Even the prop's a thing of beauty on Pat Johnston's Mustang, seen here at the 2007 Fall Follies. Bruce Hunt photo.
Oregon is known for its beautiful "Indian Summer" autumn weather,
and most of the 21 years of the Fall Follies, always held in early October,
have had mostly pleasant weather. The 2007 contest fell on a weekend that
followed a week of intermittent rain in the Willamette Valley, and the threat
of more kept some of the usual contestants away. Well, it didn't rain, and
if the wind had been, oh, say, 15 mph slower, we could have claimed another
"pleasant weather" Follies. Alas, Salem became The Windy City
for two days.
Wind was steady, except when there were higher gusts; calm moments were few and only in the early morning. As a result there were a few crashes, a lot of fliers passing on stunt rounds, and one of the racing events canceled.
Photo at right: Broadway Bod Busters combat team members fight the wind, which is trying to tear away their tarp: (from left) Buzz Wilson, Jeff Rein, Ken Burdick. Mark Hansen photo. For more on the Bod Busters at the Follies, see A View from Broadway.
Nevertheless, the contest was indeed held, as were the delightful barbecue/party at the home of Bruce and Kris Hunt on Saturday evening and the WOLF-sponsored barbecue on Sunday. As it turned out, the Sunday barbecue was followed by the trophy presentation and everyone went home early and a little windburned.
The 2007 Follies was the Northwest's first experience with dividing Classic Stunt into two separate classes, Expert and Sportsman, in the same way that Profile Stunt is divided in Northwest contests. The experiment appeared to be a success, with nine entrants over the two classes.
It's safe to say that a good time was had by all of the 26 participants in spite of the weather, though the pilots would definitely have had a better time if it weren't for the howling gale. Paul Walker showed all stunt fliers how to ignore adverse conditions, calmly putting in an excellent flight with the Impact XLE. Combat fliers flew enough matches to award places, though many of the matches ended in wind-aided collisions.
The Fall Follies lived up to is reputation as a low-key, relaxed season-ending event that sent everyone home looking forward to the coming contest season, only a few months away. And that's the main point of the Follies -- to have fun while putting a nice finishing touch on the contest season.
The Follies also was the opportunity to award the annual Vintage Stunt Championship trophy, sponsored by Don McClave. The trophy goes to the flier who scores the most points in Old-Time and Classic Stunt during the season. This year's award went to Pat Johnston, well ahead of the competition.
Note: The FL editor has listed the airplanes with the results below from memory, and the information is incomplete. If you see anything that's wrong or incomplete, please e-mail the editor and I will update the report.
Contest staff:
Field setup: Mike Hazel, Bruce Hunt
Tabulation and score running: Mike Hazel, Art Zehner, Leo Mehl
Saturday night barbecue hosts: Bruce and Kris Hunt
Sunday barbecue: Mike Hazel, Bruce and Kris Hunt
Combat Director: Gary Harris
Contest Director: John Thompson
Thanks also to many others who helped out with various chores and details!
Sponsor: Western Oregon Control-Line Flyers
Photo at right: Expert Precision Aerobatics winner Paul Walker receives his trophy from WOLF's Mike "ZZ" Hazel. Mark Hansen photo.
NW Standings points in parentheses
EXPERT CLASSIC STUNT (6 entries)
1. Bruce Hunt, Salem, Ore., Southwick Lark, OS .46LA -- 519.5 (6)
2. Scott Riese, Portland, Ore., Cobra, OS .40LA -- 514.5, (5)
3. Pat Johnston, Boise, Idaho, Shark 35, OS .46LA -- 510.5 (4)
4. Bob Smiley, Kingston, Wash., Profile Oriental, Brodak .40 -- 498
(3)
5. Dan Rutherford, Bothell, Wash., Flite Streak, OS .20FP -- 493
6. Leo Mehl, Portland, Ore., Ruffy, OS .40FP -- 452.5
Judges: Don McClave, John Thompson
SPORTSMAN CLASSIC STUNT (3 entries)
1. Greg Hart, Molalla, Ore., JD Falcon, OS .46LA -- 413 (3)
2. Mark Scarborough, Pullman, Wash., Oriental, OS .40FP -- 375 (2)
3. Mike Haverly, Auburn, Wash., JD Falcon, Brodak .40 -- 225 (1)
Judges: Don McClave, John Thompson
SPORTSMAN PROFILE STUNT (4 entries)
1. Greg Hart, Roadrunner, OS .40LA -- 401 (4)
2. Art Zehner, Troutdale, Ore., Cardinal ARF, OS .40FP -- 337.5 (3)
Two other entrants passed both rounds.
