Pranks at contests!

Having an occasional flair for pranks myself, I was presented with an opportunity this past weekend for another. As I arrived at the Salem airport field for the contest, I saw Scott Riese in the circle preparing for a practice flight. I was proceeding to go over to him (who was at the center of the circle checking out his handle) and shake his hand. As I was approaching him from behind, he didn't see me and walked away to his plane to start it. Oh well, I then proceeded to examine his handle instead. LOOK, easily removable connectors attaching the lines to the handle. I looked towards Scott who was fueling the plane and he was so intent on his work, he never saw me. In a matter of seconds, the handle was removed and in my pocket. I then walked out of the circle towards the crowd now watching closely. He started the engine, set the needle and then proceeded to walk out to the handle. About 20 feet short of the handle he discovered a problem!!! He knew he had been had. The entire crowd was in stitches laughing as Scott was waving his arms in the air in disgust.

Thanks Scott for being such a good sport. I can't imagine how you can be with your problems, but I am glad you are. I am honored to know you and call you my friend!

This brings up my request. Have other people been devilish enough to do such pranks at contests, and if so, what were they. I know some of you out there have, so let's share some of them!

If you get enough guys together, you can uproot and move a pretty big tree. A bunch of us did this at a Portland contest earlier this year as a guy was preparing to fly a particularly obnoxious-sounding model. He was flying adjacent to the tree and had plenty of clearance until we moved it. The results were hilarious.

It's come to my conclusion That we need to start watching our C/L Handles with were ready to fly. It seems that A FORMER would champion has a phobia on taking handles. It's so sad when they down hill so fast. First it was the TREE, next it was watching he's plane break appart when HE LOST half of prop, then it was trimming a plane useing the WORNG sized lines, THEN remembering that HE'S got a 4 stroke in his plane, so as the rule book say's 60% displacement...DUHAAAA..... Where do OLD flyers go? Is there somwhere nice that these people can go? Maybe we all can build an retirment home for them.....I KNOW CANADA.lol
PS.....Paul hope to make you smile....You sure made my day..Thank you for your cander

Scott (no Handle) Riese

I was holding Scott's Suckerbus (sp?) during the attack of the Handle-Vandal. I SAW nah-think, I HEARD nah-think, & I KNOW NAH-THINK!
Sgt. Schultz

Sgt. Schultz, maybe that's what happened to your 1st handle/lines for the Shark 45? I don't think it was PW, but maybe Scott zipped over to Field of Dreams and snatched them. That could be your handle that PW swiped from Scott. It doesn't sound like Scott is in any condition to be flying anyway, mit all dos panekeelers. His spelling went right off the chart, and I didn't think it could get any worse. He drove?! And Leo rode along with him?! Leo can see good now for the first time in 40 years, and he rode with Scott! He must have nerves of steel from all those years of bike riding. If not nerves, then something else. Steve

Something that was popular here back in the seventies, and which only worked for mufflers with a single exit, was to wait until the pilot was picking up the handle, then sticking your thumb over the muffler exit. The engine would drop to idle. The pilot would look disgusted, walk back to the model, but by the time he got there, your thumb was back on the leading edge and the engine was happy again - you usually got to do this a couple of times before he'd yell at you.

Funny, no matter how often you did it to someone else or had it happen to you, if they picked the right moment, you ALWAYS suspected your engine, not the nutter holding the model.

Great you guys, give Paul more ideas.

Though I admit I was rolling over this one.

When I first read this I thought sure Paul was opening himself up for someone to pull one over on him at the FAI trials, but Paul pulled one over on all of us. He judged!

Did a good job, too, I might add.

Thanks, Paul (and the rest of you.)

Leonard Neumann

Len,

What were the final placings at the trials?

>Len,
>
>What were the final placings at
>the trials?
>
>BRI

Howard posted the top four placings elsewhere on the Board. We left right after all the scores were posted and didn't write them down, but I will try from memory.

