Tuesday 15 March 2022

2022 Eastern National Aerobatic Contest

 15th-18th September 2022 at CYEE, Midland Airport

15th Thursday - Setup/Practise
16th Friday - Practise/Contest start
17th Saturday - Contest/Dinner Awards
18th Sunday - Clean up/ Rain day

If you are interested in volunteering, please send us an email at aerobaticscanada.ch3@gmail.com

Stay tuned for further details!

Wednesday 13 September 2017

2017 Canadian National Aerobatic Championships


    We almost didn’t have a contest! The weather gods challenged us during the week preceding our pilgrimage to the Hanover-SaugeenAirport for Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3’s annual event.
The plan was to get there Thursday to set up the box markers (that outline - on the ground - the one thousand meter cube in which we must do our flying); then get the paperwork and other things ready for the contestants who usually arrive on Friday. Bill Ludwig, HellaComat and Andy Ernewein (all flying Pitts S1’s) were able to fly into CYHS before the rain and low clouds showed up. Along with airport manager Dave Kennedy they were able to get the markers out but got pretty wet in the process.
    Francois Marquis came from Montreal with a tailwind (!) in his beautiful new (to him) Cap 232. Larry Ernewein fought with a bad magneto on Thursday then fought the Friday morning weather in his open cockpit Bucker Jungmann and arrived before the clouds and rain again shut down arrivals. Late afternoon the weather improved enough for our ‘Unlimited’ American friends Hugo Ritzenthaler (Pitts S1E) and Klaus Mueller (Yak 55) to land, and as the evening progressed Ryan Chapman and Scott McMaster showed up with their DR 107’s. Kelly Fawcett and Hans Juergensenflew Sportsman in Ryan’s One Design and Andrea Kuciak flew Scott’s One Design in IntermediateChris Pulley and Desmond Lightbody brought their Pitts – an S1 and an S2 – and first-time competitor Hugh Reynolds showed up in a Decathlon. After registration and inspection the pilots usually want to practice in the box. Low ceilings prevented this, and Friday night saw all 12 aircraft safely put to bed in the large hangar that Rob Olds once more allowed us to use.

   The forecast for Saturday was poor but the silver lining to this was that the usually scheduled Saturday 0700 briefing was delayed to 0800, meaning we could stay up later and party -  which we did at Walkerton’s wonderful Best Western hotel (our sort-of ‘official’ host).


At the judging line.  (Photography by www.katiesanderson.com)           
   
  A clear sky and unlimited visibility greeted us in the morning and immediate thoughts of “Gee, we really blew this!” went through everyone’s mind. But by the time we got to the airport low clouds and rain had re-dampened our spirits. And things stayed that way until 1500 when it appeared we might be able to get airborne around diner time. So the briefing was done at 1630, aircraft moved to the flightline, judges stations set up and by 1800 our starter, Pat Rebetoy(whose other’ job is president of Aerobatics Canada), was launchingflights into the box. The Known was flown by Advanced, Sportsman and Intermediate pilotsDarkness and hunger prevented the Unlimited machines from getting into the box, and the Saturday night banquet was held in the airport restaurant – now under new management and called “Tilly’s”. Food and service were simply fantastic both for the banquet, and for feeding all our people during the entire contest. 

    During the banquet the Contest Director – Ryan Chapman – and Chief Judge – Sandy Langworthy – had to discuss the fact that Sunday morning we would have a problem: There was only enough time for one complete program – either the Free or the Unknown. Many contestants had to leave by 1500. Should we distribute the unknowns and ask the Unlimited pilots to fly their Known in the morning then their Unknown after lunch ; or do we fly the Free program. The Unlimited guys decided for us – flying both would be too much stress and perhaps affect safety. So the Unlimited Known started the day and then the Free was flown by all categories. 



Meghan and Andy taking down one of the box markers in the rain...
   
 Though the public is not specifically invited to aerobatic competitions, many people do arrive to see what’s going on. Itinerant aircraft continued to fly in and out of the Hanover airport during the contest, and one of those planes was flown by our friend, and sponsor, Bill Davidson of National Aviation Insurance Brokers. He left several bright yellow tee-shirts that quickly disappeared! 

