The Board of directors of IAC Chapter 52 is proud to announce the winners of the 2010 NORTHEAST Regional Championship Series. 9 of the 13 award winners are chapter 52 members
These pilots represents the TOP GUNS of the Northeast. The Best of the Best. To qualify, the pilot must attend and compete in at least 3 regional aerobatic competitions during the season. The National aerobatic contest is also a qualifier contest. This year our pilots had a plethora of nine competitions to choose from including The Carolina Boogie, US Canadian Aerobatic Challenge, Green Mountain Aerobatic Contest, East Coast Aerobatic Contest, Jersey Skylands Aerobatic Championships, Wildwoods Acroblast, Kathy Jaffe Challenge, Mason Dixon Clash, and Nationals. The highest scores from 3 contests determines the overall ranking of the Top Gun base. First Place TOP GUN or Regional Champion honors go to the following Pilots:
Goose informed me that Second and Third place winners are listed downstairs in the Ladies room. Seriously, full results can be found on the IAC website in the members section under Series results. You could imagine everyone’s disappointment when the IAC Board announced that they had not acquired funding for the Awards this year so instead they would simply print the names of the recipients on the website. The executive board and the directors of IAC chapter 52 felt the need to right this injustice. Appropriate high caliber awards were Funded, designed, commissioned and then priority mailed to all 13 award winners of the Northeast Region. Congratulations to all of you. And for the rest of us, we simply have to KICK A$$ next year.
Stephen Seidel. Former NE Region Sportsman Champion, IAC 52 Director
The Kathy Jaffe Challenge enjoyed four days of great weather and great flying. Contest Director Ron Chadwick was ably assisted this year by Stealth CD John Fellenzer, and Co-assistant Stealth CD's Aaron Ham and Mark Mattioli. They ran a full roster of three flights in five categories plus a four minute free all over a stealth box. The box was fully marked if you could find the markers.
Chapter 52 retained the Ron Chadwick Chapter Supremacy award for the third time this year with performances from Mike Ciliberti, Dennis Thompson, Mark Stewart, and Jason Flood. Chapters 52 and 35 were tied down to the Intermediate category with three qualifiers each. Jason's first place cinched the award for fifty-two.
Francesco Pallozi of Chapter 35 won Primary. Aaron Ham edged-out David Crescenzo, Del Coller, and Marc Nathanson in a field of thirteen Sportsman competitors. Jason Flood beat Michael Zeltkevic and Hella Comat in a field of eleven Intermediate. Hans Bok beat four other Advanced competitors with help from cranky mechanics in Mark Stewart's inverted fuel system. Mark took first on the Known and Free flights. Adam Cope had a very good flight on the Advanced Unknown. Mike Ciliberti beat Bob Cipolli, Dennie Thompson, and Dan Salcedo three times in Unlimited.
The Wildwoods Acroblast was once again great weekend of sea, sun and aerobatics. Contestants enjoyed clear, seasonably warm weather, a beautiful Friday night buffet overlooking the ocean, beach, pool, and most of all great competition. Francesco Pallazzo flew his Christen Eagle all of the way from Canada to compete with Chapter 58 Jeff Detwiler in Primary. Sportsman had a dozen entries. Our own Greg Stringer prevailed flying his beautiful yellow Bucher Jungman. Second in Sportsman went to Chapter 11 David Brandon. New 52 Dell Coller took third in a best first time showing.
Intermediate showed a good turnout with 52's Jason Flood in first. Adam Cope from Chapter 11 took second and 52's Will Morey took third. Robert Marsicano and Charlie Schwenker sweated a tough Unknown program together in Advanced with Charlie coming-out on top. Unlimited saw Bob Capolli from New England compete against 52's Dennie Thompson, Kendal Simpson, and Mike Ciliberti. Dennie and Kendal flew four minute free programs for the enjoyment of all at before the exodus on Sunday afternoon.
Many thanks to Team Buzzard and Morey's Piers for an excellent weekend of aerobatics.
Announcement , Some photos from Chris Adolor , Pictures from Laurie Zaleski
Second week in May we had a great contest at Greenwood Lake airport in West Milford, NJ. "Move up" Jay Tesauro swished first in Primary with 86% of possible points. Ron Mann picked up second in the field of four with a very respectable 80.5%. Six competitors vied in Sportsman with Aaron Ham first ahead of Ron Mann and David Crescenzo. David took best first time Sportsman with 80%. Intermediate was the largest category with seven competitors, including Hella Comat who flew all of the way from Toronto, Ontario to take first place. Jason Flood earned second place with 81.6%. Kirill Barsukov flew his Yak 55M to victory in a field of three Advanced pilots. Mike Ciliberti flew his Sukhoi SU-31 better than four other pilots in Unlimited. Photo gallery :: Contest announcement
Chapter 52 and Greenwood Lake Airport hosted an Advanced Aerobatic Judging one day course with Bill Finagin on Saturday, March 20th at Greenwood Lake airport. See the Advanced Aerobatic Judging School wrap-up.
