the event and the folks that did all the work… Chad & Agnes, Nedim & Aleve and the host of club members that cooked and worked behind the scenes. Also a huge “Thank You” to John and Gloria Maher that provide their RV for both Ron Kennedy and myself over the weekend. Great hospitality!!
I was also very fortunate to have my parents and sister out to support me and they enjoyed the experience even though they weren’t quite sure what was what with the manoeuvres :-)
I will be adding a link to the photo album once I get home so check back.
(First off I apologize for the publishing delay as I finish this day’s report on Monday morning in Monarch Campsite at Kicking Horse Pass. We stopped here last night after leaving Calgary to get a jump on the trip home. Pat & Hartley offered a bunk in their RV :-) No internet/cell service here so if you're reading this then I have found some on the way through Golden, BC and uploaded to the blog)
Another great day in Calgary as day 2 of the Nationals and Team Trials gets underway. Scattered cloud and west winds will be on tap with possible rain forecast for around 4PM. We should be all wrapped up by then.
A group photo was taken for the history books :-)
Lots of good battles in all levels with the exception of Sportsman of course. Intermediate was the closest battle as the top spot spread to second place was only .13 of a point! Bill Hurst narrowly beat out Travis Sayler to take top honours. Third place went to John Maher of Calgary.
Intermediate - John Maher, Bill Hurst and Travis Sayler
Advanced was also a dogfight with Dennis Peperkorn slipping past Danny Gill after swapping bullets most of the contest. Don Sinclair also flew well for someone that doesn’t practice much… a natural I suspect. Dan picked up a new ZNLine Caelestia airframe after the event so look out world! :-)
Advanced - Don Sinclair, Dennis Peperkorn and Danny Gill
The top three Masters pilots fought tooth and nail with Thomas Khunlein edging out Arizonian John Bentley. John came up to Calgary after his teaching ended… and I suspect to avoid the heat in Arizona! Nedim Bek was a close third and flew well considering the practice time available. Nedim’s new dog Zeus dragged him around all weekend :-)
Masters - Nedim Bek, Thomas Khunein and John Bentley
The FAI battle continued with Chad well out in front of course and it was clear that second favoured Michi Akimoto. Third was up for grabs for sure and the pressure was mounting. The winds came up and we had the meter reach 30 kph. Colin zeroed his first stall turn and Michi first F was not his best as he flopped his Center Stall turn. Clean rounds would help immensely :-) True to form I managed to equalize the field with a flopped spin :-( argghhh!
Ethan and Will both had good rounds and beat us all.
Round 2 of F-15 was basically flushed as Chad put in a killer F round that push our scores out of the calculation. (His wife Agnes was calling so he had to fly good or he’d hear about it!!) Will had a solid round and I flew pretty good but my triangle was not my strongest. Colin’s Top Hat snap went the wrong way and it cost him. Been there, done that and Michi finally put together his usual F and he secured his placing.
The awards were presented, helpers thanked and the team was announced by Chad.
FAI - Ethan Chariandy, Chad Northeast and Michi Akimoto (with Kieko)
The Canadian FAI F3A Team for 2015 will be Chad Northeast, Michi Akimoto, Ethan Chariandy as our Junior pilot and myself. Alternate will be Will Gross. We will proudly represent Canada at the 2015 World Championships in Switzerland. Team Manager is TBA at this point but discussions will be underway in the next few days.
 |
| Team Canada F3A 2015 |
 |
| Results |
I personally thanked all the judges after my last round as they did a great job over the course of the two days. They all flew as well so I am sure they were exhausted.
 |
| Judges hard at work! |
Special thanks go out to SCRCMC Club for hosting the event and the folks that did all the work… Chad & Agnes, Nedim & Aleve and the host of club members that cooked and worked behind the scenes. Also a huge “Thank You” to John and Gloria Maher that provide their RV for both Ron Kennedy and myself over the weekend. Great hospitality!!
I was also very fortunate to have my parents and sister out to support me and they enjoyed the experience even though they weren’t quite sure what was what with the manoeuvres :-)
I will be adding a link to the photo album once I get home so check back.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
Saturday Day #1
Morning update…
A gorgeous morning with very light winds greeted the pilots as they prepare to start the competition. The FAI guys will start first following the pilots meeting. Ethan Chariandy has been selected to give demo flights for the FAI Judges as he is our only Junior pilot and will not impact team selection. He will gladly take the practice!!
