Put a Fork in it Honey, it's Over.....Finally
After 2 weeks of flying in Uvalde, the contest is finally over. We did 2 practice days, 7 race days, and 3 forced rest days. We traveled to San Antonio to see Riverwalk and the old Pearl brewery, Fredericksburg to see the South Pacific WWII Museum, drove tanks and shot the main gun, visited the state park at Chalk Bluff and picked up at least 2 tons of clay after the rain. Now at the banquet, all the pilots have smiles (scores are not out) and the volunteers are ready for a rest.
The flying today was somewhat tough for some classes and a blast for others. The 20-meter ships had the weakest weather while the 18 meter pilots rocked the skies. The Open class, I saw them in the trailer parking area and Jim Lee helped us push Pete’s 32 into the trailer. It seemed they had a good time, but John Cockran came home late. You know you might be in trouble when your friends open your trailer and your ship not in it. One good point John, you have a lot of friends that care for you. Unfortunately, when you called at 4 miles, they all disappeared so they did not have to take the EB-29 apart.
The contest staff has no control over the weather, but they do have the ability to get first rate volunteers. This Uvalde contest did exactly that. Everyone worked very hard to provide the pilots with the best possible experience. From the line crew run by Sherman Griffith, to a tow operation managed by Preston Glover, scoring by Ron Gleason, Fernando Silva our ever-present weatherman and Monte Sullivan doing the trackers. All the staff was wonderful. You could not put together this team without a first-rate leader. We would like to thank our host, Mark Huffstutler, for being the Contest Director and host for the contest. I am sure the World Glider Championships will be a huge success with Mark and Eric Mozer at the helm. I would also want to thank a woman who has helped me so much over many contests that I have written reports for. Leigh Zimmerman takes all my reports and photos and posts them on Facebook. One of these days I hope to learn how to do this, but then I would miss all those times I get to text with Leigh and catch up on what trouble Sam is getting into.
Well, the scores are being turned into the CD and I’m sure the results will be released very soon.
They are in folks. Today in 18 meter, Sean Murphy finished in third with Rick Indrebro in second. Winning the day with a speed of 80.28mph over 234 miles was Bif Huss.
In Open class, Jim Lee finished in third today with Keith Essex in second. Bruce Taylor won the day with a speed of 71mph over 254 miles.
In 20- meter class, Pete Alexander and Rich Owen finished in third today with Barry Jeager and Dick Andrews in second. Of course, Adam Woolley and Pasi won the day with a speed of 72mph over the 223 mile course.
The scores of the overall winners for all the classes have been sealed on the front porch of Mark’s house since 4pm. They have not been tampered with or discussed by anyone on the contest staff. Now for the envelope.
In Open Class, with a ship that costs more than my house and a crew that requires an extra-large recovery vehicle due to the number of helpers involved, is Keith Essex. Jim Lee finished in second place and John Cockrane was in third.
In 20 Meter Class, your overall winner, a visiting Australian with a co-pilot from Finland, was Team 1. In second place was Team 98, Pete Alexander and Rich Owen.
Your 18 Meter Nationals winner for 2023, three time in a row 18-meter champion and recipient of the Charlie Spratt trophy, is Sean Fidler. Here are the top 5 finishers with their points:
- Sean Fidler 6749
- Sean Murphy 6716
- Jerzy Szemplinski 6595
- Bif Huss 6566
- Sergei Morozov 6558
Well, the contest is in the books and I want to thank you all for reading these reports and keeping up with your favorite pilot. Until next time.
Cheers,
Rich Owen
Soon to be back in Team ZO, she is coming in October.