An Idea For Rotorcraft Events -- Rotorcraft Air Ralley

jcarleto

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Jun 5, 2007
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Taylorsville, GA
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Beech Bonanza G-35 N4638D/"The Bulldozer" 2-Place Gyroplane N575EE
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I was thinking about events and contests at Bensen Days, Mentone and the like and wondered if anyone ever considered a "road ralley" type event. I see it as something like this:

Event coordinators would have to lay out a course in the general area of the host airport. The course should include some dead reckoning legs and, typical of road ralleys, some waypoint clues that require a bit of thought. Most good road ralleys have one waypoint clue that is obscure enough to confuse at least one or two contestants and prevent them from finishing the course. That might be optional for a first attempt, as there is more to flying than driving a car and tough road ralleys generally include a driver and navigator. A clever course would bring the contestants in view of the airport every so often for audience interest.

The goal being to finish the course with the time closest to the event coordinator's time rather than the fastest time. It is more about precision flying than speed. The coordinator's time must be a well-kept secret until the ralley is complete. If the maximum expected speed for any given leg was limited to 50 or so, then any gyro should be able to compete.

It should be a very safe event. There is no need to for a shotgun start. Contestants could begin the ralley at 5 minute intervals or greater throughout the day or the whole event, for that matter. The only thing that would matter would be to get an official start and finish time for the contestant.

Just a thought...

*JC*
 
I like this idea. Balloons have done stuff like this -- not necessarily races, but big events that generate exposure of ballooning to the public. Can you imagine four or five dozen gyros covering the same ground in a relatively short period of time. I think this would do a lot for the sport and be a pretty good event.
 
I think that would be VERY fun.

Last year and the year before I sponsored a "poker run" to local airports and a breakfast cross country trip to a local airport with a 'nearby' diner.

This year I am too busy to do both so I will be just sponsoring the breakfast cross county.

If someone wants to volunteer to coordinate a poker run, this Air Rally or any other flight event please step forward or contact me.

.
 
Guys I'll set up a poker run this year if you want
 
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The "typical" poker run either splits a deck between destinations (airports, in this case) or provides each destination a full deck. Participants fly to the destinations until a proper poker hand is collected. One card per destination. Sometimes there are more destinations than actually required for a hand to add a bit of variety and additional randomness to the draw. And sometimes small FBO's at airports complain if they are left out and miss the opportunity to sell fuel. Since sometimes a full deck of cards is used at each destination for ease of distribution, some of the poker hands can get strange and rules have to be in place to handle five-of-a-kind and other oddities.

Best hand wins...simple as that. No real skill is involved, though the quality of your hand may depend in some small part upon the order you reach particular destinations. For the most part, it is a way to fly and participate in a fairly random draw.

*JC*
 
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I think that these types of events are great but should be publicized to the public so they can come out and see the action at 'their' airport. The attendees at Mentone, or wherever, should also be made aware one is going on so they can experience it vicariously.

The other event that is similar but requires experienced and highly proficient pilots (this means low time Joe Average ain't flying in this event!) is the triangular race course where a pilot takes off and flies a leg to a landmark and then another leg to another landmark before returning to the airport. The pilot is timed from the time he/she passes a start line on takeoff and to when passing he passes the start line, in the air, on return.

The takeoff distance is measured from the start line and is used as penalty points against the time of flight. This event has only been done once as far as I know, at the 2002 PRA convention in Texas, and was really a crowd pleaser. I've been wanting to see this again ever since. It does require several 'helpers' to do the timing and takeoff observation/measurement.

Some of the highly proficient pilots that participated in Texas as I rember them, were Steve McGowan, Larry Neal, Mike Solano (he won!) Ernie Boyette (he took a passenger!) Duane Hunn, and Ken Rehler. Ken provided to only heart stopping moment when his prerotator malfunctioned when he was just marginally at liftoff speed. He shut it down right then and there.
 
Are there enough airports within a reasonable distance from Mentone?
 
According to Airnav.com

(http://www.airnav.com/airport/C92)

KRCR - Fulton County Airport (7 nm SW)
KASW - Warsaw Municipal Airport (13 nm NE)
C65 - Plymouth Municipal Airport (17 nm NW)
C03 - Nappanee Municipal Airport (19 nm N)
I76 - Peru Municipal Airport (22 nm S)

However, Airnav just includes airports with an instrument approach on that list (Mentone has no instrument approach). Here's a sectional-chart view centered on Mentone.

http://skyvector.com/#49-13-3-5174-2962

cheers

-=K=-
 
That looks like a poker hand to me within 19 miles.

Thank you, Vance
 
Goys ????

Hebrew and Yiddish term for a non-Jewish person; synonymous with "gentile." Usually neutral, despite persistent untrue rumors that it is derogatory. It should only be considered offensive when it is used in a context indicating that it's intended as an insult, or said in a tone of disgust- much like the word "Jew." Plural, "goyim"; adjective forms "goyish," "goyishe," "goyisher."
 
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