Ionia Results

I started looking for news of the Region 6 contest at Ionia last weekend
when their practice days started hoping the hosts or contest management
would have some news...a current roster maybe or some sentence or two about
the weather or at least a note if the was bad and unflyable. Here it is 10
PM Wednesday night, the week half over, and not a word. One would assume
that maybe the contest was canceled or that the hosts and officials don't
care what the rest of the world thinks of the selfish manner in which they
are keeping their secrets.

Actually, I know from other sources what is happening but I am disappointed
that they don't understand what a bad impression they are making by their
lack of dissemination of timely information. The SSA has gone to so much
trouble to make it so easy to post contest reports (good, bad, scores, or
just basic information) and it's sad to see this ignored.

Ed Byars

Ed,
I agree totally with your statement. But now, it is
Thursday morning, 0645 hrs Eastern Daylight Time, and
still no report that I can find on either the SSA webpage
or the Benz Aviation web page.

Why don't the race organizers have a person responsible
for providing daily written information to the SSA
web page all lined up before the race? Isn't that
part of smart Contest Management? And, of course,
having a scorer who can upload the daily results to
the SSA web page? I believe Guy has made it so easy
that 'even a cave man can do it.'


Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

At 02:30 19 July 2007, Ed Byars wrote:
I started looking for news of the Region 6 contest
at Ionia last weekend
when their practice days started hoping the hosts or
contest management
would have some news...a current roster maybe or some
sentence or two about
the weather or at least a note if the was bad and unflyable.
Here it is 10
PM Wednesday night, the week half over, and not a
word. One would assume
that maybe the contest was canceled or that the hosts
and officials don't
care what the rest of the world thinks of the selfish
manner in which they
are keeping their secrets.

Actually, I know from other sources what is happening
but I am disappointed
that they don't understand what a bad impression they
are making by their
lack of dissemination of timely information. The
SSA has gone to so much
trouble to make it so easy to post contest reports
(good, bad, scores, or
just basic information) and it's sad to see this ignored.

Ed Byars

Ed,

As you know, Ionia is in a time warp. Perhaps this is an attempt to bring
quaintness back into racing. No news until it appears in Soaring 6 months
after the fact. Maybe they've even banned GPS, handing out Instamatics and
30-year old 110 film fresh from the freezer each morning. But only ONE ROLL
per day per contestant! And flying nothing but ASTs under visual timing.
Sigh.

Opposum Chef

"Ed Byars" wrote in message
...
I started looking for news of the Region 6 contest at Ionia last weekend
when their practice days started hoping the hosts or contest management
would have some news...a current roster maybe or some sentence or two about
the weather or at least a note if the was bad and unflyable. Here it is 10
PM Wednesday night, the week half over, and not a word. One would assume
that maybe the contest was canceled or that the hosts and officials don't
care what the rest of the world thinks of the selfish manner in which they
are keeping their secrets.

Actually, I know from other sources what is happening but I am
disappointed that they don't understand what a bad impression they are
making by their lack of dissemination of timely information. The SSA has
gone to so much trouble to make it so easy to post contest reports (good,
bad, scores, or just basic information) and it's sad to see this ignored.

Ed Byars

Maybe you're right Opposum. I've been blasted by KS and others for not
"getting with" the new fangled rules etc. so why should I bitch about a
little time warp where we go back to the old ways of reporting? I'm
sorry...I just lost my head there for a moment.
ED
"user" wrote in message
...
Ed,

As you know, Ionia is in a time warp. Perhaps this is an attempt to bring
quaintness back into racing. No news until it appears in Soaring 6 months
after the fact. Maybe they've even banned GPS, handing out Instamatics and
30-year old 110 film fresh from the freezer each morning. But only ONE
ROLL per day per contestant! And flying nothing but ASTs under visual
timing. Sigh.

Opposum Chef

"Ed Byars" wrote in message
...
I started looking for news of the Region 6 contest at Ionia last weekend
when their practice days started hoping the hosts or contest management
would have some news...a current roster maybe or some sentence or two
about the weather or at least a note if the was bad and unflyable. Here
it is 10 PM Wednesday night, the week half over, and not a word. One
would assume that maybe the contest was canceled or that the hosts and
officials don't care what the rest of the world thinks of the selfish
manner in which they are keeping their secrets.

