Wednesday 14 December 2011

New Years Lunch!

Yes, it's that time of year again! We figured since last year's New Years brunch was such a hit, we'd do it again. Everyone is welcome to join us for a casual brunch/lunch. The lunch will take place on Sunday January 8th at 12:00 pm and will be located at the Borealis Grillehouse in Kitchener. Borealis is located at 4336 King Street East, Kitchener, ON (just north of the 401). It will be a casual get together so bring your significant others and anybody else who enjoys good food and unusual attitudes. Hope to see everyone there.

On a separate note, if you haven't had a chance to look at the current issue of Canadian Aviator you may want to pick one up. It contains a detailed article about aerobatics in Canada and a familiar aircraft on the cover. 

Also, we are currently in the process of planning a formal Chapter 3 meeting near the end of February or early March. The details are currently being finalized and will be posted soon.

Happy Holidays!

Chapter 3 

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Judges School 2012



Chapter 88 (Michigan) is in the process of finalizing a judges school for 2012. It looks as though it will be located somewhere in southern Michigan, ie: Howell, Ann Arbour... etc. and will take place sometime in March. The details will be finalized within the next few weeks.

Chapter 88 has sent out an invitation to any Chapter 3 member wishing to join them at the school in March.  The school will likely take place over a weekend and usually lasts 2 days. For those of you who have never attended it is a great learning experience even if you have no desire to become an official judge. 

If anybody is interested please send an e-mail to aerobaticscanada.ch3@gmail.com. Chapter 88 has been in contact with us and would like to get an estimate for numbers. More information to follow.

Wednesday 21 September 2011

New Photo Page!

A new photo page has been created and contains a collection of photos from this year's 2011 Upper Canada Open in Hanover, ON. The photo page can be accessed by clicking on the link titled "Photos" located on the right hand side of the blog.  ----------->

A special thank you goes out to Rich Isaac for taking most of the incredible pictures found in the new photo section of the Chapter 3 blog. Thanks Rich!

It should also be noted that if anybody has any pictures from a Chapter 3 or aerobatic related event, we would love to post them in the blog photo section. Photos can be e-mailed to aerobaticscanada.ch3@gmail.com. That's all for now! 

Andy Ernewein 

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Upper Canada Open Review!



Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3 is pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2011 Upper Canada Open, which occurred the weekend of August 26, 2011 in Hanover, Ontario. Three categories were flown, the highest being Intermediate. Contest Director Larry Ernewein did a superb job handling the legwork needed to put on the first aerobatic contest Ontario has seen in five years! The supporting team from Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3, notably Pat Rebbetoy, Joy McKinney, and Mark and Brenda Bayley were the driving force who made the contest a reality. Without their help, the Southwestern Ontario aerobatic community would still be dreaming of having ‘another’ contest.

Turnout for the contest included fourteen airplanes and fifteen competitors, all Canadians, including two first time competitors in Primary. Congratulations to Mike Jones of London, and Trish Volker of Burlington for jobs well done getting into the competition aerobatics scene. Other competitors such as Phil Sciuk and Desmond Lightbody came from the Oshawa area, and John Wyman came all the way from Montreal in his Pitts S1S, followed by his support team in an Champ! The turnout exceeded expectations, and we were thrilled to see so much support for the contest from Canadian pilots. The results of the contest were as follows:

Primary:
  1. Trish Volker- Extra 300-  88.61%
  2. Mike Jones- Grob 115- 79.31%

Sporstman
  1. Larry Ernewein- Bucker Jungmann- 89.09%
  2. Phil Sciuk- Giles 202-81.00%
  3. Bjarni Tryggvason- Pitts S2A- 80.84%
  4. Desmond Lightbody- S2A- 80.25%
  5. Natalie McHaffie- 72.05%
  6. John Wyman- 60.23%

