PGC XC/Racing/Badges 2007

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RACING - Contests

2007 15 Meter Nationals - Four PGC PIlots: Tom Peterson (TP2), Chip Fitzpatrick (KK), Richard Kellerman (QV) and Bud Bauder (2B) made the trip to Mifflin County Airport to race in the 2007 15 Meter Nationals. Mifflin is one of the earlier contests (5/15 - 5/24) and has some of the best and most diversified soaring conditions you will find at a meet. Our PGC guys flew 8 contest days out of 10 - a great average. Tom Peterson finished at 17th. Place (top half of the score sheet) which is excellent considering he was racing against the top pilots in the US.

KK sits in the setting sun at the end of the contest day. ( Photo by Chip Fitzpatrick)

TP2 puts his ship away at the end of the day. ( Photo by Chip Fitzpatrick)

Mifflin spring time weather is changable and dramatic. (Photo by Konesky)

Every contest day starts with the pilot's meeting. 100+ pilots and crew typically attend at a Nationals. (Photo by Konesky)

Chip takes a shot of the contest grid - this runway is facing west, the typical launch direction. ( Photo by Chip Fitzpatrick)

The 15 Meter launch is under way - tugs land parallel to the grid on the right - taxi nonstop to the front - and are on the roll when the prior tow lifts off. (Photo by Konesky)

2007 Region 3 - John Cotter (XJ), Ken Kochanski (KK), and Richard Kellerman (QV) competed in the Region 3 Meet at Harris Hill during the last week in August 2007. (8/26 - 9/1). QV unfortunately was knocked out of the contest on the first day when a landout damaged an aileron. XJ and KK dodged most of the bullets and finished 6th. and 5th. in respective classes. We had five contest days, which is great for R3 - although all of the days were technically challenging. Thanks to Tom Peterson for crewing for the first half of the meet.

"Mean" Kai Gertsen - The CD

Below - The Harris Hill Juniors run one of the most efficent launch operations at a contest. Ships were launched at 60 second intervals until the entire class was in the air. ( Photo by Todd Knapp)

This is "Mean" Kai Gertsen on the left, the contest director at the R3 meet. I met Kai 20+ years ago at my first regional and he was mean then. He hasn't changed much - just mean to the bone - and now he carries a stick. (Photo by Joe Ortiz)

Nice shot of KK in a gaggle before the start gate opened. ( Photo by John Banarhall)

John Cotter lining up XJ for touch down at Harris Hill. ( Photo by Joe Ortiz)

KK grid shot on the last contest day. "Mean" Kai Gertsen sent all classes to the high ground behind me in the photo - and 30% of the fleet landed out ... KK and XJ got home, however. ( Photo by Joe Ortiz)

Another nice grid shot shot of Jim Paris in the foreground ... and KK taking a senior-moment nap in the background. ( Photo by Tom Peterson)

The Region 3 Harris Hill Grid (Photo by Tom Peterson)

CROSS COUNTRY

Sugarbush Vermont - Chip took KK up to Sugarbush Vermont to do some XC soaring over the Region 1 contest area. The terrain is pretty hostile - you have to make sure you have a landout area in your back pocket. Chip did some sightseeing and connected with wave - getting to 9,000'

Norm Price and Pam Cavanagh took one of the PGC Grob 103s on a cross-country flight on May 6th. The Spring thermal conditions were excellent and cloud streets stretched from horizon to horizon. Norm reports that the vario was pegged at 10 knots at some times. Beautiful day and a great ride !!!

(Photos by Price/Cavanagh)

Upper left - On Tow ... Upper Right - Van Sant ... Lower Left - Spruce Run ... Lower Right - Round Valley

BADGES - 2007

= Completed Leg & Badge

= Completed Leg

Badge

SILVER

GOLD

DIAMOND

1000K

Member

BRZ

DIST

DUR

CLM

DIST

DUR

CLM

GOAL

DIST

CLM

DIST

Mike Peterson

Tom Peterson

John Cotter

Chip Fitzpatrick

Phil Klauder

Norm Price

Phil Jones

RACING - GUV CUP/OLC

Nine PGC XC pilots competed in the Guv Cup during the 2007 season - scoring on 30 sorties covering ~ 4,000 cross-country miles. PGC scored 14.7K points - putting it within striking distance of our arch-rivals, the ACA Pudknockers. One season it will come together and PGC will vanquish the Puds.

2007 PGC GUV CUP RACING PILOTS			SEASON SCORES
John Cotter	Chip Fitzpatrick	Richard Kellerman	ACA - 22,246
Bud Bauder	Tom Peterson	Rich Kiray	PGC - 14,684
Ken Kochanski	Norm Price	Paul Finestone	BSA - 5,387
			IND - 3,081

PGC pilots also participated in the OLC during the 2007 season. PGC finished 28th. in the OLC-League out of 89 clubs that participated in the US. PGC pilots posted 62 flights during the OLC open period.

2007 OLC PILOTS			SEASON SCORES
John Cotter	Chip Fitzpatrick	Jeff Woertz	ACA - 2,060
Bud Bauder	Richard Kellerman		PGC - 1,393
Ken Kochanski	John Carlyle