Skyler models next season's Jensen Neck Cooler for BSoC...

...maybe not
(thanks for the pic, Jean)

All of my photos are (finally) loaded on my site: http://greencurry.smugmug.com/Discus...Team-Selection
In case you missed how to load high resolution versions: mouse over the preview photo (the big one on the right) to open the pop-out window for larger sizes, click on the size you want, up to full resolution, right-click to save.

double post...

Thanks for the great pics Shawn. Day 3 #3332 is one of my favorites.

John

Thanks John, I like that one too. I think Jason about doubled his launch height during the contest. Cool to see.

Shawn,

Pictures are awesome. Beautiful, vibrant shots. I am sure it even made the weather look better than it was. Thank you for sharing. Almost made me feel like I was there......

Frank

Nice pictures Shawn. Makes it look brighter than I remeber.

Thanks Frank and Jim. I was a fair weather photographer this weekend, putting my camera away when the dust flew. Despite that one lens still squeaked a bit at home before I cleaned it up. Finch's videos give a pretty good feel for the dust storms.

We need to get (Finch & others) a stabilized video mount, like the kid in Europe. And a wind noise killer sponge.

Perhaps send it to each big contest for the local good photographer to use!

BP

Man, still grinning here. LOL!!!


Bob and Theresa Pedersen and John and Denise Jonke please accept my sincerest appreciation for your continued support and allowing me the opportunity to play with everyone! I hope to return the favor by doing my best and my best for the team.

Thank you.
Jun

A big thanks to the Denver crew for putting on a great event. The food was great and not having to worry about liquids really took a bunch off of my mind. Even though this didn't help get me where I was aiming. Oh well, next time!

I do have one memorable moment. It was the first round, last and next to last flight. Saturday morning started out quiet both on the wind front and on the thermal front. So i grabbed my now old school, light V2 to hang on anything that might be out there. The round prior to me did not get too much in terms of lift so i was expecting just hanging as long as I could. When the buzzer went off, I ran back behind the tents thinking that would be my best bet for finding something, hoping the dirt might have kicked off a little something. Well nothing was there and i was sinking kinda fast and was much lower then the rest of the crowd. So i can over the tents thinking I'd get 2 minutes and some change when i hit a little bump. I explored this bump a bit, S-turning right over the pits at about 15 to 20 ft and sustaining. Then I got a really good pop and started gaining. So i thought to myself, "can i risk a turn?" and sure enough I was able to make a few turns and gain a bit more. Eventually this little bump when away but not before getting 3:20 or so. My next flight, I hooked up with some nice lift and easily got the 4 minutes and was pretty happy.

That was probably the best way to start the contest for me but unfortunately I had a few "learning moments" in there as well.

Lesson number 1: It takes a lot of q-tips to get sand out of your ears as they have many nooks to clean.
Lesson number 2: I am allergic to Colorado.
Lesson number 3: I need to hold on to my plane a bit longer in last 3 flights. Getting a 990 is far better then getting a 817.
Lesson number 4: Always get a good launch during 5 x 2. Again dropping 3 seconds in a prelim round is better then dropping 30 or more from a bad launch. which brings me to....
Lesson number 5: Get away form people when doing 5x2 so you can do fast turns AND get a good launch.
Lesson number 6: Pull for down is the only way to go. I have had 2 strings break on me, never a spring. One elevator, a long time ago and just last weekend had the knot come loose on the surface end of the string for rudder. It nearly snap rolled my plane and i could not turn in the opposite direction of the rudder deflection. Luckily I was able to get my 3 minute on that flight by turning with the rudder and swap out planes after i landed within 1 minute and launch into lift. However, it would have been way cooler if I would have maxed the round, see lesson 3.
Lesson number 7: No matter how many times you hit a plane in a thermal, try first to get back into the lift before running back home! Yes models can collide multiple times after an initial mid-air.
Lesson number 8: While not learned directly, this happened through osmosis, NEVER LAUNCH A PLANE IN THE WARM UP WINDOW OR PRE-CONTEST WITHOUT CLEARING THE AIR ABOVE YOU! Thanks Jim!

Well I am cleaning the dust out of my planes and licking my wounds. Next battle is just a few weeks away.

James

Originally Posted by jcats

... I hope to return the favor by doing my best and my best for the team.

Thank you.
Jun

Jun no one could ask for any more than that!

J & D

Originally Posted by bbbp

We need to get (Finch & others) a stabilized video mount, like the kid in Europe.

BP

Working on that this weekend

Nice video Finch. The memories are thick.

My most memorable flight of the contest... Round 15 on Monday, 1-2-3-4. Late in the game, I'm in 8th place and every point counts. First launch doesn't go as planned. Nothing but sink behind the trailers to the east, and I have to burn the 1:00. Dang, the lifeline gone already! Second launch I tie into good air right over center of the field, climbing steadily and feelin' good. Several other planes in the same air... WHACK! I'm tied up with another Polaris (Skyler) and we're spinning downward . The planes stay locked for about 10 turns, loosing maybe 100' of altitude. Looks like they will spin all the way to the ground. I'm moving the sticks around, helpless, trying to separate them; but to no avail. Sudennly at about 50' they break apart and I'm flying again. Donnie calmly tells me to pull out and get back in that thermal. I do, and ride it all the way to a 4:00. In the mean time, not knowing what damage has been done to the airframe, Donnie has already arranged with someone on the sidelines to grab my backup plane out of the trailer and get it ready. As I bring the Polaris in for a quick turnaround I give it a quick lookover and see a big ugly gash in the right wing leading edge, about 3/4 of the way outboard. A smart pilot would have changed models at that point. But I never claimed to be smart, and I wanted this round bad! The damage wasn't on the throwing wing, so I just grit my teeth, continue with the turnaround, and let her rip. Whew! So far so good. The wing held, and I'm in good enough air to get the 2:00. I see better air downwind and next throw make a quick turn & burn for it. I notice the plane doesn't launch as high as I'm used to, and I can tell it's flying a bit out of trim. But I make it to the lift and fly out the rest of the window clock. Ended up dropping just 15 seconds and scoring a 994, which vaults me into 6th place overall . Very exciting round!

Here is what I discover after closer inspection of the Polaris wing (see pic below). A 2" deep gash, as well as carbon skin delam from the gash back to the aileron. Not sure why it didn't fold the wingtip on launch. But I must say I'm a big fan of solid core wings! A hollow core wouldn't have been flyable after that midair, and I would have lost a half minute switching models, no doubt sending me much lower in the standings.

Fantastic contest! I had such a great time, and actually enjoyed the plethora of conditions and situations we flew in, even if it was frustrating at times. I considered it a real privilege to share the field with so many great F3K pilots, and I will never forget the experience. My one and only regret of the weekend was that we couldn't finish the last flight group of round 17, causing the scores from groups A, B, and C to be dropped. It cost me a bit. But I still did far better than I ever expected, so can't complain. Thanks again everyone for a great weekend, and to Donnie L for his excellent timing/calling/tutoring. Thanks Finch and AD for the fun drive.

Now go do yer thang at the WC, team USA! We have a formidable team.

Mike M.

I remember that mid-air, Mike. Finch was flying and we were directly below the two spiraling Polarisessess. By the time we got out of the way, the planes separated.

I'm sure they're easily fixable.

Fun times.

Jun

Skyler's is already fixed in back in his hands

Something to be said about solid core wings..