Inaugural Clover Creek Invitational - 2009/03

THE FIRST Clover Creek Invitational was held August 29-31,
2008, at the Clover Creek Aerodrome in Toone, Tennessee. A total
of $50,000 in cash and prizes was at stake.
Where in the heck is Toone? Roughly halfway between
Nashville and Memphis on US 40, you drive 25 miles south into the
Tennessee countryside. Toone has a population of approximately
300, and there are probably more pigs and cattle there than people.
Toone is where John and Tina Schroder found their dream
retirement place: a 270-acre sod farm that they named Clover
Creek Aerodrome. Obtaining that property was a big turning point
in their lives.
John’s passion for International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC)
aerobatics led him to this place, and his goal is to someday have an
event that is comparable to the now-defunct Tournament of
Champions (TOC). John’s father, Walt, and Bill Bennett co-founded
the prestigious TOC.
The field at the Clover Creek Aerodrome is a perfect venue for an
IMAC event, with the pilots facing north when flying. An airconditioned
shelter with bathrooms and storage for aircraft is located
on the south side of the field. To the north is a row of trees that is
slightly more than 1,000 feet long, which provides a good reference for
pilots. Both ends of the field are wide open; full-scale aircraft do land
there.
The field and facility were in excellent shape for the event, thanks
to John’s friends from Florida and others who spent four months in
preparation.
Judges: Pilots who are competing in an IMAC event might wonder
what credentials and how much experience the judges have. Are they
biased? Are their skills up to the task? After watching them gawk
skyward for three days, I have a lot of respect for those chosen seven.
Wayne Matthews, chief judge, did a magnificent job with the
mountain of paperwork that is required for scoring; his job is no
easy task. Wayne even helped write the patterns flown in the
Known, Unknown, and Freestyle sequences in all classes, and he
was part of the event staff. This guy was everywhere.
The judges—Marian Berninger, Roy Barrow, Rick Byrd, Mark
Jorgenson, Andy Kane, Bill Lairsey, and Mark McClellan—were
from different parts of the country, and they went to the contest to
do their best. Some of them are IMAC pilots themselves.
Flying: During the three days of the competition, winds were light
on the ground but not at altitude, and it was hot and humid at times.
Otherwise the flying weather was perfect.
1. Jason Noll 2,491.5
2. Mark Leseburg Jr. 2,490.1
3. Gernot Bruckmann 2,424.3
4. Andrew Jesky 2,388.2
5. Quique Somenzini 2,379.0
6. Kurt Koelling 2,337.6
7. Dave Moser 2,337.1
Unlimited Class
1. Will Berninger 4,461.1
2. Ryan Gonsoulin 4,279.2
3. Brian Hannah 4,206.7
4. Wayne Geffon 4,204.3
5. Lyndel Roe 4,069.5
6. Eric Powell 4,036.8
7. Ty Lyman 3,986.5
8. Stephen Hamilton 3,968.4
9. Jimmy Ritch 3,736.6
10. Larry Arseneau 3,559.0
Advanced Class
1. Brian Luckett 4,445.1
2. Seth Arnold 4,426.3
3. Jonas Pharr 4,295.1
4. Craig Baker 4,247.8
5. Bradley Petty 4,194.5
6. Bernie Boland 4,176.1
7. Jeremy Holt 4,073.1
8. Pete Castine 3,927.1
9. Ron Storer 3,831.8
10. Louis Matustik 3,612.5
Intermediate Class
1. David Stewart 4,339.2
2. Brendan Jones 4,336.5
3. Cody McLean 4,303.8
4. Alex Porter 4,257.4
5. Dan Bierly 3,987.5
6. Mark Dennis 3,898.4
7. Curtis Cozier 3,894.2
8. Tony Gorgone 3,883.5
9. Kevin Dixon 3,792.6
10. Jim Langford 3,552.0
Sportsman Class
1. Pride Grimm 4,477.6
2. Josh Bunn 4,248.0
3. Chuck Hochhalter 4,198.9
4. Ken Huntsinger 3,840.6
5. David Bradford 3,792.4
6. Tommy Golson 3,764.8
7. Ric Musselman 3,725.7
8. Johnny Westbrook 3,315.0
9. Andres Snow II 3,138.0
10. Gil Major 3,048.5
The Unknown pattern was delivered the
night before flying began with the
Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced,
Unlimited, and Invitational classes. The
schedule for IMAC classes on the first day
was to fly Known sequences one and two as
well as an Unknown. Then the Invitational
Class, which consisted of some of the best
IMAC pilots in the US who have renowned
credentials, flew one Known sequence, one
Unknown, and one four-minute Freestyle
routine. Then it was back to the IMAC
classes, which flew another Known
sequence.