    We finished at 1300, then put several members and volunteers to work taking down the box markers and judging stations.  Everyone then had lunch – except Elaine Ernewein who was busy on the computer inputting the scores. The highest scoring Canadian competitor in each category is the Canadian National champion:


Unlimited          1st  Place     Klaus Mueller  (American)
                            2nd Place     Scott McMaster
                            3rd Place     Hugo Ritzenthaler  (American)

Advanced          1st  Place     Andy Ernewein
                            2nd Place     Hella Comat

Intermediate    1st  Place     Bill Ludwig
                            2nd Place     Ryan Chapman
                            3rd Place     Francois Marquis



   

Canadian National Intermediate Champion: Bill Ludwig
                             (Photography by www.katiesanderson.com)

Sportsman        1st  Place     Larry Ernewein
                            2nd Place     Chris Pulley
                            3rd Place     Hugh Reynolds


    It takes a lot of volunteers to make a contest happen. These folks – and perhaps a few others whose names we can’t recall - generously gave us their time and energy over the weekend: Carole Holyk (Judge and Canada’s CIVA delegate); Adam MacCabe (Technical inspector and Chapter 3 president); Traci MacCabe (Chapter 3 treasurer)Katie Sanderson (Photographer); Mark Skikavich; Meghan MacNeilMatt and Dennis Costello; Anna Pangrazzi; Phil Englishman; Bob Reynolds; Bill Comat; Francois Bougie.

Wednesday 19 July 2017

2017 Canadian National Aerobatic Contest

Hi everyone! 

Here is a quick update for the 2017 Canadian National Aerobatic Championships being hosted at the Hanover Saugeen Airport the 18th-20th of August 2017.

Location and facilities:
CYHS, Saugeen Municipal Airport info from Skyvector. Everything you need to get there: https://skyvector.com/airport/CYHS/Hanover-Saugeen-Municipal-Airport
There is washroom facilities and a restaurant. For those that want to camp, you have the option and will have access to washroom facilities and showers during your stay.
Cathy's Restaurant will be on site for meal. Banquet info is TBA soon.

Hotels:
The Best Western Walkerton will once again be the official contest hotel. A special rate has been arranged for the 2017 Nationals. 

Contest Fees and Hangarage
Contest fees are $150 CAD per person (This includes hangarage as well) We have access to a large hangar and will be available Friday when you arrive. 

Contest Management Personel
Contest Director: Ryan Chapman Ph: 416.388.5850 Email: ryangkc@hotmail.com
Chief Judge: Chris Pulley  Email: cpulley0121@rogers.com
Chief Technical Monitor Adam McCabe 807 632 5697 Email: adammacabe@gmail.com
Safety Director: Larry Ernewein Ph: 519 469 3874 Email: ernie@execulink.com

Volunteers:
Like most competitions, volunteers make these events successful. We're always looking for volunteers, so if anyone would like to help out that would be much appreciated.

T-Shirts will also be given to contestants and volunteers at no charge. For those that would like to purchase, they are available at $20 CAD each. Please note that these are on a first come, first serve basis. Don't forget to ask during registration!

USA Pilots That Are Competing:
Please bring all of the above with you and make sure that you have your Foreign Flight Authority if needed. All documentation will be checked prior on Friday when you arrive.

Final Thoughts:
We want this competition to be enjoyable, safe and competitive for all. If there's anything I can do to help, let us know!

Monday 26 December 2016

2017 Judges School in Ann Arbor, MI

Hello everyone,

It's that time of year again... Time for judging school! The following is from an IAC88 e-mail inviting all chapter 3 members to their Judges school.

"IAC Chapter 88 is sponsoring a judges school March 4 & 5, 2017. I would like to invite you to attend this class in Ann Arbor, Michigan. All details concerning this class are listed in the attached J.S. Bulletin. I also attached a copy of the registration form. I thought I send the announcement well in advance of the class date to give everyone sufficient time to make arrangement to attend.

