SIG Contest CANCELLED due to major field flooding

[Mike Gretz]

Dear Friends,

With deep disappointment I must announce that the
2010 SIG C/L Contest has been cancelled!

At this time SIG Field is simply not useable! We have been getting record breaking heavy rains in this part of Iowa for the past month. There is standing water on all three of the primary stunt circles - and it's been standing there for over 3 weeks! The north circle is 50% water covered this morning. The center (racing) circle is 30% covered. Every circle has some standing water puddles - puddles that have not dried up in the 3 weeks. The smell of decaying grass is strong. Even where there is no standing water, everywhere you walk your feet sink into the ground 2-3 inches and that spot immediately fills with water. It is impossible to drive off the gravel driveway, anywhere on the grass, without leaving deep ruts. The entire airfield is totally saturated, with more rain forecast for tonight, Saturday evening and Sunday!

Please spread the word to anyone you know who may have been thinking of coming to the contest. I apologize for the late notice. This has been a very difficult decision, which I put off as long as possible hoping that the rains would let up and the field would dry up.

Two weeks ago we hosted the annual SIG R/C Fly-In, which turned out to be an almost total washout with heavy rain both days, and many vehicles stuck in the mud. I personally spent over 4 hours Sunday afternoon digging and pulling vehicles out of the mud with the tractor. I was hoping that the intervening two weeks would have dried up the airfield, but in fact it has gotten worse. We've been getting 3-4 days of rain .. then one day for drying .. then 3-4 more days of rain .. on and on in this pattern for the past month.

By the way, Hazel Sig was relieved that we have decided to cancel the event this weekend. She is concerned about people getting stuck and tearing up the airfield any worse than it already is.

Sorry to be the messenger of bad news. Please do all you can to let others know of the cancellation.

Best regards,
Mike Gretz
Contest Director

[jim gilmore]

Time for seaplane models ?

[Bill Gruby]

Time for seaplane models ?

 SPCLPA -- Has a nice ring to it don't it.  Don't mind me I'm jist bein a bad boy today.  Where's Shultzie and Leo when ya need em. 

 "Billy G" 

[Larry Lindburg]

Mike,  That's too bad.  Many of us were so looking forward to this contest.  We even had rooms at the Cozy

[wwwarbird]

 I'm gutted. I was wondering about it while watching the weather last night and seeing all the bright colors in your area. I'm very sorry to hear it though Mike, I'm really gonna miss seeing everyone. Sig's C/L weekend has become the highlight of my summer, it's as close to a vacation as I get anymore. Anticipating it each year is what pulls me through the Minnesota winters. Please tell Hazel thanks anyway, and hopefully we'll all be back and can make up for it next year.

 I've gotta go kick the dog now.

[Scott B. Riese]

Mike Plant corn ASAP.......or Rice...

It's to bad weather sometimes sucks with our plans

[Dan McEntee]

   If you have never been to SIG Field, and the photo doesn't show it very well, it's on top of a hill. It's a grass air strip that is about 3000 ft long I think. It's one of the highest points in the area, and plenty of run off. That just shows the degree of saturation they have going up there. It has rained during the contest, and once it stops, water just stands on the field and props will always kick up a water spray. Water just doesn't seem to soak in very fast. Never seen it anywhere near this bad, though. This would have been my 24th straight year at the SIG contest, and like Wayne said, it's a major part of my summer. My son Sean scheduled his block leave for this time so he could make it. I just may sleep all weekend now! What a bummer!
    Type at you later,
   Dan  McEntee

[Mike Gretz]

I'm just as disappointed as anyone.  So is Hazel.  I talked to her again last night and she said the C/L Contest was her favorite annual activity at SIG Field because of all the great people that come. 

This last month has been incredible with virtually nonstop rain.  Reminds me of the Puyallup area during the winter (we used to go there every year for a trade show in late January).  We've had several days with nearly an inch of rain.  Night before last was 2"+ in my rain gauge.  You guys know the gully between the airport and the highway, and the driveway that comes off the highway then dips down a bit into the gully before heading up the hill -- a flash flood of water swept down the gully twice in the last week leaving a couple inches of mud on the cement driveway.  Never happened before in the 30+ years I've been around here.  Today there is a large new pond off the north side of the driveway.

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be sunny and dry, but that won't be enough to evaporate all the water on the runway and around the hangers.  That will take a week or more of dry weather. 

I had the runway grass pretty much under control until the last two weeks.  Turning SIG Field from a country airstrip into a model flying field every year involves taking the grass from it's normal 4"-5" height (the full-scale guys like it a bit long) down to the lowest setting on the mower, 2".  I start early in the season cutting it down a little further each time.  Two weeks ago I had it down to contest height for the RC event.  It's been raining virtually non-stop since then making it impossible to keep mowed down.  I did get it mowed once early last week, although I had to skip several areas which still had standing water puddles.  Now it's back up over 5" tall!  Even if the field was dry enough to cut today, we'd have to get a crew out there to rake up the long clippings and haul it off the field before most CL models could takeoff and land.

Mother nature has dealt us a bum wrap this year.  This is two very wet springs in a row.  Last year's contest preparations also had issues, but we managed to pull it off.  This year is off the charts!

Mike

Wayne .. don't be too rough on the dog.

[Tim Wescott]

Time for seaplane models ?

The SIG parking lot regatta and floatplane stunt championships?