The hanger will get emptied out as the scoring computer and staff take residence in the club house.
Well it was a great thought about updating through the day but in reality it’s pretty hard when your calling for guys, judging, flying and charging. Now for the afternoon/evening update......
Judging Assignments & Flight order
The day just seemed to go on forever but we did manage 4 rounds of FAI, Advanced and Intermediate and 3 rounds of Masters (Only one Sportsman and he flew 2 rounds… because well that’s what he wanted to do :-)
We had a lunch of smokies and burgers served up by the club members and wives… excellent was the buzz word that I heard! My parents and sister came down to cheer me on and it was great to see them although I was back and forth all day!
.
Flying continued with some short breaks as weather threatened to stop us but flying quickly continued and we had some great skies as a backdrop.
Dinner was steaks cooked to order with salads and a drink of choice. Scores were published for the first three rounds with FAI’s four P rounds as well. Carry in will be calculated
The FAI guys completed the P Schedule and will move on to two rounds of the F-15 schedule tomorrow. Chad is way out front with Michi and Ethan battling behind with Colin trailing his son. Don't count Will out either as he had a solid last round of P to carry him in. The F will be the tell for the trailing guys in tomorrows rounds as Chad will no doubt push us all down with his excellent flying skills.
A gorgeous morning with very light winds greeted the pilots as they prepare to start the competition. The FAI guys will start first following the pilots meeting. Ethan Chariandy has been selected to give demo flights for the FAI Judges as he is our only Junior pilot and will not impact team selection. He will gladly take the practice!!
 |
| Dawn in Calgary |
 |
| Hanger |
 |
| Hanger |
I will be back from time to time with updates as things progress....... check back later
 |
| Pilots meeting. |
Well it was a great thought about updating through the day but in reality it’s pretty hard when your calling for guys, judging, flying and charging. Now for the afternoon/evening update......
Judging Assignments & Flight order
The day just seemed to go on forever but we did manage 4 rounds of FAI, Advanced and Intermediate and 3 rounds of Masters (Only one Sportsman and he flew 2 rounds… because well that’s what he wanted to do :-)
We had a lunch of smokies and burgers served up by the club members and wives… excellent was the buzz word that I heard! My parents and sister came down to cheer me on and it was great to see them although I was back and forth all day!
.
 |
| My sister Carri poses with my Oxai Galactik. |
 |
| Great backdrop! |
Dinner was steaks cooked to order with salads and a drink of choice. Scores were published for the first three rounds with FAI’s four P rounds as well. Carry in will be calculated
 |
| Round 3 Scores |
 |
| FAI Scores after TBL applied. |
Friday, August 29, 2014
Practice Day #2
Awoke to a cool fog engulfing the field this morning. It was down to 3 Celsius last night and it felt like winter… even had the furnace going this morning so my wife knows it was cold:-)
Forecast says possible showers and gusty winds from the south today and true to form, the winds picked up and intermittent showers came and went. Chad and Will put up the marker poles for the flight line and the field is all ready and in excellent condition.
Danny Gill and Dave Blaby both had their respective planes ready to go early but didn’t get in the air until 10:40 local time.... sadly the plane disappeared on the verticals and luckily returned. Time to wait a bit more :-)
 |
| Will Gross with his bipe. |
 |
| So what to you call two BiSides? :-) |
A Judging Clinic was provided for the FAI Team Trials judges and everyone was welcome to attend. Chad went through the nuances of scoring FAI and everyone enjoyed the refresher... even the pilots.
