Stunt in the Berkshiers contest: HERE I COME!!!!

[steven yampolsky]

I am entering my first contest in FOUR YEARS!!!

I've spent the last four years working as a judge at every contest I could attend. I wanted to become a good judge so I could do my best as the NATS as a judge. In these four years I have done very little flying. Some years, I have put in a total of 5 flights in the entire year! Needless to say, I am rusty. Actually, I'm all rust!

Anyways, I have finally got my trip and lodging figured out for the one of the most picturesque contests: Stunt in the Berkshiers! I am nervouse and excited. Nervous that I will act as a backmarker in Expert and will be asked to move to Advanced. I am excited that I will finally get a chance to hang out with my friends that I have been observing from the other side of the circle all these years. I am excited that I am going to make another dream of mine come true: I will compete with Stiletto 35 - model created by my childhood hero.

Wish me luck and I hope to see you in beautiful Lee, MA!

[Matt Colan]

See you there Steve! Looking forward to seeing you! We could get you into shape on Saturday and shake that rust off.

[Bill Hummel]

Glad to hear you guys are coming:  the weather report is OUTSTANDING for the weekend!  After years of hurricanes, tornadoes, torrential rain, floods, legal
issues, etc. we deserve a nice stunt weekend!  We will be cooking lunch at the field Sat and Sunday, burgers and franks, so bring your appetite.  Lyle Spiegel has a new ARF Nobler we need to trim out on Saturday, Will Moore has a hot new electric stunter that he will be flying.  Spread the word, hope y'all can
make it to Lee, MA this weekend.

[Matt Colan]

Hi Bill,

We will also have a 19 year old hopefully entering beginner that Mike Chiodo is coaching. I'm also bringing a small RC plane to toss around the sky when nobody is flying, and I believe Andrew, the 19 year old will be as well.

[Tim Wescott]

Watch for that uber-dangerous two miles of 5% downhill grade going into Westfield.  Be sure to stay behind the trucks.

(

Sorry.  Couldn't resist.  I've driven that section of I-90 once, when moving from Portland Oregon to Maynard, Massachusetts.  You're driving along I-90 and for miles there's these signs "steep grade ahead" "trucks check brakes", etc., then (with flashing lights) "steep grade -- brake check turnout".  I was expecting a cliff or something.  Finally you get to a sign with four flashing lights "warning, dangerous grade -- 2 miles, 5%".

That's it?  Two miles of 5% grade?  In the western states that's what we call a "little hill".  Conscientious truckers will lift their foot from the throttle and may even think about gearing down, but they won't be shivering in their boots.  Is it that they wanted to get a bit of federal funding for the signs and that's the best they could find?

This article has a good picture of what a western states driver thinks of as a "steep grade" http://www.caranddriver.com/features/runaway-truck-ramps-explained-feature

)

[Bob Hills]

     Steve;
               I will bring the WD-40   just in case. Works good for Rust removal.  Spray allover yourself, problem solved.

  see u  there..

          Bob Hills    Suffield CT. 

                 


               

[Will Hinton]

Hey guys, if Eric Jensen shows up, tell him I said Hi and good flying!

[ChrisSarnowski]

I will be there, and I believe we have 3 or 4 other eastern Mass guys coming too!!!

-Chris

[steven yampolsky]

I will be there, and I believe we have 3 or 4 other eastern Mass guys coming too!!!

East Siyyyed!

[Dick Pacini]

Good luck to all entrants!  I had hoped to make it this year but that fell through.  Maybe next year...

[Randy Ryan]

I know how you feel Steve, I haven't flown in a contest since 05, for different reasons. But tomorrow I am spending the day in the circle with my newly refinished Gladiator and This weekend I am going to fly in our contest. Same deal, may have to click down from Expert to Advanced but what the heck. I
m looking forward to tomorrow, I've flown this summer, but not nearly enough. Good luck to you!!!!!!

[Tom Niebuhr]

Here cone da judge!

Steve,

Just have a good time.

[steven yampolsky]

The contest was AWESOME! It was a weekend to remember! On Saturday, I managed to stuff the plane on turn two of the outside square. $20 prop gone just like that! The new prop was of a different diameter and pitch. Had to figure out new launch RPM's all over again. Even with the old prop, the model could not finish the pattern on 10% fuel. Went to the hobby shop down the street and picked up some FAI fuel. The rest of the weekend, I had to mix two fuels to get the times right. Saturday night, I listened to Boston Symphony Orchestra's beautiful performance picnicking on the lawn at Tanglewoods. Sunday turnout was largest in several years. In Expert, we had 9 entries and everyone was top notch. When I saw the line up was ready to pack it in and go home. Bud Wieder, Will Moore, Steve Buso, Matt Colon: names like that should give you an idea of what kind of fliers we had. Buddy OBLITERATED the competition by placing 30 points ahead of the 2nd place. Boston area pilots swept the top 3 spots in Advanced. Linhart Smith won with some beautiful flying and we had "THE RETURN" of David Chang. This was David's first contest in some 10 years. The first round flight looked so-so but then the second round David put up the kind of flight David was famous for back in the day. He finished a close second.

Bill Hummel was the most wonderfull host. He worked tirelessly to make sure everyone had a good time. He even cooked food both days. The site was gorgeous, the weather was perfect. All in all, this will be one of the most memorable contests for me.

[Tom Niebuhr]

Steve,
I am glad thatyou had a good time. That is what it is all about. Someone told me that you flew VERY WELL!!!!!

[Matt Colan]

This was one FANTASTIC weekend!!! The flying was top notch, and the weather was perfect! Steve crushed me by only .5 points for 2nd place in expert.

The Vermont crew arrived Saturday just before noon, and we went directly to the hobby shop before we did any flying so we could make sure we got there during the weekend.  The rest of the day, I spent practicing with the Thundergazer, put a larger stinger on the end of the pipe and slowed it down from the 4.9-5.0 I had been flying at.  I purposely flew it at 5.7, just to see what would happen.  The plane got through it with a little bit of nursing it in some of the more demanding maneuvers. I eventually settled on 5.2-5.3 and the plane handled well.  Sunday I got my a warmup flight in, and then it was contest time.  I flew my first flight and as I'm walking back to the pits, Buddy Weider says that he hates me, and to just go back to Florida so he doesn't have to compete against me again.  Buddy later on put in an excellent flight, even with sticking lines and beat everyone else in the field by 30 points.

Thanks to Bill Hummel for running a great meet, cooking some good burgers and hot dogs for all to enjoy, and also thanks to the judges for sitting out there watching everyone else fly!

[Bill Hummel]

Thanks to everyone who came to the meet, we hope you all had a good time! Results posted elsewhere...Remember the Mass Cup, Wrentham, MA ,
September 7 & 8, 2013.

[Tim Wescott]

Nervous that I will act as a backmarker in Expert and will be asked to move to Advanced.

So nervous that you only took 2nd place in Expert?

[Perry Rose]

Have any photo's been posted yet?