Some thoughts and observations regarding Brodak's.
First, replying to the comment about the intermediate judging, from my perspective as a competitor, the judging seemed fair. I do not recall hearing a single complaint regarding the judging. Yes, the scores may have been high on that circle. However, if the judges are consistent, a tendency to score all flyers high or low is not a problem. Tom Dixon was offering both products and advice throughout the event and commented that the metric to look at in the scoring is the percentage difference between yourself and others in your same class.
Can't thank the Brodaks and the event officials enough for creating and presenting a great event. From the fellow George manicuring the lawn with his riding lawnmower continuously to Sandy's crew tabulating and posting scores, the event was well managed. The Friday night buffet line was a feast, even including home made sherbet that a flyer prepared. It was an honor to be guests of Buzz and John Brodak, who made themselves available throughout the event and especially at the awards ceremony.
Brodaks celebrates many aspects of control line flying. For members of a club like NVCL that has a distinct focus on stunt flying, this contest exposes everyone to scale, carrier, combat, racing, speed, nostalgia events, etc. The level of activity is high, with some flyers pushing to get as much practice in as possible. Not only did some stunt flyers fly as many practice flights as time and space allowed, but combat and racing folks trained hard at the event, too. From experience, I know it takes several folks to get good combat practice going, sometimes difficult to achieve at one's home field.
I want to thank the event directors and the event CD for keeping things going, including practice. Some stunt fliers, especially a few of those that fly electric, may have found all the activity of six circles going a bit more activity than the serene experience flying electric alone at their home field. For many, and I'm in this group, the idea was to take some time off from work, drive a distance, rent a hotel room and fly. A lot of flying. And coaching. Several of the expert flyers, including Scott and Gerry from my own club, Keith from Canada and Tom Dixon gave good advice, including specific critiques during practice. Again, the event directors and the CD were entirely on the same sheet that the idea of the event was to fly. A lot. Every empty circle remained an open opportunity.
Junkyard Wars was a hoot. The idea that a team could take a pile of fruit crate wood and plastic faced foam board and produce a plane capable of flying the pattern in 30 minutes of building time seemed impossible, yet Team Canada's flight was a memorable rendition of our memorized maneuvers. The winning team, Space Pirates, was notable for actually finishing their plane in under 30 minutes.
Looking forward to future Brodaks, as well as the NVCL Stuntfest in September,
Peter
Topic: Brodak's?? (Read 2016 times)