Mark Mattioli passed the baton of Chapter President to Sergey Prolagayev at the beginning of February, saying "...we were founded by elite aerobatic pilots Daniel Héligoin and Montaine Mallet, known as the "French Connection." It is only fitting that IAC Chapter 52 is again commanded by a world champion pilot. We are lucky to count Sergey as our brother in the air, and even more blessed to have him as our leader."
Sergey may be a world champion pilot, but Mark has been a champion for all of us. Not one member going hasn't felt that Mark is behind their success and enjoyment of the things we stand for. He's pushed to keep chapter activities up, not just a contest, or a second contest, or a third, but practices, seminars, schools, dinners. He's gotten us together often.
Kudo's for Mark, "il duccino." A big round of applause. This guy has truly been a great leader of IAC 52. Thanks a million, Mark. Very glad you're going to stick around.
Sergey, "Mr. Pro" has a deep love for aerobatics and has been out for the Chapter everywhere, encouraging camaraderie and helping pilots to improve their flying through practice and critique. Says Sergey, "I truly believe that aerobatics is one of the best kind of sports in the World. Probably the only kind of sport which could give us a full feeling of three-dimensional world, a real feeling of freedom. That’s the beauty of this sport."
He goes on to say, "aerobatics is a team kind of sport. Not individual, despite you are alone in the cockpit. See, it even in the our chapter’s motto: “Osculamini Nostros Asinos” – the key moment here, - it’s plural. So, let’s work together, practice together to make our chapter better and to have more fun."
Please welcome Sergey. We are very fortunate indeed that he has consented to lead the chapter for the next year.
Our annual dinner was a blast on December 12, 2009 at Maggiano's in Phili. Eligible hot aerobatic pilot bachelors and the Northeast's best couples attended for great food and great company. Stephen Seidel showed us a touching and humorous tribute to IAC Chapter 52 and then handed-out hand crafted awards for the Northeast regional series. Check out the Chapter 52 annual dinner to see fun photos, and Intermediate regional champion Larry "Ice Man" Bashore reveal a surprise under his tuxedo.
The Wildwoods Acroblast produced by Will Morey and Directed by Craig Wisman kicked-off another year of precision aerobatic competition for IAC 52. Fifty-two made a timber harvest at the Green Mountain competition in Vermont. Our own Kathy Jaffe Challenge was a complete success - well attended in all categories and everyone flew three times. Stephen Seidel and Ron Chadwick continued community relations with aerobatic seminars at Greenwood Lake and Lincoln Park. Fifty-two members joined Stephen to present a patriotic fly-by for Randolph, NJ in July. Sergey Prolagayev hosted regular practice sessions at Hammonton airport throughout the contest season. Kendal Simpson, the Flood family, Dennie Thompson, Laurie Zaleski, Mike Josi, Aaron Ham, Doug Lovell, Ann Salcedo, and Kurt Stofko attended the EAA AirVenture show. Jason Flood represented IAC as the young aerobatic star for KidVenture and Doug was announced for the IAC board at the IAC annual meeting. Steve Seidel, Jay Tesauro, Scott Kirk, Alex Belov, Scott Jordan, Hans Bok, and John Fellenzer exhibited for IAC and Chapter 52 at the Greenwood Lake Airshow where members Kendal Simpson and Ron Saglimbene performed. Fifty-two participation at Nationals included Ann Salcedo as VC, Doug Lovell running the web and assisting CD Chris Rudd, Miriam Levin judging pilots, Laurie Zaleski making photographs, and competitors Dennie Thompson and Dan Tourgie. Fifty-two cleaned-up the Northeast regional series with Dennie Thompson and Kendal Simpson first and second Unlimited, Sergey Prolagayev and Doug Lovell first and third Advanced, Larry Bashore and Kirill Barsukov first and third Intermediate, Jason Flood first place Sportsman, Jay Tesauro first place Primary. Stephen Seidel provided hand made trophies for all of the Northeast region winners. Sergey Prolagayev commissioned this beautiful Northeast Region, Aerobatic Club Calendar, 2010 . Ever popular on this site are pictures pictures pictures from beautiful and talented Laurie Zaleski.