Any news from Daniel Boone unlimited contest?

[Fly2High]

Does anyone have info on the Daniel Boone contest in Pa?

What are the stats? Any highlights?

[John Gallagher]

The only thing I've heard is that this will be the last year that the club will hold this contest. Not enough members interested. This word from ESLTalk.

[neonbutterfly]

very nice contest...i was there with my flying buddy gene sellers and ben diss....this was the first contest for gene and me and we flew in novice.....5 min duration with 50' circle spot landing......that was good for us......

ben finished second in sportsman flying his icon.....i feel that more participation in esl events would occur if they had a novice class.....i noticed that gene and i were the only pilots in attendance that we flying built up sailplanes.....Bubble Dancers (scratch built).....everyone else had a moldie.....

gene timed for steve from the boonton club and vice versa and ben and i hooked up....gene and i both learned a lot from ben and steve.....the contest was more of a learning experience.....and a good one at that!!!!

so for gene and i to move up to sportsman would we have to spend something like $1200 for a supra?....or would we be competitive with our bubble dancers.....interesting thought!!!!!

maybe if the esl had an RES class....maybe that would draw more people out.....also with todays rising costs staying over for a two day contest may be a little much for some pilots......

just some thoughts from a first timer!!!!!

bob :D

[mlachow]

Two day contests make it practical for the guys who travel a long way. It would be tough to do a one-day traveling to PA from MA or southern VA.

Sunday's thermal conditions were a little more challenging with the short winch lines compared to Saturday.

It's nice to have the latest and greatest technology, but it's not a requirement. Last I looked, the tasks haven't changed in decades and people were able to get good flights years ago.

For a novice or sportsman, if you're still learning a lot, why worry about the airplane. It's not what's holding you back. There were some Thermal Dancers out there. Not quite a Supra, more than up to the normal TD task. Last I looked, they were $650.

If you like to build, then you can probably bag your own models for less than that.

There are some RES and Woody contests around. CRRC has an RES contest July 29 and 30. http://www.charlesriverrc.org/calendar.htm

Lancaster has a Woody contest August 5,6th. http://www.lancareasoaring.org/contest.htm

The Casa Open, Sep 9, 10, http://www.flyesl.com/contest_registration/c_detail.asp?cid=16 has a RES class. Really nice field and the field owner usually caters great eats out a the field Saturday evening.

Share the ride with friends. Nothing better than a weekend of soaring ;-)

The normal ESL Season contests are all Unlimited but a few have novice or RES classes.

[John Gallagher]

Everyone seems to be talking about getting more competitors to show up at contests. The membership of some clubs is changing to mostly electric flyers so there's a real problem getting clubs interested in having these contests. The report is, that there are only two sailplane pilots left in the Daniel Boone club. We have a similar problem at South Jersey Silent Flyers. If we don't find a solution, there may be very few contests for anyone to attend.

[Kiesling]

John,

Getting competitors to show up for the Daniel Boone contest was not a problem. We had 40+ competitors. The problem is the club has only a few active members left period - not members lost to electrics. The few members that are left have had their fill of running contests and rightfully want to retire. So the situation at Daniel Boone is a little different than what is happening at other clubs with pilots lost to electrics. The ESL end of season contest will still be held at the Daniel Boone Homestead. I also expect that the regular DB contest will still happen, just run by a different group.

Bob,

You can most definetely be competative with your Bubble Dancer in any class in the ESL. You do not need a $1200 molded model. Actually about half the models at the contest were bagged and not molded and probably cost on the order of $400-$700. I bagged my own models and have about $250 worth of materials in each one.

BTW the ESL does have a novice class now. It is up to the individual clubs how they want to integrate the class, but you can register as a novice for any contest. The club may or may not have novice specific tasks.

Tom

[Steve Lucke]

The most important thing about flying in an ESL contest is not what airplane your'e flying, is that you are flying. A lot of folks will want to fly the molded sailplanes, but you don't have to! You can fly anything you want and still have a great time and you will learn how to read air better because you will see what thermal signs other people are looking for.

It doesn't matter if you have the biggest and baddest sailplane out there if you have no clue where the good air is. If you can learn to read air you will be surprised at how well you will be able to fly and how well you will do in a contest.

I timed for Gene in novice class on Saturday at DB and he flew a Bubble Dancer, but he had a sense of where the good air was and he did well with it. I fly a Supra and there are times I have launched with no clue where the good air is and I'm down in three minutes. Building your plane straight, triming it out, flying it and learning to read the air are the most important parts of this sport/hobby, not feeling you have to have to have the most expensive plane out there in order to fly in the contest.

[John Gallagher]

Any results available for this contest?

[Fly2High]

The way attendance was, this seemed like the unlimited contest to go to. So far I have only been to local LISF unlimited contests but now have ventured out to HLG contests this year. Usually I arrive near the contest on the Friday before. It wouldn't be too hard to get soda or water or food or what ever is needed. Maybe we can take turns entering scores or write a program so it can be done by the timer easily (maybe I could look into this over the winter if it is a desireable item)

I made a deal with a friend that if he goes to a HLG contest, I would go to an unlimited. Better get my Mantis and Pelikans done!Next year promises to be fun!

I really hate to see any venue lost. To me, by having these contests we show the powers that be that we exist and need the fields we fly on. It is important to have fun but you can't have fun if there aren't any places to fly.

Hope to see this one and all the ESL contests last long into the future. Maybe we should try at all contests to see who from other clubs (those in the ESL that are going) might be able to volunteer time to help with the needs of the contest. I know asking this seems dumb because at all the local unlimited and HLG contests I have been to it seemed to be the norm rather than the exception that people help out whether it is your club or not hosting the event. Maybe more is needed. I am only grabbing at straws as to how to improve.

Maybe at the ESL meetings things could be discussed just like at the local club meetings before a contest what is needed to be done and who can do what.

All I can offer is 'What can I do to help?'

Frank Nisita