 |
| Chad out does himself with color handouts for each judge. |
All the FAI planes were weighed (with flight packs) and measured with the following results (5050 Grams is max allowable)
Chad Northeast - Accuracy 5023gr and Citrin 5004gr
Ethan Chariandy - Caelestia 4900gr
Colin Chariandy - Axiome 4869gr
Will Gross - Sensation 4782gr and Episode 4879
Michi Akimoto - Axiome 4881gr and Xigris 4965
Dave Reaville - Galactik 4938gr and Caelestia 4882gr
 |
| Ron Kennedy took this shot of the practice lineup. |
Sportsman
101 4353 Alex Kellington
102 432 Cam McInnis
Intermediate
201 54398 Travis Sayler
202 543543 Harvey Fodor
203 342 John Maher
204 53453 Don McGowan
205 34234 Bill Hurst
Advanced
301 43143 Dennis Peperkorn
302 74897 Dave Blaby
303 69685 Stan Anderson
304 77760 Danny Gill
305 4324 Don Sinclair
305 Dave McGowan
Masters
401 50988 Hartley Hughson
402 63103 Nedim Bek
403 6710 Alan Wesley
404 12345 Marty Massie
405 21345 Thomas Khunlein
406 L3455 John Bentley
407 0000 Bill Hawkes
408 45409 Ron Kennedy
F3A
601 44564 Chad Northeast
602 76934 Will Gross
603 56510 Dave Reaville
604 67170 Michi Akimoto
605 948422 Colin Chariandy
606 948421 Ethan Chariandy (Jr)
The competition starts Saturday at 9 AM with demo flights for the FAI judges. Looking forward to it!
Thursday, August 28, 2014
Practice Day #1
Well I had a great sleep last night except for the train (did I mention it was 100 feet away!) that went by every 2 hours or so! It’s the only downside to the field location :-)
Numerous pilots started to arrive with Ethan and Colin Chariandy being the first in the parking lot this morning. They had flown in the day before and picked up the rental vehicle at the airport… unfortunately Colin didn’t “see” the speed limit sign and got a speeding ticket within 10 minutes of leaving the rental facility. Not quite the hospitality I have been raving about. :-(
They got the ZNLine Caelestia and Oxai Axiome put together and started flying some practice rounds as others arrived.
Everyone got in rounds but the winds were soon joined by rain that intensified quickly and shut down flying. We all packed up and some folks headed to hotels to check in & warm up while others congregated in the club house to tell stories and pass the time.
Will Gross from Red Deer arrived and we chatted about his recent trip to Muncie for the AMA Nationals. A great experience for all.
The forecast called for clearing around 6 PM so we waited out the rains and low and behold we started flying again at 5:30 PM. The “hardy” pilots managed some additional flights as a late dinner was now inevitable :-)
I am sure tomorrow will see lots of activity as the rest of the competitors arrive. A judging seminar will go at 4 PM for judges and all pilots are welcome to attend.
Off to the rack!
Numerous pilots started to arrive with Ethan and Colin Chariandy being the first in the parking lot this morning. They had flown in the day before and picked up the rental vehicle at the airport… unfortunately Colin didn’t “see” the speed limit sign and got a speeding ticket within 10 minutes of leaving the rental facility. Not quite the hospitality I have been raving about. :-(
They got the ZNLine Caelestia and Oxai Axiome put together and started flying some practice rounds as others arrived.
 |
| Ethan gets ready for his practice flight. |
 | |
| Dennis & Dave discuss field layout while Danny gets ready for his flight. |
Cross winds of 26 km and overcast skies made for a good challenge for
all. Dennis Peperkorn had his BJ Craft Biside up and flew some nice
Advanced elements and Bill Hawkes from Victoria arrived with his
Vanquish. Danny Gill, Dave Blaby and Stan Anderson all flew as well with
Ron Kennedy getting several rounds in with his new SebArt Mythos 125.
Alan Wesley had his YS powered Twister cranked up for bug control but
with the wind it really didn’t matter. The 9 degree C temperature did
not help the fingers either!
John Bentley from Arizona arrived
with his Nuance long with Co-CD Nedim Bek and Michi Akimoto (not flying
today!) for moral support.
Everyone got in rounds but the winds were soon joined by rain that intensified quickly and shut down flying. We all packed up and some folks headed to hotels to check in & warm up while others congregated in the club house to tell stories and pass the time.
Will Gross from Red Deer arrived and we chatted about his recent trip to Muncie for the AMA Nationals. A great experience for all.
The forecast called for clearing around 6 PM so we waited out the rains and low and behold we started flying again at 5:30 PM. The “hardy” pilots managed some additional flights as a late dinner was now inevitable :-)
I am sure tomorrow will see lots of activity as the rest of the competitors arrive. A judging seminar will go at 4 PM for judges and all pilots are welcome to attend.
Off to the rack!
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
The Journey
Up early and on the road this morning.... past by Spectrum Field at 04:45, by High Country Flyers field at 07:22 and then by the Sushwap Lake Aeromodelers Field at 09:00.... managed to make the Calgary field in just over 11 hours of driving through some of the most spectacular scenery BC and Alberta has to offer!
