IAC3 member Jerry Esquenazi had a busy 2023 season aiming high for as many contests as possible. It was a big year for him culminating in a first place finish in Intermediate at the IAC Nationals. His year wasn't without it's challenges but as usual the aviation community came together. Read his journey below:
Most aerobatic years start off the same… Our chapter has its annual meeting and we decide on a date for the Mark Fullerton memorial Bear Creek Bash. By this time I would have practiced the Known sequence a few times and I can now start thinking about which contests I would like to attend.
I like to go to about six or seven contests a year. I’ve gone to as many as nine in one year and as few as four. I discovered that nine contests is quite fatiguing! With less than four I don’t feel like I’m getting enough utility out of my very expensive investment. Six or seven is my happy place. With that many contests I can target two regions: our own Southeast region and one other.
I use the the Regional Series and the National Point Series as my goal. To qualify for a Regional Award one needs to attend three contest within the region. Nationals serves as a wildcard and will count toward the Regional Series. The National Point Series requires attendance at three different regions to qualify for highly coveted Leo Award. Both of these programs are designed to motivate contest attendance. I’m motivated!
Over the years, I’ve attended contests in the Southeast, Northeast, Mid-America, and South Central regions. I’ve made a lot of friends in the various regions and they all have their own characters and personalities. I guess that’s what makes it so much fun! Prior to 2023, the furthest contest I had flown to had been the Doug Yost Challenge in Spencer Iowa (772 nm) followed closely by the Hill Country Hammerfest in Llano Texas, (734 nm). The Michigan Aerobatic Open in Bay City Michigan, the Kathy Jaffe Challenge then in Mount Holly, New Jersey, and Nationals at Salina Kansas and previously Oshkosh Wisconsin didn’t even come close!
Despite all of the contests and locales, there were two very special contests that eluded me because of the distance: the Green Mountain Aerobatic Contest in Springfield Vermont (824 nm) and the Ben Lowell Confrontational at the Air Force Academy Airfield in Colorado Spring Colorado, a whopping 1037 nm! This was the year I would make these two contests a priority. They formed the core of my plans. So the wheels were set in motion for 2023.
I would attend the usual contests in the Southeast: The Snowbird Classic and Sebring, both in Florida and our own chapter’s contest, The Mark Fullerton Memorial Bear Creek Bash (MFMBCB) in Rome Georgia. I kind of had to attend that one since I was the Contest Director! However, up for debate was whether I was going to compete or not since I was a first time CD. Thank goodness I had an outstanding team supporting me. I was able to compete and even do well! I also planned to attend the James K Polk Invitational in Warrenton Virginia and Nationals. For those keeping track, that’s seven contests, one a month from March through September!
I had some challenges along the way. Snowbird went well, but unfortunately I made a poor weather decision to not attend the Spring Sebring. It turns out that the weather wasn’t a factor and they had a wonderful event No problem though; my back up was the Fall Sebring. The MFMBCB was a tremendous success! We had fantastic weather and attendance. More importantly, we had some amazing volunteers! Warrenton also went without a hitch. It was great to see my friends in the Northeast region again.
On my way to Vermont I had a brake failure during landing at my second fuel stop at the North Cumberland County airport north of Harrisburg Pennsylvania. This is a quiet rural airport with few services. Fortunately someone with extensive local knowledge came to the rescue. We gathered enough tools to remove the offending brake line, made a bunch of phone calls, and found an engine shop at nearby airport to fabricate a new line. I also had to coordinate getting a rental car and accommodations for the night as there was a good chance I wasn’t making it out before dark or before the line of weather approaching Vermont. With new line in hand and a late lunch I made it back to the airport and got the line installed. The engine shop loaned me a brake bleeder. Aviation people are very nice and trusting everywhere! I was all buttoned up by about 6:30 and had enough daylight to make it to Vermont. However, the weather was still a factor and I was exhausted. The hotel looked more and more inviting so the decision was made to stay the night. Glad I did. Made it to the contest just in time, about 30 minutes before the noon brief the next day. The contest was everything I had hoped it was. The scenery was stunning and the small boutique hotel was beautiful and comfortable. My wife had arrived earlier and we had a great time together making it into a mini getaway.