This was a very ambitious schedule, and
a dual flightline was used to complete it.
There were two airplanes in the air at all
times, and sometimes three or four during
the landing cycle.
The two-minute rule was in effect
throughout the contest. That meant that
after being signaled by the line boss, the
pilot had two minutes to start the model’s
engine and get it into the air. At that time,
the pilot had one minute to enter the pattern
and notify the judges that he was ready. The
contestant’s airplane had to be off the
ground before the preceding model landed,
which was also signaled by the line boss.
The penalty for rule infractions was a zero
score for the round.
This system worked well, and I saw no
violations. It was this kind of schedule
(along with the weather) that made the
contest so successful.
Day Two and Day Three of flying were
much the same, except that Mother Nature
decided to throw down a curtain of fog the
second morning, delaying flying for an hour
and 10 minutes. However, the lost time was
made up, and all the scheduled rounds were
completed.
Mishaps Happen: Hundreds of flights
were made during the three days of the
event, and with that amount of flying, the
odds are that something in the way of an
accident will occur. But there was more
than one mishap; there were three.
Advanced-class pilot Seth Arnold’s
model lost a left wing panel during a violent
snap. Flying the aircraft under these
conditions required an extreme amount of
skill. Seizing the moment, he immediately
put the airplane in knife edge using full
rudder and aileron.
After one trip around the field with the
model, to get it lined up with the runway,
Seth began to let it down. When we thought
he had it made, the right landing gear dug
into the grass and the airplane was no
longer in one piece.
Jason Shulman thrilled spectators during
his Freestyle routine, when he performed a
low knife-edge pass with his airplane. It
was so low that the left stabilizer hit the
ground and was immediately broken off.
That caused the aircraft’s left wingtip to
briefly hit the ground, but the model
continued to fly and Jason was able to make
a safe landing with one elevator. Applause
from the crowd was glorious.
Quique Somenzini is a great pilot—one
of the world’s best—but even the best can
falter when flying on the edge of disaster.
During his Freestyle sequence on the last
day of the contest, Quique flew his Pitts
M12 Python. While doing a low maneuver,
he misjudged a small rise in the ground and
flew into it, inverted.
There was no applause—just plain
astonishment. We couldn’t believe it. Being
a perfectionist, Quique felt bad. The
accident infringed on his pride, and he was
unable to finish the routine.
Banquet: The Saturday-night dinner was
held in John’s “party barn,” as he calls it.
The meal consisted of some great barbecue
pork, chicken, and ribs, along with beans,
slaw, a roll, and a big ole beer to top it off.
There was no featured entertainment, but
with all your friends around, who cares? It
was a great time to eat and talk about
airplanes.
Later, CD Joe Cutright introduced the
judges, event staff, and hosts John and Tina
Schroder. Then John took the microphone
and read the scores of the 12 pilots who
would compete in the Invitational Class
finals. John read the highest scores first, and
the cut was made at seven.
Jason Noll, Mark Leseburg, Gernot
Bruckmann, Andrew Jesky, Quique
Somenzini, Kurt Koelling, and David
Moser would battle it out the next day.
They all had the potential to win; they are
the best of the best.
Door prizes were handed out via a
random drawing, and, thanks to the
generous sponsors, all of the pilots received
a prize.
This inaugural contest was the beginning
of more to come, according to its dedicated
host. We can expect many more IMAC
events, and another Clover Creek
Invitational is expected in two years.
IMAC is a great organization that
teaches youth about the spirit of
competition, which is one of its core
purposes. Watching this event unfold gave
me a good sense of what the AMA SIG is
about and what a great organization IMAC
is.
Young pilots learned to respect
competition and found a way to move up
through the ranks, improving their flying
skills along the journey. They look to the
older, skillful pilots as mentors so they can
be like them. It was a pleasure to cover this
event and learn more about IMAC.
When the event was through, I saw
nothing but relief on the face of Joe
Cutright, who had never run an event.
Scorekeeper Sharon Waites did a
remarkable job of crunching the numbers,
and Kent Porter posted them in a timely
manner after each round. Talk about stress!
I can’t write enough good things about chief
judge Wayne Matthews and his work with
IMAC.
I need to recognize the sponsors, which
were extremely generous, and John and
Tina Schroder for allowing this competition
to happen at Clover Creek. They worked
hard to make it happen.
