C-Cup action: Bob Smith (left), battles Jeff Rein in the second of the four 2011 C-Cup 80mph Combat contests. Jeff was the contest winner. Gene Pape photo.
On Saturday Junuary 18 -- no I did not misspell January -- the second C-Cup was held at the Nisqually Indian Tribe's baseball field. They are working on the fields to get them ready for baseball. Since we were last there, they have built dugout areas, which double as a cage to hold combat flyers.
Early weather forecast called for sun, and then the weather people realized it was Junuary and forecast rain. It was raining when I arrived at the site and continued while we setup the site. Buzz Wilson photos (above and below).
One of the most comical things of the day was Robert Smith putting plastic shopping bags over his socks and then putting on his sneakers. He said he learned it from Mel.
Six flyers showed up to fly - Don McKay, Jim Green, Robert Smith, Gene Pape, myself and two-time champion Jeff Rein. Absent were John Thompson, Kenny Johansen, and Mel Lyne. With six flyers, five rounds using the round robin format from C-Cup One was used. This is a very easy way to run a contest. You start the contest with two contestants who are ready to fly. At the end of the match, if one of the pilots equipment is still flyable they stay on circle and a new flyer comes in and a match if flown. We averaged 16 minutes a match. This included clearing the circle from the previous match, pull testing on the circle, assigning streamers, pilots filling fuel bladders, and warming engines. We started at 10:00 a.m. and had three rounds flown in two hours.
One of the points emphasized during the pilots meeting was stay together and not wander out of the circle.
Obviously Jim and Robert each had their own circle. Gene Pape photo.
Jim was heard quoting Mike Rule, “Thanks a lot Bob” Gene Pape photo.
Don is honing is pitting skills. Gene Pape photo.
The last flight of my Walkerman before it is Robertized. Gene Pape photo.
This is the second contest flown under the new rules. One point for a cut, deduct one point for each down time incident, and three minutes flying. The contest places are decided based on cuts minus down deducts, if there is a tie it is decided by how the tied competitors did head to head. If this does not resolve the issue then it goes to who can spit a glow plug the furthest.
Fifteen matches were flown with fourteen cuts and 23 down time incidents. There were more cuts and less down time. Two of the 15 matches were ties. Four flyers got three cuts in five matches. Don McKay continues to lead down time incidents with six in this contest.
This is the last contest for Don and Robert before they head off to the Nats. Don was using the matches to test equipment. We wish them good luck.
During the lunch break, awards were handed out and a discussion on how points would be applied toward the C-Cup. Also discussed was how to get out of the Catch and Release Cage.
Caged-up combat fliers. Buzz Wilson photo.
At the end of the day, two flyers Robert Smith and Jeff Rein were tied for first each with a plus one score. Robert had two cuts and one down time deducts. Jeff had three cuts and two down time events. In their head-to-head match, they tied; in fact, they had identical records against all common opponents until Jim Green. Robert had tied Jim, but Jeff had beaten him. This gave Jeff first place and Robert Second. I was hoping they would have to spit glow plugs. Jim Green repeated his third place winning way.
Half way through the Cup, Gene leads with 6 cuts, Robert is in second with 4 cuts, and four flyers are tied for third with 3 cuts.
Here are the results of C-Cup Contest 2. (Northwest standings points in parentheses):
80MPH COMBAT (6 entries)
1. Jeff Rein, Covington, Wash. (6)
2. Robert Smith, Roy, Wash. (5)
3. Jim Green, Bellevue, Wash. (4)
4. Gene Pape, Eugene, Ore. (3)
5. Buzz Wilson, Belfair, Wash.
6. Don McKay, Redmond, Wash. Wash.
Chehalis Cup Contest No. 3 is scheduled for July 23. See Where the Action Is for details.
Jim Green (left and Buzz Wilson) in a match. Gene Pape photo.
Buzz Wilson (left) and Bob Smith go at it. Gene Pape photo.
This page was upated June 23, 2011