Skip Stewart Takes The Crown In Inaugural Event
After what was called by
aerobatic authority Keoki Gray "The most awesome display of
aerobatics I have ever seen," Skip Stewart carried away first place
last weekend in the inaugural event of the eXtreme Airshow
Challenge.
"I flew my best and fortunately the judges liked what they saw,"
said Stewart after the show. "There was some awesome flying
out there from everyone today, and I think I will really have to
keep my game sharp if I have any chance of holding on to the
lead."
The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team kicked off each day with their
crowd-pleasing formation demonstration. A moment of silence was
observed Saturday, with a missing man formation for ACAP contenders
Eric Beard and Nick Nilmeyer. A child from the Make-a-Wish
Foundation was also given honorary aviator's wings by a member of
the US Navy.
Competition opened Saturday morning in Fernandina Beach, FL,
with overcast skies and a threat of rain, but that did not diminish
the performances. The second round Saturday was cancelled due to
rain, but Sunday's weather was outstanding -- and over two more
rounds, the hard-flying improved even more.
Onboard video feeds to huge 30-foot LED screens gave onlookers a
first-hand view of what it's like to fly in a high performance
aerobatic aircraft, with on-screen commentary provided by veteran
Stephen Cox and aviation legend Wayne Handley provided the crowd
with exciting, authoritative descriptions of the action. The entire
performance was recorded for broadcast later this summer on cable
television.
Judges from the
Aeroshell Aerobatic team, joined by Michael Goulian and Gene Soucy
gave entertaining descriptions of their observations, and the
post-flight interviews with the pilots gave their insight to what
they were feeling and experiencing in the cockpit during their
performance.
"With the hard work and dedication of many people, today a dream
and vision became reality. Airshows will be held to a higher
standard from this point forward," said ACAP founder Rick Rushing.
"This event was the most fast-paced and entertaining you could ask
for. The bar for a first class exciting airshow was raised
significantly."
Minor penalties causing point deductions plagued competitors
Greg Poe and Jim Peitz. New arrival Bill Stein drew a first round
disqualification for a major rule infraction. "The wind was really
howling up there" said Stein. "I got more drift than I expected
during the Harrier, and broke the penalty line." Contenders Jeff
Mawhinney and Matt Chapman turned in solid performances.
All contenders had crowd-pleasing performances, but early
competition standouts Skip Stewart and Sergei Boriak fought nose to
nose all weekend for the top finish. Boriak's inverted engine-out,
dead-stick maneuver was a crowd favorite, and Skip's mainstay, the
Knife-Edge Pass down the runway, drew tremendous applause from the
spectators. The competition was fierce, and the aircraft were
pushed to their limits with an onslaught of torque rolls, tumbles,
snaps, and any number of other incredible maneuvers.
As the scores will show, the season is still early, and the
Championship could belong to any one of these extraordinary pilots.
Final official scores will be released this week.
After two days and three grueling rounds of competition, Stewart
emerged victorious, with Sergei Boriak hot on his heels in second.
Matt Chapman took third place. The rest are, in order of finish:
Jeff Mawhinney, Jon Melby, Jim Peitz, Greg Poe, and Bill Stein.