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!

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 ‘Intermediate’. Chris 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, judge’s 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 pilots. Darkness 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 MacNeil; Matt and Dennis Costello; Anna Pangrazzi; Phil Englishman; Bob Reynolds; Bill Comat; Francois Bougie.

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

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 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!

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

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

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!

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

2016 New Year's Lunch

Hello everyone,

This is just a reminder that Chapter 3 will be hosting it's annual New Year's lunch. So for planning purposes, the location has yet to be finalized but will take place Sunday, January 3rd at Noon. We look forward seeing everyone and celebrating the holidays with an afternoon full aerobatic banter! See you soon...

Chapter 3

2015 Canadian Nationals a huge success!

Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3 chose the Saugeen Municipal Airport in Hanover, Ontario to host the 2015 Canadian National Aerobatic Championships. The competition, held on August 15th and 16th, was able to attract pilots from across the country and the United States, as well as Russell Sneyd who decided to leave his day job in Australia for a few weeks to attend. 

The stars aligned to give reasonably good weather for the contest days, but Friday August 14 (arrival, registration and practice day) proved quite challenging. Thunderstorms moving through southern Ontario, combined with low cloud and low visibility prevented early arrivals, and as a result most contestants got to CYHS but only a few were able to practice in the aerobatic box. Francois Marquis and Luc Martineau flew in from the Montreal area as darkness approached after a very long day of fighting weather. The good thing about all the bad weather was that registration and technical inspections proceeded at a leisurely pace – allowing newbie registrars Lynda Hawkins and Elaine Ernewein to learn on the job. Laura Buescher appeared mid-afternoon and with the help of Carol Granger took over the arduous task of arranging the paperwork.  Most people simply do not realize how important this job is, and contest officials always sigh with relief when these ladies appear.

The contest’s starter Hella Comat, and judge Chris Pulley drove to the airport instead of flying because of unscheduled engine overhauls on their airplanes. Several Chapter 3 members were also unable to attend due to maintenance issues, and contest organizers were worried attendance might be very low.  However, Saturday morning’s 0800 briefing showed 17 competitors ready to fly. COPA director Phil Englishman injured his ankle at Oshkosh but hobbled on as contest director and welcomed everyone. Carole Holyk, Canada’s CIVA delegate and FAI judge, acted as Chief Judge and along with Chris, conducted the briefing. Boundary judges, assistant judges and recorder positions were assigned to work for Sandy Langworthy, Wayne Buescher (IAC judges from Michigan IAC Chapter 88) and Canadian judge Chris Pulley.

The Intermediate pilots (Rick Feicht - Calgary - Yak 52; Jeff Granger – Columbus Ohio – Extra 300L; Desmond Lightbody – Oshawa ON – Pitts S2A; Francois Marquis – Montreal – Christen Eagle II; Russell Sneyd – Queensland Aerobatic Chapter Australia – Yak 52) were first to fly the Known, and just as the Sportsman pilots (Terry Beltaos – Burlington ON – Decathalon; Ryan Chapman – Toronto – Decathalon; Larry Ernewein – Innerkip ON – Bucker Jungmann; Jeff Lewis – Oakville ON – Pitts S2C; Luc Martineau – Montreal – Pitts S2C; Charles Phillips – Markham ON – Decathalon; Dan Unger – St. Clair Michigan – Pitts S1S) Known flights were to happen a low cloud layer moved in and stopped operations for 4 hours. This allowed a relaxing lunch that was provided by the airport’s restaurant staff - who also catered the Saturday evening banquet and provided very early breakfasts for competitors. Doreen and Gerry Younger made their usual appearance in his Pitts S2A (with Doreen in the open cockpit) and were pleased to see several of the trophies Gerry won during the early days of Aerobatics Canada. 

When flying resumed we were able to finish all the Knowns and the Intermediate Free before we had to stop for the banquet. First-time competitor Zan Li of Toronto flying a Decathalon was the only Primary contestant; and contest rules mandate a minimum of 2 pilots per category. Officials needed a volunteer to fly against Zan so that she would be able to compete. Dan Unger, who had no idea what the Primary sequence even looked like, stepped up to the plate to help out and didn’t embarrass himself too much! Thank youDan. The Unknowns were handed out to Intermediate and Advanced pilots, and as usual, this put a damper on late-night partying!

Fog greeted us Sunday morning, but went away by the time we started flying and weather was not a factor for the rest of the day. Adam MacCabe, apprentice Aircraft Maintenance Engineer, came to the competition with his tools and spare parts to help with the technical inspections and was prepared for just about anything! His assistance was needed when one of the Pitts had a tire go flat while sitting at the fuel pumps. He was able to install one of the new tubes he had brought (just-in-case…) and keep the plane flying. Adam and his girlfriend Tracy spent the rest of their time out on the boundary judge chairs.

