NEW ENGLAND AEROBATIC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The New England Aerobatic Club, IAC Chapter 35, invites you to join us for the 2000 New England Aerobatic Championships on May 19-21 at Orange Municipal Airport, Orange, Massachusetts. The box will be open beginning Thursday the 18^th for practice and registration.

This is our annual springtime five category (power) contest, and the first of the new millennium in the northeast. The three-day format will provide the best possible opportunity for all pilots of all categories to fly a full set of flights (Basic, 2 Sportsman, and 3 Int./Adv./Unl). If the weather gods smile on us, we’ll add additional flights for Basic and Sportsman.

Details follow. We hope to see you there!

Blue Skies,

Steve Pennypacker

Contest Director

0900 - 1900 Registration; box open for

practice

1900 Food on the field, TBD

1200 Pilot’s briefing -- Intermediate,

Advanced & Unlimited

1300 - 1830 Contest flying -- Intermediate,

Advanced & Unlimited

1900 Food on the field, TBD

0700 SHARP Pilots’ briefing – all categories

0800 Registration

0830 - 1830 Contest flying -- all categories

1900 Banquet

0900 Pilots’ briefing

1000 - 1500 Contest flying -- all categories

1530 Awards ceremony

We encourage you to pre-register for the contest, even if you’re not 100% sure you’ll make it. If you do, we'll add your name to Thursday's practice list and give you priority on hangar storage for your aircraft. (Hangar space is limited at Orange). It also simplifies our work at the contest.

For a pre-registration kit, contact Rob Petit, Registrar Extraordinaire. Contact info is listed below.

Be sure to include your name, home mailing address, daytime and evening telephone numbers with your request.

In addition to awards for the top 3 pilots in each category, we will award:

* Best First-Time Sportsman Award

* Chapter Team Trophy

* Pitts Cup (Highest placing Pitts/Eagle driver)

* Grass Roots Achievement Award

* Highest Placing One Design

* Most Creative Freestyle Award (but only if it

wasn’t meant to be)

We have blocked off several rooms at a discounted rate at two nearby hotels for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. At either one, you MUST mention the New England Aerobatic Championships to receive the discounted rate.

The Super 8 Motel in Gardner, Mass, about 20 minutes east of the field on Route 2, has blocked off 40 rooms for us. Reserve before May 4. Discount rate is $54.18 (normally $75) single or double occupancy. Phone: (978) 630-2888. The Super 8 has a 72 hr cancellation policy.

The Colonial Bed and Breakfast, also in Gardner, is also holding 15 rooms for us. Reserve before April 27. $79.95 with breakfast, ($15 below normal rates) single or double occupancy. Phone: (978) 630-2500. The Colonial has a 48 hour cancellation policy.

Our members who elect to drive to the contest will provide transportation to/from hotels.

Other area hotels to which we will provide transport:

Bald Eagle Motel Orange, MA 978/544-8864 ($)

Quabbin Gateway Motel Orange, MA 978/544-2986 ($)

Wachusett Village Inn Gardner, MA 978/874-2000 ($$)

(as of 3/17/00, the inn is sold out for Saturday night)

This year's banquet will be held Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. at The Old Mill restaurant in Westminster, Mass. Back by popular vote, at last year’s contest (and also because they haven’t kicked us out yet…), the Old Mill is also near the recommended hotels.

Contest registration

Basic $40

Sportsman 50

Intermediate 60

Advanced 65

Unlimited 70

Hangar, per night $12 subject to change

Food on the field (Thu-Fri): We ask only for a reasonable contribution

Saturday evening banquet: $27 per person

For the aircraft:

Airframe and engine logs; airworthiness certificate; registration certificate; operating limitations; current weight and balance data, in-pack chute (<120 days) & pack card; proof of insurance ($1 million minimum).

Please remember that 2-way radio communication is now required to compete in IAC contests.

For the pilot:

Pilot and medical certificates; IAC membership card; FAI license (Unlimited competitors only); 7 copies each of free style forms A, B and C, signed and dated (in ‘00) by a current IAC judge; ca$h.

Photocopies of documents are permissible for IAC contest registration; however, FAA requirements may differ.

By air: NY Sectional, Gardner (GDM) VORTAC 292 degree radial, 10.3NM.

42.34.04N, 72.17.28W. VOR and NDB approaches.