Actually, I know from other sources what is happening but I am
disappointed that they don't understand what a bad impression they are
making by their lack of dissemination of timely information. The SSA
has gone to so much trouble to make it so easy to post contest reports
(good, bad, scores, or just basic information) and it's sad to see this
ignored.

Ed Byars

user wrote:
Ed,

flying nothing but ASTs under visual timing.
Sigh.

Opposum Chef
I used to love lying on the grass with the binoculars lining up the string
windows an' stuff.
In the age of GPS, no more bands of glassy-eyed glider spotters baking in the
sun.

It was fun.

*sigh*

--
Message posted via http://www.aviationkb.com

On Jul 19, 10:11 am, "Kloudy via AviationKB.com" u33403@uwe wrote:
I used to love lying on the grass with the binoculars lining up the string
windows an' stuff.

Grass??? Try sitting in the middle of the desert in 110+ temps. Now
that was fun!

-Tom

5Z wrote:
I used to love lying on the grass with the binoculars lining up the string
windows an' stuff.

Grass??? Try sitting in the middle of the desert in 110+ temps. Now
that was fun!

-Tom

Well, grass such as it was..more like hay in NorCal july 100+deg. temps
yup
I feel your pain
O_o

--
Message posted via AviationKB.com
http://www.aviationkb.com/Uwe/Forums...aring/200707/1

"Ed Byars" wrote in message
...
I started looking for news of the Region 6 contest at Ionia last weekend
when their practice days started hoping the hosts or contest management
would have some news................ Ed Byars

The reason that there is no news about Ionia contest is that no one is
willing to write an article.
Another reason is that there is not much to write about.
There is no reason for the scorer to not be putting the scores on the SSA
web site.

It is an unusually small contest, even for Ionia. Maybe too many looked at
the long range weather forecast.
6 in Standard
6 in 15-M
7 in Sport Class

On the practice day a task was published put no one flew it. Lift to 3000
AGL, but very spotty and unreliable. Then poor weather like Ionia in the
old days. On Wed, Jul 18 a task was flown.

Standard Class - 48 mi MAT
2 finishers, 1 incomplete, 3 DNC
winner - Andy Gough (44)

15 M Class - 48 mi MAT
2 finishers, 1 incomplete, 3 DNC
winner - Kirk Stant (66)

Sport Class - 48 mi MAT
1 finishers, 5 incomplete, 1 DNC
winner (?) - Duane Eisenbeiss (93)
No Contest Day

Thur, Jul 19
Grided for about 2 hours, raced back to the trailers and de-rigged, most
after the rain squall and dust front past.

Hoping for better weather before the end of the contest in 2 days.

On the practice day a task was published put no one flew it. Lift to 3000
AGL, but very spotty and unreliable.

Well, not quite true - At least two people flew and completed the
declared practice task, about 110 miles, at about 50 mph. Both were
LSs. One of the flights is on OLC.

Actually, a challenging and rather fun flight.

Kirk
66

One of the most beneficial functions of a regional contest is to mix
experienced racing pilots with novitiates. There are very few
unsoarable days, save when the heavens fall to earth in a deluge. A
handful of experienced pilots can demonstrate that even when the BL is
shallow and lift weak and hard to predict, it's still possible to
complete a hundred-mile-plus task over several hours. Yes, there will
be land outs, but as you mentioned, the satisfaction that comes with
besting such a day makes the apres vol beer seem colder and hoppier.

Opossum Chef

On Jul 20, 9:04 am, "kirk.stant" wrote:
On the practice day a task was published put no one flew it. Lift to 3000
AGL, but very spotty and unreliable.

Well, not quite true - At least two people flew and completed the
declared practice task, about 110 miles, at about 50 mph. Both were
LSs. One of the flights is on OLC.

Actually, a challenging and rather fun flight.

Kirk
66