The remaining Free flights were done by 1100 and then the entertainment began with the Unknowns. These sequences are designed to be challenging (read “confusing”) as the pilots have never seen them and are not allowed to practice before they fly them. As soon as they are given out the affected pilots start to study and strategize and lose sleep! The potential for mistakes and/or penalties is huge! The Advanced pilots (Andy Ernewein – Guelph ON – Pitt S1S; Chris Napier – Georgetown Indiana – Panzl S-330; Scott McMaster – Rockton ON – One Design; Hugo Ritzenthaler – Rochester Hills Michigan – Pitts S1E) flights went well with very few “zero” maneuver scores, and the contest finished at 1300. 

Scoring was handled by veteran computer wizard Elaine Ernewein (assisted by Lynda Hawkins) and the results posted by 1330. The awards were completed by 1500 as the American contestants had to depart by that time in order to appease US customs/border officials. Pat Rebbetoy, who is the chapter’s behind-the-scenes organizer and guy who gets everything done, was starter on Sunday and led the clean-up crew (of never-enough people) removing box markers and the judges line equipment.

Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3 would like to thank the Saugeen Airport and the town of Hanover for their support of our contest, and Rob Olds for the use of his beautiful hangar. We would also like to thank the pilots for making the effort to attend despite mother nature, and all our volunteers not already mentioned, including: Ryley Yost  (acting airport manager, box marker installer, and air traffic management guy); 

Sid White (Safety Director); Daryl Purdie, Andrew Ronan, Laura Harvie, Meghan MacNeil, Mary Unger, Mike Tryggvason, Bill Comat, Francois Bougie, James Hutchinson, Victor Danielli, Ethan Kempert (judging assistants and recorders); Ed Agnew and Dave Rumsey (photographers). Apologies to anyone we’ve missed.

Final Standing:

Advanced     1  Andy Ernewein (Canadian Advanced Champion)

                     2  Scott McMaster

                     3  Hugo Ritzenthaler

Intermediate  1  Jeff Granger

                      2  Francois Marquis (Canadian Intermediate Champion)

                      3  Rick Feicht

Sportsman    1  Larry Ernewein (Canadian Sportsman Champion)

                     2  Luc Martineau

                     3  Dan Unger

Primary        1  Zan Li

                     2  Dan Unger

Phil Englishman (right) presenting the Canadian National Sportsman trophy to Larry Ernewein

Phil Englishman (right) presenting the Canadian National Intermediate trophy to Francois Marquis

Phil Englishman (right)  presenting the Canadian National Advanced trophy to Andy Ernewein

Rick Feicht taxiing the Yak 52

Chris Napier in the Panzl S-330

Dan Unger approaching in his Pitts S1S

Andy Ernewein’s Pitts S1S

Hugo Ritzenthaler taxiing his Pitts S1E

August 9th Practice Day in Tillsonburg

Hi all,

We know it's a little last minute, but we will be hosting a practice /critique day this Sunday August 9th at the tillsonburg airport. For those who are interested it will begin Sunday morning around 10am and will go until we're finished burning gas... 

For food planning purposes, there will be a restaurant on-site providing breakfast and or lunch. If you are planning on driving down to watch, help out or to judge, it may also be a good idea to bring your own lawn chairs. This is more important for those interested in judging/critiquing. Below, we have included a list for all pilots planning on flying in to participate. Also, if you plan on showing up later in the day be sure to read the NOTAM, or... if you're like most of us, plan your circuit to the SOUTH side of the field. The box is located on the north of the airport and it will be active as of 10 am on Sunday morning. 

Things to bring include a spare handheld radio ( if you have one), copies of the sequence you wish to fly (for critiquing purposes bring at least 5 copies of b and c forms), and all documents and logs required for an IAC contest. If you are not familiar with IAC contests, just do a quick search for IAC contest checklist.
If there are any questions feel free to ask. Hope to see everyone on Sunday.

Chapter 3

Online registration is now available for the 2015 Canadian Nationals!

For those of you planning on attending and competing/volunteering at the 2015 Canadian Nationals online registration is now available at http://www.iacusn.org/acrs/login.php
We encourage people to register for the contest in advance as it helps us get an idea of numbers. It also makes registration much quicker for everyone on the day of the contest. If you do not have an account please create one, it's free and it makes our job much easier. 

2015 Canadian National Aerobatic Championships

The 2015 Canadian National Aerobatic Championships will be hosted in Hanover, Ontario August 15 and 16th, 2015 at the Hanover/ Saugeen Municipal Airport (CYHS). Practice and registration will be on August 14th. We look forward to Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced and Unlimited power categories.

Contest entry fee: $125
Hangars: $10 per night
Contest Director: Phil Englishman

The official contest hotel is the Best Western in Walkerton. Rooms have been set aside for us at a special rate of $139 plus tax per night. This rate is well below their regular rate. The rooms will be held under the name Phil Englishman on behalf of the Aerobatic competition. You can contact the hotel directly at 226-436-3030 or 1-855-436-3030 and tell them that you are with the aerobatic event. The 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.

