race scores

We met with the judges yesterday - first the timing judges.  We keep track of our own time, two of us hitting the stop watches as we pass the timing lines.  We agreed with the judges.

Then the penalty judges.  We carry two electronic devices the race gives us.  The tracker worked quite well with the track locaton though their speeds were screwy.  We showed a perfect race.  However, the Bad Elf (nobody could tell me where the name came from) gave wild altitudes.  We showed crossing one timing line at 41 feet which should have been 200'.  Of course they have ground observers and we have the 3-person crew in the airplane watching it like a hawk.  Everybody had trouble with the Bad Elf and I think they will be throwing all those discrepancies out. So they decreed that we'd flown a perfet race.

Our preliminary score is -3.656 and since they re-inspect the top 15 airplanes that means we're in the top 15.  Can't believe that with a negative score, which means we're 3.656 knots below our handicap of 123.76 and we're in the top 15.  However the race was heavy on headwinds and those who will admit their preliminary scores are all negative. So we'll know the whole picture tonight.

We had three Idaho entries in the race.  The other two were Sherry Kindle and Wendy Frazer flying a Cessna 175.  They carry an unbelievable load of electronics, are first timers and flew a good race.  We also had Mary Ann Richards with Lois Chattin who got tangled up with the group in the bad weather at the start of the race and by the time they got into the race couldn't finish by the deadline.  We were terribly disappointed for them.  Another Idahoan Dr. Pamela Bird from Sandpoint flew co-pilot for an experienced racer from Arizona.         So we'll get the final scores tonight.    GNJ