I’ll be back at the Clover Creek
Aerodrome in 2010! MA
Jerry Smith
[email protected]
Sources:
Clover Creek Aerodrome
www.clovercreekaerodrome.com
IMAC
www.mini-iac.com

THE FIRST Clover Creek Invitational was held August 29-31,
2008, at the Clover Creek Aerodrome in Toone, Tennessee. A total
of $50,000 in cash and prizes was at stake.
Where in the heck is Toone? Roughly halfway between
Nashville and Memphis on US 40, you drive 25 miles south into the
Tennessee countryside. Toone has a population of approximately
300, and there are probably more pigs and cattle there than people.
Toone is where John and Tina Schroder found their dream
retirement place: a 270-acre sod farm that they named Clover
Creek Aerodrome. Obtaining that property was a big turning point
in their lives.
John’s passion for International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC)
aerobatics led him to this place, and his goal is to someday have an
event that is comparable to the now-defunct Tournament of
Champions (TOC). John’s father, Walt, and Bill Bennett co-founded
the prestigious TOC.
The field at the Clover Creek Aerodrome is a perfect venue for an
IMAC event, with the pilots facing north when flying. An airconditioned
shelter with bathrooms and storage for aircraft is located
on the south side of the field. To the north is a row of trees that is
slightly more than 1,000 feet long, which provides a good reference for
pilots. Both ends of the field are wide open; full-scale aircraft do land
there.
The field and facility were in excellent shape for the event, thanks
to John’s friends from Florida and others who spent four months in
preparation.
Judges: Pilots who are competing in an IMAC event might wonder
what credentials and how much experience the judges have. Are they
biased? Are their skills up to the task? After watching them gawk
skyward for three days, I have a lot of respect for those chosen seven.
Wayne Matthews, chief judge, did a magnificent job with the
mountain of paperwork that is required for scoring; his job is no
easy task. Wayne even helped write the patterns flown in the
Known, Unknown, and Freestyle sequences in all classes, and he
was part of the event staff. This guy was everywhere.
The judges—Marian Berninger, Roy Barrow, Rick Byrd, Mark
Jorgenson, Andy Kane, Bill Lairsey, and Mark McClellan—were
from different parts of the country, and they went to the contest to
do their best. Some of them are IMAC pilots themselves.
Flying: During the three days of the competition, winds were light
on the ground but not at altitude, and it was hot and humid at times.
Otherwise the flying weather was perfect.
1. Jason Noll 2,491.5
2. Mark Leseburg Jr. 2,490.1
3. Gernot Bruckmann 2,424.3
4. Andrew Jesky 2,388.2
5. Quique Somenzini 2,379.0
6. Kurt Koelling 2,337.6
7. Dave Moser 2,337.1
Unlimited Class
1. Will Berninger 4,461.1
2. Ryan Gonsoulin 4,279.2
3. Brian Hannah 4,206.7
4. Wayne Geffon 4,204.3
5. Lyndel Roe 4,069.5
6. Eric Powell 4,036.8
7. Ty Lyman 3,986.5
8. Stephen Hamilton 3,968.4
9. Jimmy Ritch 3,736.6
10. Larry Arseneau 3,559.0
Advanced Class
1. Brian Luckett 4,445.1
2. Seth Arnold 4,426.3
3. Jonas Pharr 4,295.1
4. Craig Baker 4,247.8
5. Bradley Petty 4,194.5
6. Bernie Boland 4,176.1
7. Jeremy Holt 4,073.1
8. Pete Castine 3,927.1
9. Ron Storer 3,831.8
10. Louis Matustik 3,612.5
Intermediate Class
1. David Stewart 4,339.2
2. Brendan Jones 4,336.5
3. Cody McLean 4,303.8
4. Alex Porter 4,257.4
5. Dan Bierly 3,987.5
6. Mark Dennis 3,898.4
7. Curtis Cozier 3,894.2
8. Tony Gorgone 3,883.5
9. Kevin Dixon 3,792.6
10. Jim Langford 3,552.0
Sportsman Class
1. Pride Grimm 4,477.6
2. Josh Bunn 4,248.0
3. Chuck Hochhalter 4,198.9
4. Ken Huntsinger 3,840.6
5. David Bradford 3,792.4
6. Tommy Golson 3,764.8
7. Ric Musselman 3,725.7
8. Johnny Westbrook 3,315.0
9. Andres Snow II 3,138.0
10. Gil Major 3,048.5
The Unknown pattern was delivered the
night before flying began with the
Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced,
Unlimited, and Invitational classes. The
schedule for IMAC classes on the first day
was to fly Known sequences one and two as
well as an Unknown. Then the Invitational
Class, which consisted of some of the best
IMAC pilots in the US who have renowned
credentials, flew one Known sequence, one
Unknown, and one four-minute Freestyle
routine. Then it was back to the IMAC
classes, which flew another Known
sequence.
