BORACAY!
For a guy who works in the Travel Industry, I hardly do any full-scale flying. Naturally, its hard to forget the circumstances that led to my first plane ride - which was also the first time I landed in Boracay.
Announcements went around like wildfire that a contest would be held at Baradas Airfield. This was the first OBI MAPUA CUP. Multiple events would be held, including Pylon Racing (quickie 500, and trainer race), Bungee-launch Glider Duration contest & a Fun Fly contest to name a few. It was likewise announced that winners of each category (first to third place) would be given a seat on Manny Baradas’ airplane. The flight was to go to Boracay, food & other transport care of Manny (what a generous fellow).
Naturally, I was very excited. Twas the first time I was going to join ANY contest involving RC. I had just acquired a kit of a 2 meter Easy Riser at that time, a gift from my mother - the late Macrina “Baby” Lazatin Moreno, who brought it back from the States.
Off to the building board I went, and kept busy at trying my best to keep things light. But, there were many roadblocks. For one, I was still studying at that time and midterms were just looming around the corner. So, I turned to Robert Mamonluk to assist me with the build. Gladly, Robert was just too happy to help. But just as the glider was completed, business matters called Robert away. I was left with a finished body, but sorely naked as we were unable to iron-on any of its solarfilm covering.
Now covering, has always been my Waterloo.
For this last task, I turned for help to Team Ngisedibo (comprised of Obi Mapua, Anthony Ballesteros, Albert Roa and Romy Pulgeras). Despite the fact that they too were busy setting up their own planes, they made available one of their own builders - Romy Pulgeras. Amidst building other planes, Romy and I would cover the plane.
One day to go til contest time, and all we had finished was the wing (I’m truly horrible at covering). Naturally, I was in Panic Mode. We brought the unfinished planed to Baradas, a dark cloud hanging over my head. My first contest, and my entry still had no skin. Romy assured me that he would not sleep until the plane was ready to go. Naturally, I stayed by his side the entire night - helping where I could.
Dawn came. The airplane was still naked. Flyers woke up, bathed & ate breakfast. Still, she lay there in her birthday suit. The contest started. Thankfully, pylon racing went first. The plane still showed mostly balsa. The Trainer race finished, my plane still looked bare. My frustration level was starting to rise.
Then the quickie 500 race started. Romy had to go to assist Obi, Anthony and Albert. I looked at the plane… partially naked. Like a young european lass scantily clad on the white sand of Boracay… I was getting very depressed. How could this happen? I had two months to prepare! (yep… I did say I was lousy at covering didn’t I?)
For some reason, I picked-up the iron. I surmised, what the heck - better a bad job of covering, than lacking any covering. So, I went at it… and did a lousy job (of course, I did mention that…).
The quickie 500 race finished. And they announced that the Glider Duration Contest would start in 15 minutes. I looked at the plane, just in time for Romy to get back from the flying field. He looked at it, put one portion under a heat gun… then said “OKAY!!!”.
I thanked Romy and made a mad dash for the contest area. I asked permission from the judges if I could have the flying field for a minute. When asked why - my reply was simply “I’m going to maiden my entry”. Even Picasso would have a hard time painting their faces. Amidst their amusement & shock, I was given leave to hand launch my sailplane. So, I let her fly.
What happened next seems to me like a comedy going from bad to worse. She flew from my hand, and flew so straight. I was so proud! So proud that I failed to realize that the input of right rudder that I was giving my radio wasn’t producing the normal response. In my overzealousness to make things light, I put in servo arms which were too tiny. A full input barely made the plane turn. So straight she flew. AND she even climbed a bit. And she flew straight into the barbed wire on Manny’s fence. The solarfilm which we painstakingly put on, was ripped at several places.
My heart sank to the very bottom of the Marianas Trench.
Romy & Anthony (who was also an opponent of mine in the Duration contest) ran to the plane. Quickly both of these gentlemen went to work repairing my plane. Not only did they do a good patch job, but they also worked on the servo arm problem. They did the best that they could and, one minute to contest time… I was again given the opportunity to do a hand launch. So, I threw her with all my might… and this time, she turned more to my radio inputs. Clearly it was not the best, but it was a far cry from the first situation.
Contest time: Good friends were my fellow contestants. I was the third on the list to do my bungee launch. And we were to be given three tries. The final score would be determined in terms of actual flying time - a combination of all three flights with the worst score being taken out.
First up was Fil Avena. His flight was so fantastic, that despite the fact that he didn’t find a thermal - he flew well over four minutes in very gusty winds. For those unfamiliar with gliders, thats bad for flat-land flying. You want that on a slope, but not while you’re thermal hunting. Next up was Anthony, who even did better than Fil. Then, it was my turn.
I launched her up and dove a bit to get the glider unhooked. Then went off thermal hunting. I decided to brave a little upwind flying so get to a newly cut corn field. According to my teachers, the likelihood of encountering a thermal in such a place was high. And I’m glad they shared this information with me. I found one almost instantly.
Unfortunately, the glider couldn’t turn as tightly as I needed it to. And by the time she turned full circle for the area with the thermal… it was gone. But, by that time - I had gained a bit of altitude. Finally, when I landed - I had a slightly better score than Anthony. It was the other glider pilots’ turn. And many took to the corn field after me, but didn’t have much luck either. A few more pilots, and it was round two.
The weather was so bad for glider flying that day, hardly anyone got over five minutes flight. It turned out that my first launch was my best, with each flight getting worse. Fil and Anthony however, were only getting better. After the last flight was done, a quick tally was in order. Anthony came out first place, Fil Avena a close second, and I was a distant third.
I learned many valuable things that day: For one, join a contest with a plane that has long been built & tested. Secondly, listen to your teachers for they mean you well. More importantly, you never know how far their lessons will take you. Finally, I figured that I was in the best hobby possible: in what other contest would you find your opponents helping you out? The kindness that Robert Mamonluk and team NGISEDIBO showed before and during the constest is hard to forget.
As promised, Manny Baradas flew all contest winners to Boracay one week later. We had oodles of fun, eating our hearts out, bathing in the sun, swimming, girl-watching…
Oh… before I forget, the scantily clad young european lass I mentioned? Nope… she wasn’t just a figure of my imagination. 