IMAC Contest 2004
Newport News Park RC Club
Contest Director – Owen Dwire
On August 21, 2004 the Newport News Park RC Club held their 2nd annual International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) Contest.
Owen Dwire was the Contest Director for the event. The contest featured two classes - Basic and Sportsman, with three rounds being flown in each class. Pilots flew two complete sequences during each round resulting in a total of six maneuver sequences being flown.
The weather was clear with some scattered clouds throughout the day. The only hindrances to flying on an otherwise beautiful day were fairly strong crosswinds from the Southwest (ARRGH!!). Local fliers know this means the winds are rolling across the trees from your back creating burbles and wind shears.
The forecast called for thunderstorms in the afternoon and by hustling we were able to complete the contest prior to the rain.We had three out-of-towners participating in the contest. There were five participants in the Basic Class and only one participant in the Sportsman class. The members of the NNPRCC pulled together to make this event a lot of fun and the participants (Basic Class) had some tight competition.
The contest director was grateful for the assistance from key contributors that helped make this event successful. Special thanks go to - Gene Deitz, who functioned as the flight line boss marshaling pilots to the on-deck circle to keep any breaks in flying; Don Kohlman, who provided the big score sheet and recorded the scores for all the pilots to keep track of their place in the competition; and Bill Crahen, who provided lunch to the participants. The contest would have been nothing without dedicated judges who gave so much of their time to make this event so successful. Joe Lupton and Jay Taylor performed yeoman services in their capacity as judges. (If I have left anyone out here please forgive me as it is not intentional.)
The Basic class drew the biggest number of participants. Five entered the field. Tony Gorgone from the Newport News Club took 1st place. Clayton Beale from Richmond took 2nd place and John Backes from the CVA club in Williamsburg took 3rd place.
The Sportsman class was not as competitive as we would have liked. Mr. Don Koonce from Richmond was the only contestant. Even so, Don said he enjoyed the day and honing his flying skills in the challenging crosswinds.
A great deal of fun was had by all and we look forward to next year’s IMAC contest! Final Scores are posted below:
Basic Class Final Scores
(Note: all scores normalized to 1000pts per sequence with two lowest scores thrown out.)
|
Place |
Contestant Name |
OVERALL BASIC SCORE |
|
1st |
Tony Gorgone |
4000.00 |
|
2nd |
Clayton Beale |
3871.67 |
|
3rd |
John Backes |
3457.20 |
|
4th |
Phil Goodwin |
3209.38 |
|
5th |
Federico Jones |
1302.21 |
Sportsman Class Final Scores
(Note: all scores normalized to 1000pts per sequence with two lowest scores thrown out.)
|
Place |
Contestant Name |
OVERALL SPORTSMAN SCORE |
|
1st |
Don Koonce |
4000.00 |
Here are a few photos that were taken during the meet.
The parking lot was full with participant and spectator vehicles.
CD Owen Dwire ran a good contest and is shown here entering
scores into a
computerized scoring program. Jay Jennings is providing the all important
oversight.
Gene Deitz performed as the flight line boss.
Jay Taylor and Joe Lupton did a great job judging both
events.
Ed Silvers is calling for one of the pilots.
Tony Gorgone receiving the first place award in the Basic Class.
Clayton Beale receiving the second place award in the Basic Class.
John Backes receiving the third place award in Basic Class.
Don Koonce receives the first place award in Sportsman Class.
The contestants. Fred Jones is not pictured here as he had to leave early.