I would appreciate if you would help spread the word within the Chapter 3 membership that this is a great opportunity to become a judge. Please remind everyone about the problems we had last August in Hanover to fill a basic set of 3 judges positions. Thank you.
Any questions concerning the school, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Hugo

If you are interested in attending please send an e-mail to Hugo hritzenthaler@wowway.com to confirm attendance. He will also be able to provide you with a copy of the Judges School Bulletin and any other important details i.e.: Hotel, agenda etc. The instructor will be Steve Johnson and the school will take place over the weekend of the 4 and 5th of March.

See you there!

Chapter 3


Friday 12 August 2016

2016 Upper Canada Open

I hope everyone is excited and looking forward to a fun/competitive competition next weekend!

I'm writing to give everyone an update on the competition in Hanover, Ontario. For those I haven't met, my name is Ryan Chapman and I'm the contest director for 2016. This is my first shot at doing this, so hopefully this experience is seamless for you. Below I've included all the details you require. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. My details can be found at the bottom of this email. Safe flying!

Location and facilities:
CYHS, Saugeen Municipal Airport info from Skyvector. Everything you need to get there: https://skyvector.com/airport/CYHS/Hanover-Saugeen-Municipal-Airport
CYHS Website: http://www.saugeenmunicipalairport.com/
There is washroom facilities and a restaurant. For those that want to camp, you have the option and will have access to washroom facilities and showers during your stay.
Cathy's Restaurant will be putting on Burgers, salad with all the fixings ($15 per person) on Friday the 19th for dinner and on Saturday, Cathy will be serving Roast Beef, Salad and Yorkshire Pudding ($25 per person).

Hotels:
The Best Western is fully booked at this point however there are alternate options if you're still looking. While not as "luxurious" they do the job.
Here are a few options if you're still looking:

https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotels-g668166-Hanover_Grey_County_Ontario-Hotels.html

Contest Fees and HangarageContest fees are $150 CAD per person (This includes hangarage as well)
We have access to a large hangar and will be available Friday when you arrive

Contest Management Personel
Contest Director: Ryan Chapman Ph: 416.388.5850 Email: ryangkc@hotmail.com
Chief Judge: Carole Holyk Ph: 416 432 4304 Email: carolejholyk@rogers.com
Chief Technical Monitor: Adam McCabe 807 632 5697 Email: adammacabe@gmail.com
Safety Director: Larry Ernewein Ph: 519 469 3874 Email: ernie@execulink.com

Volunteers:
Like most competitions, volunteers make these events successful. We're always looking for volunteers, so if anyone would like to help out that would be much appreciated.

Prizes and T-Shirts:
Aerotech Aviation have been so kind to donate a $100 Spruce Gift Card. This prize will be given to the pilot that scores the highest on their known sequence (Primary through to Unlimited).

For the non-flying volunteers, a $100 Amazon Gift Card will be given to the volunteer of the competition (This will be decided by a panel of judges once all have flown their sequences).

T-Shirts will also be given to contestants and volunteers at no charge. For those that would like to purchase, they are available at $18 CAD each. Please note that these are on a first come, first serve basis. Don't forget to ask during registration!

What to bring for competitors:
We follow all IAC and Transport Canada requirements so please make sure to bring:

(a) Airworthiness Certificate.

(b) Aircraft Registration Certificate or military serial number designation.

(c) Aircraft operating limitations.

(d) Current aircraft weight and balance.

(e) Copies of entries from Aircraft and Engine Log Books, appropriate to the aircraft’s

Airworthiness Certificate.

(f) Certificate of Insurance verifying coverage of $1,000,000 property damage and

$100,000 single limit bodily injury minimum.

(g) Aircraft must not have obvious physical damage or potential structural problems as would

be indicated by wrinkles in metal or fabric coverings or loose structural members.

(h) Complete freedom of movement of the controls is required.

(i) Aircraft must be free of foreign and loose objects.

(j) If the canopy, or door for cabin-type aircraft, is hinged on the forward (leading) edge, it

must incorporate a quick-release mechanism to facilitate emergency egress.