We will be posting more information, pre-registration links and box photos soon. For any urgent questions feel free to contact us at aerobaticscanada.ch3@gmail.com.

That's all for now!

2014 Upper Canada Open

The fourth annual Upper Canada Open was held August 15 to 17 at the Tillsonburg airport with 13 competitors in 4 categories - including 3 pilots from the United States.

Though preparations started many months earlier, the box markers were put out on Wednesday by Andy Ernewein, PatRebtoy, and Larry Ernewein.  Pat had spent a fair amount of time with Trevor Rafferty making and bending the 400 quarter inch steel rods that held our box markers securely in the ground.  Pat was also the competition’s starter – keeping things going very well during several bouts of bad weather.

Paperwork arrived Friday morning with Josh Pegg who also served as technical monitor doing the tech inspections and the guy with the VHF radios during the contest. He effectively kept itinerant aircraft out of the box. Several important jobs were unable to be assigned prior to the event but, as so often happens, all positions were filled by volunteers arriving on Friday.

Laura Buescher and Carol Granger did the always-formidable task of arranging the PAPERWORK! A contest cannot function without a lot of it and it MUST be very organized, or chaos ensues. Don’t ask how I know… They did a fantastic job.

Ever try to run the IAC scoring system (Jasper) on a Mac? Nope – it won’t work. So Elaine Ernewein, our scoring guru and computer nerd who likes the Apple computers, put an old PC to work. It only took about 300 hours of prep time before the contest, but the work paid off because the scores were usually posted before the judges left the line for category changes.

Joy McKinney, who was the Volunteer Co-ordinator at the 2013 WAC in Texas, did the same job for us. She and Pat had to leave the contest on Saturday night at 5pm, drive 70 miles, attend a family event, get some sleep, drive 70 miles back for the 0700 briefing – that we all forgot to tell them had been moved to 1000. Ooooppss...

Sandy Langworthy and Hugo Ritzenthaler of Chapter 88 drove  from Michigan to judge under the watchful eye of Chief Judge Carole Holyk. Wayne Buescher and Chris Pulley completed the line. Assistants and recorders included: Pat Barrett (driving in from New York), Brianne McCutcheon,  Dan Unger, Hella Comat, Meghan MacNeil , Andy Ernewein, Andrea Kuciak, Bill Ludwig, Desmond Lightbody, Trevor Rafferty, Charles Phillips, and Jeff Granger – who was also our medical director.

Practice day, Friday went well and we all retired to a local restaurant for dinner and drinks.

Saturday morning briefing was a bit late because Contest Director Bjarni Tryggvason’s Pitts mis-behaved. So he drove to the contest and arranged to fly a Harvard (AT-6 in the U.S.) in Primary instead of his usual Sporstsman. Which conveniently made a contest for first-time competitor Charles Phillips in his Citabria. This made all the other pilots happy as we were trying to decide who would have to embarrassthemself by flying Primary to help Charles out. It turned out he didn’t need any help. He won the Category! But it sure was neat to see and HEAR a Harvard at a contest!

In Sportsman, Dan Unger flying a Pitts S1 (also of Chapter 88) took 3rd, Chris Pulley flew his Pitts S1 to second, and Larry Ernewein won flying the Bucker Jungmann.

Jeff Granger took the top spot in Intermediate in his Extra 300, Trevor Rafferty (winner of the unknown) was second in the Javelin he built, and third place went to last year’s winner Bill Ludwig in a Pitts S1T. Wayne Buescher was in 4th with the Staudacher S600 ahead of Desmond Lightbody flying a Pitts S2A.

Scott McMaster, who flies and teaches in just about everything – especially gliders – managed 3rd in the One Design, Hella Comat in her S1T placed second to Andy Ernewein flying an S1.  Nobody zeroed an unknown figure!

Quite a few locals turned up to watch the flying, and a surprise visit was paid by Gerry and Doreen Younger, who flew a Pitts S2A (open front cockpit) to the field to see how aerobatics are done now-a-days. For those who don’t recognize the name, Gerry pretty well started aerobatics in Canada back in the 1960’s – that’s right! Over 50 years ago! And he’s still doing airshows and unlimited-type aerobatics – even with his new hips – though he hasn’t competed in about 20 years. He recently went through his archives and found 13 Aerobatics Canada beer mugs that he arranged to have delivered to the competition. We gave one to each pilot. The mugs are older that some of the contestants! When the rain started on Saturday afternoon, Doreen climbed into the front seat and Gerry flew them back to his hangar in Kitchener. Gerry, in the back seat with the canopy, stayed dry…..

The staff of Tillsonburg airport (Claude, Grant and Mary Ann) could not have been more helpful. Manager Annette Murray is attempting to make the airport a vibrant place again and we’re very glad she directed her efforts our way.Stay tuned for next year’s bigger and better Upper Canada Open!