Judges: Don McClave, Pat Johnston
EXPERT PROFILE STUNT (3 entries)
1. Dan Rutherford, Flite Streak, OS .20FP -- 354 (3)
2. Bob Smiley, Profile Oriental, Brodak .40 -- 149 (2)
One other entrant passed both rounds.
Judges: Don McClave, Pat Johnston
BEGINNER PRECISION AEROBATICS (2 entries)
1. Richard Entwistle, Scappoose, Ore. ARF Tutor -- 235.5 (2)
2. Joe Just, Waitsburg, Wash., Modified Twister, Irvine .25-- 42.5
(1)
Judges: Don McClave, John Thompson
INTERMEDIATE PRECISION AEROBATICS (4 entries)
1. Rick Cochrun, Redmond, Wash., Pathfinder, OS .40LA -- 387.5 (4)
2. Art Zehner -- 382.5 (3)
3. Mike Denlis, Eugene, Ore., ARF Tutor, OS Max .40 -- 248 (2)
4. Mark Scarborough, ARC Vector 40, OS .40FP -- 232 (1)
Judges: Don McClave, John Thompson
ADVANCED PRECISION AEROBATICS (4 entries)
1. John Thompson, Eugene, Ore., Vector 40, OS .40LA -- 476 (4)
2. Todd Ryan, Moses Lake, Wash., Cardinal, O.S. .40FP -- 413 (3)
3. Mike Haverly, Oriental Plus, RO-Jett .40 -- 358.5 (2)
One other entrant passed both rounds.
Judges: Don McClave, Pat Johnston
Photo at right: Advanced Precision Aerobatics Judges McClave and Johnson at work. Bruce Hunt photo.
EXPERT PRECISION AEROBATICS (8 entries)
1. Paul Walker, Kent, Wash., Impact XLE, Plettenberg -- 546.5 (12)
2. Bruce Hunt, Southwick Lark, OS .46LA -- 479.5 (10.5)
3. Bob Smiley, Profile Oriental, Brodak .40 -- 458 (9)
Five other entrants passed both rounds.
Judges: Don McClave, John Thompson
80MPH COMBAT (6 entries)
1. Bob Smith, Roy, Wash. (6)
2. Jeff Rein, Covinton, Wash. (5)
3. Ken Burdick, Kent, Wash. (4)
4. Buzz Wilson, Belfair, Wash. (2)
Other entrants: Don McKay, Redmond, Wash.; Mark Hansen, Portland,
Ore.
Combat officials: Gary Harris and contestants
NORTHWEST SPORT RACE (4 entries)
1. Bob Smiley, Kingston, Wash. -- 10:26.38 (4)
2. Nitroholics Racing Team, Salem/Eugene, Ore. -- 10:27.66 (3)
3. Todd Ryan, Moses Lake, Wash. -- 4:07.59 heat
4. Mac Ryan, Burbank, Wash. -- 4:18.38 heat
FLYING CLOWN RACE (3 entries)
All entrants scratched due to weather conditions.
NORTHWEST SUPER SPORT RACE (2 entries)
1. Todd Ryan -- 7:45.16 (2)
2. Nitroholics Racing Team -- 8:16.99 (1)
Racing officials: Bruce Hunt, Dan Rutherford, Joe Just
Results of this contest are included in the Northwest Control-Line Competition Standings.
Left photo: Some of the guys hanging out at the Follies: (from left) Joe Just, Mark Scarborough, Randy Powell, Pat Johnston. Right photo: Mark Scarbrough with the Vector 40. Bruce Hunt photos.
Dan Rutherford taking a close look at his ARF Skyray, perhaps pondering the intricacies of his inboard two-tank fuel system. Perhaps a topic for a future "The Real Dirt" column? Bruce Hunt photos.
Left photo: Mike Denlis has a nifty pressurized fueling system. He pumps up the pressure with the bulb, then opens the valve to let fuel flow. Finally, uncapping a pressure relief line lets pressure return to normal. Right photo: Mike Haverly heads to the handle, while Rick Cochrun holds. Bruce Hunt photos.
Racing action from the Follies: Above, Scott Riese warms up Bob Smiley's Northwest Sport Race entry before a heat. Nitroholics Racing Team (John Thompson in the pit, Mike Hazel at the handle) at the other position. Todd Ryan photo.
Pat Johnston (left) and Scott Riese shared pit duties on Bob Smiley's NWSR. Todd Ryan photos.
Improvising a repair in the pits: Mac Ryan (right) applies a FasCal patch on a hole in the wing of the Nitroholics' NWSR plane during a pit stop, while John Thompson refuels and timer Joe Just watches. Todd Ryan photo.
This page was upated Oct. 23, 2007