Next in the line up was the Ben Lowell Confrontational at the Air Force Academy Airfield. This is a very special contest because the airfield is actually on a military installation and consequently has some unique requirements. This contest takes place only once every other year. The last time it was held was in 2019. The 2021 event never took place due to COVID.
There was a good chance that summertime weather wouldn’t allow traveling half the country in one day, so I allotted two days of travel on each end. I would still attempt to get out there in one day, but if I didn’t, it was no big deal. I planned an early morning departure since I was facing over 1000 nm and 4 legs, The weather had other plans. I finally got airborne at about 10:30 am, a rather late start to a long day. But once I got on the other side of the weather on my first leg, it was smooth sailing from there. I made it to Longmont Colorado before 7:00 pm, where I would spend the night with a friend, fellow competitor, and another Extra 300S owner.
The Air Force Academy and the Rocky Mountains make for a stunning backdrop. The other attraction to this contest was the high elevation. The Academy Airfield sits at 6576’ which puts the floor of the Intermediate box at 7800’. I would start the dive into the box at a minimum of 10,000’! How would this sea level guy do at this altitude? I was just hoping I wouldn’t get winded by merely walking out to the plane! It turns out that the preparation back home of going out and practicing at 10,000’ outside the Atlanta Class B was very helpful. Practice at the contest site was limited due to military requirements. We got the first two flights in on day 1. The military had some very conservative weather rules that didn’t allow us the to get the Unknown done on day 2. By the the time the contest was called in the early afternoon, the real weather was beginning to move in. Fortunately, I had everything ready to go and made a beeline to the self-serve fuel pump. I got the airplane fueled, strapped in, started up, and began to taxi. In a few short feet, I heard a loud clunk and felt the airplane settle a bit. “Houston, we have a problem.” Shut down, un-strapped, got out, and I discovered a failed tailwheel. Fortunately, a fellow competitor came to the rescue. It was another case of truly wonderful aviation people. He was right behind me, second in line to get fuel and he had a spare tailwheel. We had some challenges getting the tailwheel on but we managed to get it installed right before getting kicked out of the ramp. The military wasn’t going to allow us to remain on the ramp as the thunderstorms approached and there was no place to tie down the airplanes in the vicinity of the fuel pump. I finally got underway and headed home knowing I wasn’t going to get very far. I ended up spending the night in Tulsa and had an uneventful flight home the next day.
Nationals was right around the corner. I couldn’t wait. It’s the contest we prepare for all year. And it’s the contest where my friends from the various regions will congregate all in one place. Aside from some scheduling hiccups, the contest was very well run and was a ton of fun. It was great to see everyone again.
Next on the agenda was the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships in Jean, NV. This wasn’t part of my original competition plan. I wanted to see what a World level contest was like and support my friends with the US and Canadian teams. It was so much fun to watch! I also got to volunteer a bit driving the judge’s van and performing some other duties. It was much more rewarding to be involved in some capacity other than just being a spectator. This turned out to be another wonderful mini getaway for my wife and I. We had a lot of fun hanging out in Vegas and going to dinner with some of the competitors.
Finally, it was the beginning of November, a time when the Fall Sebring would have normally been scheduled. This late in the year, I just didn’t have it in me to get spooled up for a December contest. I needed to catch up with work, house projects, airplane maintenance, and Thanksgiving was right around the corner. Both, the airplane and I needed a break. So I made the tough call to not attend Sebring this year.
So how did I do? I made it to six contests, including Nationals. I hit my goal of attending two contests that have been on my radar for a long time. The contests I attended allowed me to qualify for both the Regional Series in two regions and the National Point Series. I got to see many of my friends and meet some new ones. 2023 was truly banner year for me! What’s in store for 2024? We’’ll see as I dive into the Advanced category!