The team members are definitely
Billy Werwage who was flying supurb and it was no contest. He won the first ever award of the Bob Baron perpetual trophy.
Todd Lee came in a solid second. Again, it was almost these two and then the rest was up for grabs.
David Fitzgerald earned the third position with
Ted Fancher as the first runner up.

Now, I think the rest was
Randy Smith fifth (second runner up).
Bill Rich sixth
Frank McMillan seventh
Brett Buck eighth.
Matt Neumann ninth.
Curt Contrata tenth.

Robert Gruber beat out Kevin Steward in another close race for Junior position.

For us it was "the best of times and the worst of times".
Matt's wing folded on the pull out of the wingover starting the third flight in the finals. The plane had a thousand flights on it, but what a time to decide to retire itself. It was scheduled for back up duties and test bed status with a new plane already under construction, but it is always heartbreaking to lose a plane, especially one that had placed in the front row at the nats in appearance point judging plus two concourse trophies in gegional contests and that he finally had working so well for him.

The plane is rebuildable, but it is not a simple repair. Probably 2/3 to 3/4 the work of a new one when you figure the finish and all (and that has got to be a part of it.) There were a lot of pieces scattered around. Fortunately it had nearly made the turn before dropping in, so the engine took a glancing blow with the prop shredding and there appears to be no engine or pipe damage.

Leonard Neumann

Paul --

Frankly, I am a little disappointed in you. Practical jokes are not fun for the victim, even though Scott handled it well. The point of all practical jokes is to make the victim look foolish, whether the victim has done something foolish or not.

Making anyone's life even the teensiest bit worse is not my idea of humor. Making others lives better is true fun. Practical jokes are not fun.

You were neither particularly clever nor imaginative -- you just embarrassed Scott for your own entertainment value, which I dislike.

It's OK, Larry. Scott, I think, enjoyed it as much as anyone. Northwest stunt contests are just an excuse for friends to get together. Paul knows Scott and knows his sense of humor. The handle larceny was just part of the fun.

First: Without the Salem Contest I might not be here today. With all of the things going in my life I needed to laugh. Paul had NO idea about my problems untill after that prank. I nedded it. I got a large heart and like life. All of the flyers at that contest saw I wasn't there in the head. Today I feel much better because SOMEONE had the Balls to make me smile.
Second: Larry I thank you for your cander. It's ok. Paul is one of MY friends and someone that I look up to; as the same for ALL of you guy's. I wish I could meet all of you people someday..maybe have a fun fly!!!!

Paul, Scott, and Howard --

In hindsight, I overreacted. It was a harmless joke, for sure. I saw a (non-model related) practical joke last week that set me off, so apologies to all.

Larry,

Well, I was thinking about putting a 1/2 A prop on Paul's Impact, but he'd probably notice...

Randy (who is even now coating Paul's handle with a secret concoction having something to do with the tail end of horses)

Watch out Randy....I might just swipe all the aspect ratio from your plane!!!!

>Watch out Randy....I might just swipe
>all the aspect ratio from
>your plane!!!!

Matt already did that. Not a good idea.

Leonard Neumann

The June 2000 contest in dallas was on and it was hot. I was trying my best to win the dist VIII trphy that year. Accumulate points as the year goes along the flier with the most keeps it for a year. I was in my second year of expert and and was having a good showing at all the local contests.

Bob Gieseke and Mike Scott were judging. I flew a good first flight. I was very pleased. The score 237!!!! I was bewildered. I thought I left out half the pattern. Meanwhile my brother is pointing and laughing at me. Thirty minutes goes by and they post my real score. I look at my score sheets they had written scores of 10 and 13 down for all the maneuvers prior to my flight. On the top of the sheet they had written "We dont like Chevrolets" They are Ford fans(I dont know why anybody would be a ford fan) and I have a big bowtie on my plane. All the rest to come will have bowties. The next flight and I am trying to be serious.(I know they got somwthing up their sleeves) I fuel up and I am ready. I look up to signal and they have their chairs turned around with their backs to me. After some shouting and my brother still laughing I got their attention and burned one in. I had a great time. It really eased the tension. I was trying so hard to fly well. Their little jokes made for a fun day.

Doug Moon