By Bruce
Markielewski

    Our annual spring
event, the Colorado Aerial Rocket Circus VII was held on
April 17th, with 13 competitors participating in the
contest. Once again, we had a great day of flying, with
little win or clouds to contend with!

    In “C” division, “A”
Flexi-wing Duration appeared to be won by Bruce
Markielewski, until Ed O’Neill arrived, floated his first
glider away after an 11 minute flight. Bruce held on to
second place, while Mel captured third. In the “A/B”
division, newcomer Kalen Meine surprised Paul Gray with
an outstanding 5 minute flight for first
place.

    “B” Rocket Glider
Duration was a bit more challenging, as only two
contestants were able to qualify both flights. Design and
structural integrity appeared to be the key in this
event, as Mel Gray edged Kathleen Williams for first
place, with Paul’s single flight enough for
third.

    Parachute Spot
Landing was as usual, the most popular event. While it’s
a simple event to build, it still requires some flying
skill to do well. Bruce landed closest to the spot with a
6 meter flight, while five competitors battled for second
place within 5 meters of each other. Ed O’Neill won the
battle, followed by Chris Pine and Jeff Blinn. Two “A”
divisioners competed for first in their division, but
neither were able to land within the 50 meter limit for
placing in the event.

   

    Probably the most
anticipated event was “D” Super-roc Altitude, with six
participants competing. Scoring is based on the rocket’s
length in centimeters times the altitude in meters, so
the tallest or highest flight doesn’t necessarily win!
All of the competitors had decent flights, but Paul had
the best combination of the day, winning the event and
setting a NAR “B” division record with 146880 points.
Bruce was second, also setting a record in  NAR “C”
division with 90000 points, closely followed by Todd
Williams and MelGray. Bruce also flew and set a NAR
“C”  Super-roc Altitude record, using the same
model, but a “C” engine instead of a “D”.

    Overall, Paul took
first place, closely followed by his dad, Mel. Bruce was
a close third, followed by Ed, who only flew in two of
the four events.

    Thanks to everyone
who participated and helped with the timing and tracking!
Special thanks to Kathleen, who helped with running the
contest and keeping everything running smoothly
throughout the day!

“A” Flexi-wing Duration (WF 18)

Pl.

Contestant

Div.

      Flt 1

      Flt 2

     Total

   Pl. Pts.

   Total

     NAR

1

Ed O’Neill

C

11:08

2:02

13:10

10

360

360

2

Bruce Markielewski

C

1:28

1:07

2:35

6

216

216

3

Mel Gray

C

0:40

1:11

1:51

4

144

144

4

Carlin Lowry

C

0:17

0:18

0:35

2

72

72

1

Kalen Meine

A

2:13

5:07

7:20

10

360

—-

2

Paul Gray

B

0:47

2:12

2:59

6

216

360

“B” Rocket
Glider Duration (WF 21)

Pl.

Contestant

Div.

Flt 1

Flt 2

Total

Pl. Pts.

Total

NAR

1

Mel Gray

C

1:11

1:36

2:47

10

420

420

2

Kathleen Williams

C

1:18

0:45

2:03

6

252

252

3

Paul Gray

B

1:25

NF

1:25

4

168

168

4

Bruce Markielewski

C

DQ

0:52

0:52

2

84

84

5

Todd Williams

C

0:37

NF

0:37

1

42

42

“D” Super-roc Altitude (WF 17)

Pl.

Contestant

Div.

Lngth.

Alt.

Points

Pl. Pts.

Total

NAR

1

Paul Gray – 1

B

153

960

146880

10

340

340

Paul Gray – 2

B

202

310

62620

—-

—-

—-

2

Bruce Markielewski – 1

C

300

300

90000

6

204

204

Bruce Markielewski – 2

C

300

NT

—-

—-

—-

—-

3

Todd Williams

C

300

284

85200

4

136

136

4

Mel Gray

C

203

360

73080

2

68

68

5

Jeff Blinn

C

270

197

53190

1

34

34

6

Carlin Lowry – 1

C

172

165

28380

1

34

34

Carlin Lowry – 2

C

172

163

28036

—-

—-

—-

“C” Super-roc Altitude (Record Attempt)

Bruce Markielewski

C

250

112

28000

Parachute Spot Landing (WF 4)

Pl.

Contestant

Div.

Meters

Pl. Pts.

Total

NAR

1

Bruce Markielewski

C

6

10

80

80

2

Ed O’Neill

C

12

6

48

48

3

Chris Pine

C

15

4

32

—-

4

Jeff Blinn

C

16

2

16

32

5

Mel Gray

C

18

1

8

16

6

Kathleen Williams

C

19

1

8

8

7

Paul Gray

B

24

1

8

8

8

Todd Williams

C

36

1

8

8

8

Carlin Lowry

C

42

1

8

8

10

Tom Bell

C

50+

FP

8

8

x

Tucker Saye

A

50+

FP

8

—-

x

Blake Harvey

A

50+

FP

8

—-

Overall Standings

Div.

A FW

B RG

D SRA

PSL

Total

1

Paul Gray

B

216

168

340

8

732

2

Mel Gray

C

144

420

68

8

640

3

Bruce Markielewski

C

216

84

204

80

584

4

Ed O’Neill

C

360

—-

—-

48

408

5

Kalen Meine

A

360

—-

—-

—-

360

6

Kathleen Williams

C

—-

252

—-

8

260

7

Todd Williams

C

—-

42

136

8

186

8

Carlin Lowry

C

72

—-

34

8

114

9

Jeff Blinn

C

—-

—-

34

16

50

10

Chris Pine

C

—-

—-

—-

32

32

11

Tom Bell

C

—-

—-

—-

8

8

12

Tucker Saye

A

—-

—-

—-

8

8

13

Blake Harvey

A

—-

—-

—-

8

8