Intermediate:
1.      Andy Ernewein- Pitts S1S- 88.95%
2.      Hella Comat- Pitts S1T- 88.86%
3.      Michael Tryggvason- Pitts S2A- 87.10%
4.      Bill Lugwig- Pitts S1T- 78.55%
5.      Trevor Rafferty- Javelin- 77.10%
6.      Chris Pulley- S1E- 74.73%


The contest ran smoothly thanks to help ‘on the inside’ from Joy McKinney, Brenda Bayley and Elaine Ernewein who ran the registration, program coordination and scoring from the terminal of the Hanover Airport. To guide them thru the process, renowned organizers Lorrie Penner and Nancy Wright came up all the way from Ohio and Michigan to help out and make the contest such a success. Enough thanks cannot be expressed to our State-side friends who came to support the contest and the Chapter. The Chief Judge for the contest, Carole Holyk, was supported by a panel of American judges including Sandy Langworthy, Hugo Ritzenthaler, and Wayne Buescher. Paul Goyette and Chris Pulley were the two Canadians rounding out the judging panel. The shortest drive for our American friends to Hanover was five hours! Our starter was Josh Pegg, who made a smashing contest debut with next to no idle time between competitors in the box. He was without question one of the day’s MVP’s.



The weather held out on Saturday with only a three hour delay mid-day for a low scattered layer to pick up, and by five that evening, it broke sky clear for the rest of the day. Many locals from Hanover stopped by the airport occasionally to see what the fuss was about, and a few ‘fly-in’ visitors and contest help were present at the field. Riley, the Hanover airport attendant that day, did an exceptional job directing interim traffic to parking spaces that did not interfere with the contest progress. The threat of weather and wind on Sunday from the remnants of Hurricane Irene prompted the decision to complete all the contest flying on Saturday, and every competitor in Sportsman and Intermediate was able to complete a three flight contest. At the end of the day, a banquet was held at Phil Englishman’s hangar on the field, and top placing competitors were awarded. Phil was instrumental in getting the contest underway at Hanover, and we look forward to working with him again for future competitions.



The 2011 Upper Canada Open would not have been possible without the help of local, national and international contributors. Local businesses showed incredible support for bringing the contest to town, including Frankie’s Pub, Optical Gallery of Hanover, Bill Brown of Dundee Wealth Hanover, the Queens Bush Pub, Sobeys grocer Hanover, and M&M Meats Hanover. If readers do find themselves in the town of Hanover for a visit, or a fly-in lunch, we encourage you to support our contributors and let them know that the days are counting down to the next Upper Canada Open! The Saugeen Municipal Airport extended fantastic hospitality to competitors and guests alike, and Brad and the crew at the Hanover Airport restaurant went above and beyond to keep competitors and volunteers in top shape. We highly recommend stopping by or flying in for a Sunday morning breakfast/ brunch buffet.

We graciously thank our Canadian contributors: Brant Aero, Hope Propeller, and Aircraft Spruce for their cash and prize donations. Without your help, the contest would not have been the hit it was. These ‘local’ aviation supporters deserve our best support throughout the year when in need of service, parts, or a Sunday morning breakfast.

Finally, we’d like to extend our gratitude to our international contributors: Skytec Starters and Hooker Harness, who went above and beyond the call of duty to support an ‘international’ aerobatic competition. We encourage readers and competitors to show our thanks to all of these supporters by considering them as select vendors when seeking or advising parts. We are proud to stand behind all of our supporters, who independently represent the highest quality aviation products. Their standards fit hand in hand with what aerobatics is all about: pushing for perfection.

On Sunday, competitors packed up, said their goodbyes and took off for home before the winds began to howl. We as a chapter hope that each of the competitors who came out had a great time, enjoyed the flying, and came away from the weekend having learned a little more than they arrived with. Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3 is looking forward to next year’s contest at Hanover on the last weekend of August, as well as a second early season contest in late May at the Tillsonburg airport. As a club, we will be seeking high profile sponsors to partner with in years to come, as the biggest challenge we will face going forward to future competitions will be managing the event’s insurance budget. We hope that ongoing negotiations with the International Aerobatic Club, a branch of the EAA State-side, result in our Canadian based contests continuing to be honored in their Regional Series points program, and open further doors to International cooperation in aerobatics. We’re pleased to have brought together a truly International team to make the 2011 Upper Canada Open happen, and hope to see our great team return again next year, bringing some more N-registered airplanes with them!