(k) Dual seat belts with separate attach points and a shoulder harness are mandatory for

Advanced and Unlimited (power and glider) categories. The same equipment is strongly

recommended for Primary, Sportsman, and Intermediate power categories, but is not

mandatory except when IAC Technical Monitors deem them necessary for the sequence

being flown in these categories.

(l) Hazardous conditions in the engine compartment such as cracked exhaust, fuel leaks, or

excessive oil leaks which can be observed through cowl openings and service doors will

be brought to the pilot’s attention and, if uncorrected, are grounds to deny registration of

the aircraft.

(m) Propeller shall not have any apparent physical damage.

(n) The personal parachute or the aircraft’s ballistic recovery system, if so equipped, will be

in good general condition and will be current in accordance with FAA regulations.

(o) Aircraft Structural Standards - Experimental (Amateur-built and Exhibition): The IAC

cannot and does not purport or attempt to regulate or require aircraft structural

standards for participation in the sport of aerobatics. Each competitor is solely

responsible for insuring that his or her aircraft is structurally and mechanically safe and

capable of performing whatever maneuver the competitor intends to fly. The Technical

Committee shall promote conformity to FAA standards of construction and maintenance.

(p) Aircraft other than Experimental (Acrobatic): Structural standards for other than

experimental aircraft are the responsibility of the controlling government agency. These

aircraft must comply with the IAC entrance requirements. Aircraft will not be permitted to

fly any maneuvers restricted by the licensing agency.

(q) A radio capable of transmitting and receiving common VHF frequencies.

(r) The use of a helmet is strongly recommended for all competitors and safety pilots, but is

not mandatory.

(s) The use of a flight suit and gloves composed of at least a single layer of fire-retardant

fabric is strongly recommended for all competitors and safety pilots, but is not

mandatory.

Don't forget to bring sunscreen and hats


USA Pilots That Are Competing:
Please bring all of the above with you and make sure that you have your Foreign Flight Authority if needed. All documentation will be checked prior on Friday the 19th when you arrive.

Final Thoughts:

We want this competition to be enjoyable, safe and competitive for all. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know.

With gratitude,

Ryan Chapman
416.388.5850
ryangkc@hotmail.com

Saturday 14 May 2016

2016 Upper Canada Open in Hanover!


Save the dates! Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3’s contest is just around the corner! The 2016 Upper Canada Open will be hosted in Hanover, Ontario August 20th and 21st, 2016 at the Hanover/ Saugeen Municipal Airport (CYHS). Practice and registration will be on August 19th. We look forward to Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced and Unlimited power categories.

Accommodations:

The BEST hotel in the area; Best Western in Walkerton. 25 rooms have been set aside for us at a special rate. This rate is well below their regular rate.  The rooms will be held for the next few weeks under the name Phil Englishman on behalf of Aerobatics Canada competition. You can call the hotel direct at 226-436-3030 or 1-855-436-3030 and tell them that you are with the event.  You can also reserve a room via email at hotel@whergroup.com and again, let them know that you are with the aerobatic group. You will have a choice between two queen size beds or a single king size bed.  These rooms are excellent,clean, include breakfast and they have a pool and exercise room. If you've never stayed in Hanover or Walkerton, this hotel is by far the best option. The are several other "rustic" options available at a similar price, however our vote goes to the Best Western.

Banquet:

 A banquet will be held Saturday night at the airport. This banquet will also be attended by up to 50 local pilots and airport friends.

Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering or helping out in any way at the contest via e-mail ataerobaticscanada.ch3@gmail.com you can also check out our blog at aerobaticscanadachapter3.blogspot.com for regular contest updates.

Check back soon for more info regarding the aerobatic box, schedule and contest fees.


Please pre-register for the 2016 Upper Canada Open at :  http://www.iacusn.org/acrs/

See everyone soon!

Thursday 31 December 2015

New Years luncheon reminder!

Hi everyone,

Just a quick reminder that the annual new year aerobatic luncheon will take place this Sunday January 3rd at noon. It will be held in the wine cellar downstairs at Borealis grille in Kitchener. We look forward to catching up with everyone in the New Year. Happy holidays and see you next week!

Chapter 3