District X Report
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT (AVP)
ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT (AVP) Jim Giffin of Rancho Murieta, California, reports on the 25th annual Golden State Championships and the 2003 Sierra Cup. Jim is out of the Sacramento area and covers Northern and Central California.
The 25th annual Golden State Stunt Championships were held Saturday, October 18, 2003, in Clovis, California. The event was directed by contest director (CD) Bill Swan. The contest ran for two days and attracted more than 63 contestants competing in multiple categories. Bill has served as CD since the event's inception.
This may be the last year for the event in Clovis. The event organizers are considering moving the 2004 Golden State to Mavis Henson Field in the Woodland/Davis, California, area.
October 17 was the start date for the 2003 Sierra Cup Free Flight (FF) Championships. This event ran for four days and was a tremendous success with numerous contestants. The flying site was Waegell Field in Rancho Cordova, California. What more could you ask for—flying and dirt biking?
Remember: what goes up, must come down. Keep it safe!
Giant Scale Air Racing / USRA Blue Water River Run
Giant Scale Air Racing is alive, well, and flying along the Colorado River in Parker, Arizona. Kelley Hartranft provided the following report on the 2003 Unlimited Scale Racing Association (USRA) Blue Water River Run Giant Scale Air Race. Photos are courtesy of Chris Luvara at StickandRudderPhoto.com.
Pilots and crews from across the nation packed their giant scale race airplanes and gear into trailers and headed to the Arizona desert for the third race of the 2003 USRA Championship Series in Parker, Arizona.
Denny and Barbara Baker, together with the Blue Water Resort and Casino, pulled out all the stops to host the first annual Blue Water River Run.
It was great to see the largest entry field in several years at the race. There were 63 entries in seven different classes. The classes represented were:
- Biplane
- AT-6
- Formula 1
- Unlimited
- Experimental
- Dominator
- Formula 1 GT (gas)
With strong sponsorships from:
- CRT
- Horizon Hobby
- AeroSport
- Eagle Tree Systems
- Airtronics
- Blue Water Resort and Casino
the race promoters were able to keep the entry fees low while offering big payouts and prizes. Giant Scale Racing is definitely growing!
More than $8,000 in cash (including a $1,000 first-place prize in both Unlimited and Formula 1) and $5,000 in prizes were awarded to pilots in various classes. Drawings for Zenoah motors, in which all pilots were eligible, added to the excitement.
I watched a Formula 1 battle between Fred French and Ken McSpadden, then turned to see Archie Snider and Dave Smith duke it out in an Unlimited heat race that was so unbelievably close around pylon two that both aircraft finishing the race in one piece was a true testament to the skills of the pilots and their callers.
Chuck and Bruce Brown of Team Futaba took a break as the new USRA Lanier Dominator 1500 Class provided an entry-level opportunity for pilots to get a hands-on feel for giant scale racing. Thank you, Jim and Kelly. I hope to see all the Giant Scale Racing enthusiasts October 14–17 in Parker for the 2004 USRA Blue Water River Run.
Till next time ... Keep 'em safe and Keep 'em fly'n.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