In closing, our final thanks to all mentioned for making an event which was talked about for four years prior a reality. ‘It worked!’ The Upper Canada Open will be held for the foreseeable future on the last weekend of August, in Hanover, Ontario. Stay tuned to the IAC and Aerobatics Canada websites for news about next year’s contest, as well as an early season contest here in Ontario. Safe flying and keep warm this winter (if you’re not heading south)!

Mike Tryggvason
President, Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3

Wednesday 17 August 2011

Accomodation Update!

We've recently found out that somewhere along the line earlier in the summer, a misunderstanding about room bookings was encountered, and now to our pleasant surprise, we've found that we still have a block of ten (10) rooms available at the Canadiana Motel in Hanover- the select destination for the Upper Canada Open! So that'sgood news!

The bad news is that we were unclear as to how the lines weren't sorted out earlier, and as such, the motel is only holding the block until the end of the day tomorrow before releasing the rooms back to the public. So, we've hit a bit of a crunch in timing, and we apologize for that.

But all that said, it's time to secure a room for yourself or your party with a quick phone call to the Canadiana at (519)364-1580! The secret password to get in on the block of rooms is that you must mention that you're coming for the aerobatic contest and you'd like to book one of the rooms reserved by Larry Ernewein.

The motel's website can be found at:
http://www.canadianamotel.ca/contactus.htm
for more information.

If you're flying in, have no fears about transportation, we'll take care of everyone who needs rides to and from town (it's a quick run to the motel).

Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

Sunday 3 July 2011

Olean NY Contest- 2011 Can-Am

While the weather didn't cooperate with our hopes for the weekend, all attendants had a good time in Olean, New York on the contest weekend.


Check out the following for a couple interviews and footage that was taken in-between hangar flying sessions-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhcqbfwx3vk&feature=youtu.be

Sunday 19 June 2011

Southwestern Ontario Rigger Contacts

For anybody needing a parachute repack, the following riggers are available in the Southwestern Ontario area:

West of London:


Grand Bend Sport Parachuting Center- Bob Wright- skydive@hay.net (~60/rig, two week turnaround)


In the Hamilton area:

Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum- Erik- canpop1@rogers.com (2011 prices $50/ rig, two week turnaround)

Volker- a local rigger out of Barrie who visits Skydive SWOOP in Dundas on a regular basis- $60/ rig with fast turnaround. Highly recommended. (289)456-6556


Saturday 18 June 2011

OLAN Link

For those looking to print out practice sequences or design their very own Free for a contest, the OLAN software is an invaluable resource. Download the latest version at: http://www.aerobatics.org.il/olan/

Information to Competitors

Following the last Chapter meeting, it was discussed that an aerobatic resource for new and returning pilots would be very helpful. Luckily enough, the IAC has such a webpage, with answers to all the questions an aerobatic pilot could ever have! Visit http://members.iac.org/home.html for links to past knowns, the IAC rulebook, contestant checklists and more!

Saturday 21 May 2011

2011 Upper Canada Open!

Announcing Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3’s comeback contest! The 2011 Upper Canada Cup will be hosted in Hanover, Ontario August 27 and 28, 2011 at the Hanover/ Saugeen Municipal Airport. Practice and registration will be on August 26. We look forward to Primary, Sportsman, Intermediate, Advanced and Unlimited power categories.

The deets:

Contest fee: $100; Hangar $10 per night.

Accommodations:

The two best hotels in the area that we have used in the past are full for the entire weekend of our contest. We are recommending that Canadiana Motel in Hanover 519 364-1580 (www.canadianamotel.ca), and the Lighthouse Motel  in Walkerton 519 881-0202 (www.walkertonlighthouse.com) We recommend early reservations as there are some events in the area that may fill up all available hotel rooms. Camping at the airport is allowed, and there are two 25 foot house trailers that sleep four still available. The contest director has reserved one of these trailers and will be on-site for the entire contest.