By car: U.S. Route 2 to exit 16 (U.S. Route 202, Amherst-Belchertown exit). Travel 1 mile N and turn left onto Partridgeville Rd. Travel ½ mile W; find the airport on your left.

Arrival: Runways 14-32: 4998'x150'; 1-19: 5000'x150'. Field elevation 555'MSL. Orange Unicom 122.8. Runway 1-19 will be closed during practice and contest flying except with 15 minutes prior arrangement by phone or radio. Fly right traffic for runway 32, left traffic for runway 14. Caution: The aerobatic box is southwest and parallel to runway 32 and immediately over runways 1-19. Do not overfly the airport.

Registrar:

Rob Petit

319 Lake St.

Arlington MA, 02474

(H) 781-646-5038

(W) 781-687-1091

Contest Director:

Steve Pennypacker

68 Pilgrim Rd.

Holliston, MA 01746

H: (508) 429-1171

W: (508) 417-2613

stevep@javanet.com

Orange Municipal Airport office phone

(978) 544-8189.

Francine and Bill Crawford out did themselves once again, and the 1999 Awards Banquet gala was a huge success. We are co-crediting Bill for the banquet plans, but we assume he had little role in the planning because it was so tastefully done. The banquet was held at Davio’s on the Charles River in Cambridge. Craig and Han’s were co-MC’s. Topping off the list of announcements was the introduction of three new members: Steve Casagrandre, Steve Till and David Smith. Welcome aboard. Chapter 35 has 2 new judges this year; Dave Watson and Neville Hogan – both benefactors of the Chapter 35 judges school rebate program and both Sportsman competitors. Those of you in the other categories may begin your kissing-up immediately! The 2000 officers’ positions were also announced. Despite the close results of the polls during the heated campaign, there were no surprises as to the final results:

2000 OFFICERS:

PRESIDENT HANS BOK

VICE PRESIDENT BILL CRAWFORD

TREASURER SHELDON APSELL

SECRETARY KENT CHRISTMAN

NEWSLETTER EDITOR

CONTEST DIRECTOR

SAFETY COORDINATOR

Hans reviewed the competition results for 1999. Of our 88 active members, 23 flew in contests – a high percentage. The results for competitor of the year award were the most anticipated announcement of the banquet. The rules for the award as follows:

7 bonus points for being Newsletter Editor

The results of the top 6 places were (sound of drum-roll still echoing):

6^th Bruce Green 5 pts

5^th Art Hicks 6 pts

4^th Dave Watson 7 pts

3^rd Craig Lesinski 8 pts

2^nd Ron Burns

Bill Crawford

Neville Hogan 10pts ea

And the 1999 Chapter 35 Competitor of the Year – successfully defending his 1998 title-

1^st Guenther Eichhorn 11 pts

Congratulations to Guenther who also won the Unlimited Northeast 1999 Championship Trophy.

There were numerous gag awards presented, but since most of them went to the newsletter editor we simply can’t fit them all in. If you want to experience the fun of ridiculing your fellow members, or the embarrassment of having your blooper (s) revealed to all – you simply must attend the banquet next year. We had members from as far as New York and New Hampshire present, so no excuses next year!!!!!!!

Steve Pennypacker concluded the banquet with announcements regarding the Orange Contest – all those details are summarized in the preceding section.

Although accurate and unbiased reporting is available to you through the Hammerhead, the only way to really keep involved in your chapter’s activities is to be there in person. The banquet was a very enjoyable way to start the 2000 season and to get the latest goop on our fellow members (like - who had to do a power-off field landing this winter despite 3 perfectly good cylinders, and who showered his neighbors with plexiglass during the process of making his Giles 200 open cockpit).

Thanks again to Francine and Bill Crawford for putting together a wonderful banquet and evening – Hope to see you all there next year.

May 19-21 *Orange, MA Chapter 35

June 2-4 *Maytown, PA Chapter 58

June 16-18 Columbus, OH Chapter 34 (tentative)

June 30-July 2 Can-Am Jackson, MI Chapter 88

July 26-Aug 1 Oshkosh (NON-COMPETITION)

July 28-30 *Doylestown Chapter 113 (tentative)

Aug 26-27 Springfield, VT Chapter 35 (tentative)

Sept 3-9 Nationals Sherman, TX

Sept 22-24 Warrenton, VA Chapter 11

Oct 6-8 *Long Island NY Chapter 91 (tentative)

Oct 20-22 Farmville, VA Chapter 19 (tentative)

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