This was a very ambitious schedule, and
a dual flightline was used to complete it.
There were two airplanes in the air at all
times, and sometimes three or four during
the landing cycle.
The two-minute rule was in effect
throughout the contest. That meant that
after being signaled by the line boss, the
pilot had two minutes to start the model’s
engine and get it into the air. At that time,
the pilot had one minute to enter the pattern
and notify the judges that he was ready. The
contestant’s airplane had to be off the
ground before the preceding model landed,
which was also signaled by the line boss.
The penalty for rule infractions was a zero
score for the round.
This system worked well, and I saw no
violations. It was this kind of schedule
(along with the weather) that made the
contest so successful.
Day Two and Day Three of flying were
much the same, except that Mother Nature
decided to throw down a curtain of fog the
second morning, delaying flying for an hour
and 10 minutes. However, the lost time was
made up, and all the scheduled rounds were
completed.
Mishaps Happen: Hundreds of flights
were made during the three days of the
event, and with that amount of flying, the
odds are that something in the way of an
accident will occur. But there was more
than one mishap; there were three.
Advanced-class pilot Seth Arnold’s
model lost a left wing panel during a violent
snap. Flying the aircraft under these
conditions required an extreme amount of
skill. Seizing the moment, he immediately
put the airplane in knife edge using full
rudder and aileron.
After one trip around the field with the
model, to get it lined up with the runway,
Seth began to let it down. When we thought
he had it made, the right landing gear dug
into the grass and the airplane was no
longer in one piece.
Jason Shulman thrilled spectators during
his Freestyle routine, when he performed a
low knife-edge pass with his airplane. It
was so low that the left stabilizer hit the
ground and was immediately broken off.
That caused the aircraft’s left wingtip to
briefly hit the ground, but the model
continued to fly and Jason was able to make
a safe landing with one elevator. Applause
from the crowd was glorious.
Quique Somenzini is a great pilot—one
of the world’s best—but even the best can
falter when flying on the edge of disaster.
During his Freestyle sequence on the last
day of the contest, Quique flew his Pitts
M12 Python. While doing a low maneuver,
he misjudged a small rise in the ground and
flew into it, inverted.
There was no applause—just plain
astonishment. We couldn’t believe it. Being
a perfectionist, Quique felt bad. The
accident infringed on his pride, and he was
unable to finish the routine.
Banquet: The Saturday-night dinner was
held in John’s “party barn,” as he calls it.
The meal consisted of some great barbecue
pork, chicken, and ribs, along with beans,
slaw, a roll, and a big ole beer to top it off.
There was no featured entertainment, but
with all your friends around, who cares? It
was a great time to eat and talk about
airplanes.
Later, CD Joe Cutright introduced the
judges, event staff, and hosts John and Tina
Schroder. Then John took the microphone
and read the scores of the 12 pilots who
would compete in the Invitational Class
finals. John read the highest scores first, and
the cut was made at seven.
Jason Noll, Mark Leseburg, Gernot
Bruckmann, Andrew Jesky, Quique
Somenzini, Kurt Koelling, and David
Moser would battle it out the next day.
They all had the potential to win; they are
the best of the best.
Door prizes were handed out via a
random drawing, and, thanks to the
generous sponsors, all of the pilots received
a prize.
This inaugural contest was the beginning
of more to come, according to its dedicated
host. We can expect many more IMAC
events, and another Clover Creek
Invitational is expected in two years.
IMAC is a great organization that
teaches youth about the spirit of
competition, which is one of its core
purposes. Watching this event unfold gave
me a good sense of what the AMA SIG is
about and what a great organization IMAC
is.
Young pilots learned to respect
competition and found a way to move up
through the ranks, improving their flying
skills along the journey. They look to the
older, skillful pilots as mentors so they can
be like them. It was a pleasure to cover this
event and learn more about IMAC.
When the event was through, I saw
nothing but relief on the face of Joe
Cutright, who had never run an event.
Scorekeeper Sharon Waites did a
remarkable job of crunching the numbers,
and Kent Porter posted them in a timely
manner after each round. Talk about stress!
I can’t write enough good things about chief
judge Wayne Matthews and his work with
IMAC.
I need to recognize the sponsors, which
were extremely generous, and John and
Tina Schroder for allowing this competition
to happen at Clover Creek. They worked
hard to make it happen.
I’ll be back at the Clover Creek
Aerodrome in 2010! MA
Jerry Smith
[email protected]
Sources:
Clover Creek Aerodrome
www.clovercreekaerodrome.com
IMAC
www.mini-iac.com