Apres flying:

There will be a BBQ Friday night at the airport, and there is also a restaurant on the airport property that will be open during all hours of the contest. A banquet will be held Saturday night at the airport. This banquet will also be attended by up to 50 local pilots and airport friends.

‘Import’ details:

Canadian and American border crossing procedures will be explained in future blogs, and briefings will be given by Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3 members attending the IAC contests run by IAC chapters 88, 126, and 34. Contest director this year is Larry Ernewein and may be reached at: ernie@execulink.com or (519) 469-3874.

We look forward to a great time bringing an acro contest north of the border once again to Ontario!


Tuesday 26 April 2011

First Annual Aerobatic Training Camp with Sergei Boriak a Success!

The first (ever) Southwestern Ontario spring training camp with Sergei Boriak, world renowned pilot and aerobatic coach wrapped up on Sunday with great success. Three days were spent training in Tillsonburg, where Sergei provided coaching to Bjarni Tryggvason, Rick Volker and Mike Tryggvason. With Sergei's precision coaching style and some encouragement of 'wait, wait, wait, now go, hard!', progress was made by all.

On the first day of the camp, the Tillsonburg news came out to see what all the commotion was about. Jeff Tribe produced a segment on aerobatics, mentioning Aerobatics Canada Chapter 3 found here:
http://tillsonburgnews.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3093930

On Friday, the second day of the camp, Tillsonburg hosted a unique assortment of machines driven by Canadian pilots, including Bjarni and Mike's Pitts S2A, Rick's Sukhoi, Pete McLeod's Edge, and Larry Ernewein's Bucker Jungmann. An aerial photoshoot was organized that day with Eric Dumigan calling the shots from a Cessna 182 camera plane piloted by Dave Mcmillan, out of Burlington, Ontario. The resulting photo collection can be viewed on Eric's site: http://www.airic.ca/html/2011atc.html

In addition to the flying, Sergei was hosted as a guest to Southwestern Ontario, visiting the RAG Hangar in Niagara-on-the-lake to see an exquisite collection of World War Two warbirds; sharing a supper with a number of members of the Southwestern Ontario aerobatic community in Kitchener, and going for a weekend afternoon hop in Larry Ernewein's pristine Bucker Jungmann. Reflecting on the weekend, Sergei noted that he had a very enjoyable experience during his stay in Southwestern Ontario and looks forward to returning for future training camps.



In hindsight, the coaching from Sergei was invaluable. His expertise and sharp eye ensure camp participants put a healthy initial polish on their known and free sequences early in the season. Mike recommends that there is no 'right' time to try a camp with Sergei, the opportunity alone is the best time to spend a few days being watched by him. While Sergei does not usually provide in-plane instruction, his coaching from the ground is guaranteed to improve the performance of novice and expert alike.



Any interested parties be sure to contact chapter president Mike Tryggvason at aerobaticscanada.ch3@gmail.com to book for 2012's camp!

Saturday 16 April 2011

Chapter 3 is hosting a contest!

Hi Everyone,


Well, with the participation and assistance of many individuals we now have Aerobatics Canada - Aerobatic Club of Canada Chapter Three - Southwestern Ontario resurrected and moving forward. Thank you to all for your interest, support and continued commitment to our Sport.


It has recently been decided that Chapter 3 will host a contest in 2011. The contest will be known as the "Upper Canada Open" and will take place August 27th and 28th. The Upper Canada Open will be held at the Saugeen Municipal Airport in Hanover, ON (CPN4). 








Anyone interested in volunteering please e-mail Larry Ernewein (Contest Director) at  ernie@execulink.com so we can start the process of figuring out who wants to do what. No commitments required yet - just expressions of interest in helping out. 


We look forward to seeing everyone soon and will post more information as soon as it is available.