F3J to F3K across the US
by Gordon Buckland
gordon@gatorf3b.com
As I write this, I have just returned from the F3J US Team Selection contest that was held in Greenville, Texas, during Labor Day weekend. Twelve teams of 44 Senior and four Junior competitors assembled to fight it out for a position on Team USA F3J for the 2016 World Championship, to be held in Slovenia next summer.
Throughout the three days, 19 rounds were flown in excellent conditions. The contest was well organized by Henry Bostik and the Soaring League of North Texas club, and was held at an expansive sod farm in hot conditions and mostly light wind. Lift was generally easy to read, but there was always the odd round where it didn’t seem to matter in which direction the 12 pilots flew because the air was all downhill.
A couple of those rounds saw some of the favored pilots struggle to post high scores, but the cream always rises to the top. Daryl Perkins overcame a flap pushrod breaking on launch and a couple of other mishaps to qualify for the team in second place.
Jeff Duval, of the Florida team, had an early hiccup in round four when he failed to make his time, but he never put down a foot wrong during the remainder of the contest and emerged as the top qualifier. Jim Schoon, an excellent new talent from Texas, remained consistent throughout the contest to fill the third team spot. Rich Burnoski will be the alternate.
In the Junior competition, Dillon Graves excelled in the balmy conditions to lead Dominic Lewis, and Stoil Avramov, a new face on the competition scene, placed third. Noah Myers finished fourth and will be the alternate Junior. The Junior team is probably the strongest one we have ever fielded at a world championship and should perform well.
With AMA funding limited, Team USA F3J needs your help to get to Slovenia. There are great deals on team apparel and more in the team store on the website (listed in “Sources”).
The Bruce
Thanks go to Jeff Carr, who recently attended The Bruce and shared this excellent report on what is truly a classic US F3K Soaring event. The gathering was held September 17-20, 2015, in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
Discus Launch Glider (DLG), F3K, and The Bruce are all something you hear about when you talk with people who share a passion for these 60-inch models. For the past seven years, Bruce Davidson and his wife, Christine, have opened the gates of The Thermal Farm for some of the best DLG pilots in the world. I did say world.
This event attracts pilots from all over. This year’s event wasn’t any different—we had visitors from everywhere, young to old, and expert to beginner.
New DLG pilots are surprised when they are told that they should go to The Bruce. You can learn more in one weekend attending a major event than flying alone for an entire summer. I often hear the comment, “There are no secrets.” This is true because the experienced pilots who are flying will help anyone.
The Bruce is named after Bruce Davidson, but the event is about the people who help him. He has a friend named Johnny King. Johnny and his family give up their weekend and cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for approximately 100 people.
Scorekeepers come daily and sit under a tent to keep the pilots up to date. These helpers all come from the Louisville Area Soaring Society and put in a team effort.
Friday’s event starts with the Whipit contest consisting of five teams of five pilots for a first-up, last-down elimination. Horizon Hobby donated the Whipits and five lucky pilots each got to take one home. Tom Shupe, from North Carolina, won this event.
Next was the Noodle event, where each pilot donates a dollar and gets a chance
The Thermal Farm is an immaculately manicured piece of Kentucky farmland owned by Bruce Davidson. He opens it annually for The Bruce, a weekend of glider flying and fun.
Bruce and his wife, Christine, have discussed not having any more contests at The Thermal Farm. We hope that doesn’t happen anytime soon.
to see if he or she can come close to a pool noodle that is more than 500 feet away. It’s not as easy as it looks. I don’t remember the winner, but the moans and groans were worth it for the audience.
Friday’s real flying happened during the All Up Last Down event. Approximately 50 pilots and sailplanes gathered on the field. A three-minute window was set and when the buzzer sounded, all 50 sailplanes were simultaneously launched. The first one down is eliminated. With 50 pilots, this can take some time, but we got to see some great flying.
Two contestants stood on top of a small hill to fly it out. The first was Oleg Golovidov, from North Carolina, and next was Dave Banks, from Washington. Oleg has been on the scene for a long time. Dave was the underdog.
Both launched and Oleg had the advantage. Dave flew out over Bruce’s house—probably looking for hot air from the conversations that were in full swing from the gallery. Oleg went deep over the woods, where he had luck in the last few rounds. Dave did not feel it and was low coming back. It appeared Oleg would get the win.
On the way back, however, Dave hit a small piece of lift over the tents (remember that hot air I was telling you about?), and he started to circle up on one side and down on the other. Oleg, high but downwind, was heading back. He hit some killer sink and was in trouble. The sink pushed him down and he landed before Dave, who won a nice bottle of bourbon. We were in Kentucky—so what would you expect? It was a great display of never giving up. Congratulations to Dave.
Saturday was the main event. Bruce held a short pilots’ meeting, which was quickly followed by the start of round one at 8:30 a.m. With daylight an issue this time of year and 75 contestants, the contest must start early to get in as many rounds as possible. We found that lift does exist in rain. We had a short rain delay and the last round ended at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday night, we all went to the Claudia Sanders Dinner House for dinner and the pilot prize giveaway. Many sponsors sent great prizes to be randomly distributed. Nathan Bartley, from North Carolina, was the winner of a Brko DLG with The Bruce logo and an American flag on the wing.
The contest started again Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Preliminary rounds continued until roughly 1 p.m. and the scores were totaled before the flyoff began. The tasks are secret until the finalists are determined.
In addition to Nathan, Oleg, and Dave, the flyoff group included Jason Cole, Tennessee; James Hohensee, South Carolina; Paul Crittenden, California; Craig Greening, Illinois; Frank Dumas, North Carolina; Paul Anderson, California; and Mike Seid, California. These men flew four tight rounds.
In the end, Mike Seid was the winner. Mike had a great year in 2015. He won the San Felasco F3K contest, the International Hand Launch Glider Festival, and now The Bruce.
Paul Anderson is a consistent pilot and he finished strong. Frank Dumas has stood on the podium at least three times, and is probably one of the best DLG pilots in the country.
So, The Bruce 2015 is in the books. It was supposed to end last year, but it has been said that it will happen again in 2016. This is one of the contests you want to attend. See you there in September.
Thank you, Jeff, for a great report. If you have a special Soaring contest that you would like featured in this column, please write to me.
Until next time, go downwind and soar.
SOURCES:
Team USA F3J
www.teamusaf3j.com
League of Silent Flight (LSF)
www.silentflight.org