On my arrival, Danny Gill and the Hughson's were finishing setting up their respective campsites and John Maher had their Arctic Fox Fifth Wheel all ready for me. Both Ron Kennedy and I will share this unit for the duration of the weekend. Now that is great Alberta hospitality!
The Blaby's arrived with trailer in tow and set up their rig beside Dan & Hartley's. They all managed to get in some practice rounds as I assembled my planes. I chose not to fly as I was pretty beat from the long drive. A good night's rest will do wonders :-)
Chad came out and flew his Accuracy and then gave us a demo of his FPV quad copter... simple amazing stuff and I look forward to some video of the event at some point.
Michi Akimoto is up in Red Deer practicing with Will Gross and they will both come down in the next day or so and join us in Calgary. This will depend on weather and crowd size.... as it's easier to get rounds in up at the Red Deer site I believe.
Both Ethan and Colin Chariandy made it to Calgary via air but will wait until tomorrow before doing any flights. Should be lots of activity Thursday!
Yoho National Park
Field, BC
On my arrival, Danny Gill and the Hughson's were finishing setting up their respective campsites and John Maher had their Arctic Fox Fifth Wheel all ready for me. Both Ron Kennedy and I will share this unit for the duration of the weekend. Now that is great Alberta hospitality!
My home for the weekend!
The Blaby's arrived with trailer in tow and set up their rig beside Dan & Hartley's. They all managed to get in some practice rounds as I assembled my planes. I chose not to fly as I was pretty beat from the long drive. A good night's rest will do wonders :-)
Chad came out and flew his Accuracy and then gave us a demo of his FPV quad copter... simple amazing stuff and I look forward to some video of the event at some point.
Michi Akimoto is up in Red Deer practicing with Will Gross and they will both come down in the next day or so and join us in Calgary. This will depend on weather and crowd size.... as it's easier to get rounds in up at the Red Deer site I believe.
Both Ethan and Colin Chariandy made it to Calgary via air but will wait until tomorrow before doing any flights. Should be lots of activity Thursday!
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
It's that time again!
The Canadian Team Trials and Precision Aerobatics Category Nationals takes place this coming weekend.
Three team members along with one Junior will be selected to represent Canada in the 2015 FAI F3A World Championships in Switzerland next August. The host club is the Stampede City Radio Control Club and full details are available on their website at www.scrcmc.ca
You can download the event bulletin at members.shaw.ca/patternwestnews/patternwestnews/Events.html and scroll down to this event. Event Sanction is at http://www.maac.ca/events/event_details.php?eid=4551
15:00 local... I am just loading up the truck and heading to the flat lands as I type this... well almost!
I will stay in the lower mainland with friends tonight and then make my way out in the early morning. This will chop about 3 hours off my trip east and get me to the field around 7:30 PM local time in Calgary... I hope :-) I'll update later as I set sail on the BC Ferries and time permits!.....
Three team members along with one Junior will be selected to represent Canada in the 2015 FAI F3A World Championships in Switzerland next August. The host club is the Stampede City Radio Control Club and full details are available on their website at www.scrcmc.ca
You can download the event bulletin at members.shaw.ca/patternwestnews/patternwestnews/Events.html and scroll down to this event. Event Sanction is at http://www.maac.ca/events/event_details.php?eid=4551
15:00 local... I am just loading up the truck and heading to the flat lands as I type this... well almost!
I will stay in the lower mainland with friends tonight and then make my way out in the early morning. This will chop about 3 hours off my trip east and get me to the field around 7:30 PM local time in Calgary... I hope :-) I'll update later as I set sail on the BC Ferries and time permits!.....
 |
| Boarding the 5 pm steel canoe for the 1:35 ride to the mainland.
The first stage of my trip is now complete as I set the alarm for the early get up. I have been in touch with John and Gloria Maher who will be providing on site accommodations for myself and fellow pilot Ron Kennedy. Ya I get the couch in the Arctic Fox Fifth Wheel but I will take it!! :-) They kindly offered up the use of their RV unit at the Kamloops contest back in June... now that's Alberta hospitality!!
Ethan and Colin Chariandy should be arriving Wednesday as well as Pat & Hartley Hughson. Michi & Lyan left last Saturday from Victoria and I am sure he has been practicing these past few days :-)
I will update on the road tomorrow when I "hit" a rest stop.
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)