District VIII Report - 2007/11
Thanksgiving
It's time to celebrate Thanksgiving! Please take a moment to reflect on our great hobby and sport and be thankful that we live in a land where we can easily pursue our interests.
Remember our soldiers deployed worldwide who will miss this holiday with family and friends so that we can enjoy it ourselves. We also need to be thankful for the many volunteers who keep our flying fields, clubs, and association running smoothly — providing us with places and opportunities to fly and enjoy each other's company.
Happy Thanksgiving to all, and a special thank you to our hard-working volunteers!
NCFFA Fun-Fly Championships (Albuquerque, NM — July 28–29)
I attended the National Competition Fun Fly Association (NCFFA) Fun-Fly Championships in Albuquerque, New Mexico, July 28–29. The event had 35 participants and 65 registrants across five different events. Contest Director Chuck Andraka kept everything running smoothly and safely with the assistance of co-CD Mark Johnston and the Albuquerque RC Club.
NCFFA officials in attendance included:
- Rocky Rachau — President
- Jeff Black — Vice President
- Dan Luchaco — Secretary/Treasurer
- Chuck Andraka — Newsletter Editor and Webmaster
Event highlights:
- Masters Class attendance was somewhat down, but competition remained keen and the skills and aircraft impressed everyone. You couldn't believe 10 touch-and-gos on a 100-foot square with a 360-degree turn between touches in less than 15 seconds!
- There were six "East Coast types" (anything east of Louisiana is East Coast to District VIII): three from Pennsylvania, two from Georgia, and one from Alabama. I was the only Texan and borrowed an airplane from Mark Johnston to fly. The rest of the competitors were from New Mexico.
- David Grantham still reigns as king of the Masters — I believe he's a three-peat in Fun-Fly and has won multiple times in Unlimited. Everyone flew hard; many airplanes were wounded and some were killed over the weekend.
- Magic Class was fun and likely introduced new pilots to the Fun-Fly circuit. Competition was tight since everyone flew the same aircraft. The photos capture the event's spirit.
Float-Fly Events
The rainy summer across the district made it appropriate to report on float-fly events, since they can be possible even when our normally dry, grassy runways are underwater.
The River City Club in San Antonio has a ramp into the adjacent lake and holds float-flying on the first Sunday of every month. The August float-fly was conducted from the flying field parking lot rather than at the ramp; pilots taxied past pit signs and tables to the area of the main runway that was well under water. The field was still usable to float pilots while closed to land aircraft.
The Highland Lakes Flyers (HLF) hosted a one-day float-fly at Llano City Park on the Llano River in Llano, Texas, on August 4. It was the club's first event. More than 30 pilots enjoyed the beautiful site, and most asked that the event be extended to two days next time. HLF enjoys an excellent relationship with the County of Llano and is fortunate to have such a fine venue. The accompanying pictures capture the beauty of the river and the participants' enjoyment.
Safety and Closing
Winter is upon us as you read this column. Make sure you conduct a thorough safety check of your workshop as you settle in on your building projects. Have fun and fly safely!
See you on the flightline.
Jim
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
