Despite the crummy weather this weekend, I finally got to fly in my first contest, the PA Aerobatic Championship at Maytown- yippee!I decided not to push my newbie luck by taking my airplane to Maytown (relatively narrow runway on a breezy weekend), but Ron Chadwick agreed to let me fly his S-2B with him in the back as safety pilot. When I arrived and registered, I found out that there were no other entries in Primary. Fortunately, a couple other pilots agreed to enter Primary so we would have an official contest in the category.
Due to the weather, the flight schedule was curtailed quite a bit, with Intermediate and Advanced each getting two flights, and Primary and Sportsman squeezing in only one flight each.
My flight went fairly well, except that I almost flew in one side of the box and out the other before flying my first figure- oops (note to self: no need to enter the box at 140 mph if the first figure is a spin). BTW, the spin scored pretty well- thanks for the advice, everyone! On the whole, I was pretty happy with my scores and the feedback that came with them. And I didn't finish last!!
Speaking of not finishing last, Kendall Simpson flew Sportsman, and finished as far from last as you can get- namely, first! Great job, Kendall! If you hunt as well as you fly, those Canadian bears had better duck, eh?
It was a great experience meeting everyone and participating in the contest. Warrenton next, and hopefully in my own airplane!
Tom P.