2013 Northwest Regionals

[johnt4051]

If you have been on the fence whether to attend the 2013 Northwest Regionals, here is a good reason to come to the contest:
  Availability of the Eugene Airport flying site beyond 2013 is in grave doubt.  This is most likely the last Regionals at that site, and the availability of other suitable sites in Oregon is uncertain.
  Come on ... let's make it a party.
  All info about the contest is available on flyinglines.org, in the Where the Action Is section.

[Tim Wescott]

Aaaagh!  Noooo!  I thought that site was just too good to be true.  I hope the loss of the site is a false alarm.

Like most of the other tent campers, I'll be looking at the weather report to help me make up my mind.

[john e. holliday]

If it wasn't so far I would be there.   Now those that look at the weather map to decide about going, may miss a good one.   I have been to contests in which the weather man/woman stated fair skies and mild breezes only to sit at the local sandwich shop  and watch the rain blow horizontily.  Then the same contes venue in another be nothing but a modellers dream for flying after the same people said thunder storms and rain are expected.

[John Leidle]

  Too bad John, I thought we had the site back for good. 
  John Leidle

[Brett Buck]

  Too bad John, I thought we had the site back for good. 
  John Leidle

   They don't call it the People's Republic of Eugene for nothing.

    What was the story with Roseburg?  I think most people liked that place and we liked the Windmill Inn and the restaurant there. It didn't see as if there was likely to be much more going on aside from us showing up.

    Brett

[RC Storick]

If you have been on the fence whether to attend the 2013 Northwest Regionals, here is a good reason to come to the contest:
  Availability of the Eugene Airport flying site beyond 2013 is in grave doubt.  This is most likely the last Regionals at that site, and the availability of other suitable sites in Oregon is uncertain.
  Come on ... let's make it a party.
  All info about the contest is available on flyinglines.org, in the Where the Action Is section.

That's too bad. Back in the eighty's that use to be my home site and it was a good one. I think there is only one guy left who would remember me from there and that is Gerald Shamp. Hellooo Gerald!

[Bill Morell]

That's the same time that I was up there too Robert. Funny how we never crossed paths. I used to fly over in Springfield but I can't remember the name of the school. Went to my last Regionals in 1981.

[Randy Powell]

The Regionals has moved around a bit, but like others, I thought the Eugene site was fairly secure.

[johnt4051]

We've known for a long time that the airport administration might decide to make "higher" use of the site, which has been mostly a model airplane site for many years.  They are planning to move the rental car operation, including a car wash, to the site.  Plans do sometimes fall through, so we can hope, but this one appears to be a go.  Stay tuned, because if it does fall through and we are able to keep the site there will be a lot of whooping and hollering from us.
  There is a chance that the local club may get another spot to fly at the airport, but it would most likely not be suitable for a Regionals.
  Answering Brett's question about Roseburg: After four years, the mostly RC club that did all the lifting and toting -- guys all in their 70s, just got tired. Also, the Roseburg airport built a building on the carrier circle and made some other improvements.  It just became impossible.  Albany, where the next four years were held, was always a headache for those of us behind the scenes.  We got a lot of "What's in it for me?" static from the full-scale pilots who had to move their planes to another parking spot, etc.  Also, crowd control and logistics were a nightmare.
  We will be looking for another site; already a couple of ideas have emerged.  But it's not just the site -- the manpower issue is always looming in the background.  People who just come and fly have no idea how much work goes into it -- a lot of which involves hauling concrete blocks around .  There's also about six months of advance work that gets more complicated when the site moves. So, we have to have both a site and people to do the work, which we have had in Eugene. 
  We're hoping ... but then, those of us who put it on are approaching old age, too, and those blocks seem to get heavier every year ...
  --jt

[Howard Rush]

John, Mike Hazel, and the other guys do this cheerfully year after year, making it look effortless.  The NW Regionals is a humdinger of a contest, and we do appreciate their hard work. 

[Brett Buck]

There is a chance that the local club may get another spot to fly at the airport, but it would most likely not be suitable for a Regionals.
  Answering Brett's question about Roseburg: After four years, the mostly RC club that did all the lifting and toting -- guys all in their 70s, just got tired. Also, the Roseburg airport built a building on the carrier circle and made some other improvements.  It just became impossible.  Albany, where the next four years were held, was always a headache for those of us behind the scenes.  We got a lot of "What's in it for me?" static from the full-scale pilots who had to move their planes to another parking spot, etc.  Also, crowd control and logistics were a nightmare.

  Burn-out is a real problem. People who haven't been doing this forever or haven't paid attention have no real idea how much work goes on behind the scenes. It's monumental. And if everything goes perfectly, no one even notices that it has been done and thus does not comment. If anything goes wrong that's when the whining starts. At a typical contest the pilots have to do actually do something for a grand total of maybe 16 minutes a day. and it's something they WANT to do. And they usually complain about how tough it is.

   The people running it are there from sunup to sundown and a lot of it is not generally considered fun.

    Brett
   

[Howard Rush]

I think John and Mike actually have fun.  They look like they're having fun, anyhow.

[Tim Wescott]

I think John and Mike actually have fun.  They look like they're having fun, anyhow.

I'll bet it's still a work kind of fun.

[john e. holliday]

I hope you take care of those guys/gals that have done this for how many years now?    I myself was never good at getting people motivated to help with contest like our Bill Wright of the old Sky Devils of KCMo.   Then there was Byron Meriwether of the Flying Eagles of KCK.  The biggest reason for a good contest is having great people behind you and a site to have contests. 

[John Leidle]

   Hey John, I really didn't think Albany was that bad, but for the Southern boys it is further. It would be better than no contest.
                           John

[Mark Scarborough]

I wish we still had access to teh Pasco site,, it would be a phenomenal regionals site,, the only challange may be combat, but its possible,, just a matter of the soccer or softball usage,,

[Randy Powell]

Problem with Pasco is that it's really far for the California guys. Be nice if somewhere like Roseburg was workable but we probably will have to find whatever is available.

[Brett Buck]

I wish we still had access to teh Pasco site,, it would be a phenomenal regionals site,, the only challange may be combat, but its possible,, just a matter of the soccer or softball usage,,

    Instead of the NATs regular site at the airport, I would suggest the parking lot we used for practice, or the parking lot near the bridge that was used for the Walker Flyoff.

   Pasco would not be prohibitive to me, I drove back from there in one shot (including a four-hour detour around the East side of Mount Shasta). It might kill Uncle Jimby, he would have to start on Tuesday.

    Brett

[Steve Helmick]

I think Pullman would be a swell place for the NW CL Regionals.  Steve

[Mark Scarborough]

Steve, I have looked around, there are paved lots on campus,, but most of them have light poles,, so thats kinda a bad deal,,

dont know spokane well enough,
I know the pasco site and it was HUGE, room for probably 6 full circles on pavement,, and a HUGE soccer field,, but I dont know if we have access any longer,,

[Leo Mehl]

talk to the folks in Mcminneville!