Jonathan Battson wins the STOL competition again

[Mark Goldberg]

I have been waiting a few days for Jonathan to post something on the forum about his 1st place finish at the STOL contest in New Zealand. Maybe he doesn't like to boast. But here is a little info about the event. Hopefully Jonathan will flesh it out a little better for everyone on the forum.

We managed to clean up the heavy touring category again this weekend, convincingly this time with a total combined distance of 71m compared to 108m and 131m for second and third place. There was less wind than usual so I was pleased with the landing.

Jonathan really flies his BH well. Obviously. Mark

[patrickh99]

Nice job Jonathan!

[Bcone1381]

Some might enjoy looking at the published Competition Results found here.

http://www.marlboroughaeroclub.co.nz/uploads/pdf/HB/Results%202020.pdf

[patrickh99]

Results also reported in GA News https://generalaviationnews.com/2020...championships/

[zkelley2]

Were you guys at gross?

[Battson]

Were you guys at gross?

Not impressed by the distances?? :P

We fly as light as possible.

If you can land your 4 place in 150ft at gross, then call me it's important.

[marcusofcotton]

Temps probably a bit warmer than Vadez eh?

[Battson]

It was a particularly hot day, not much wind at all this year. We had a large low pressure system over the country too. Swirly winds most of the day, some had tailwinds. I think I ticked all the 'excuse' boxes there, right?

[Nev]

Nice work Jon !

[whee]

Nice work Jono!

Where is the video?

[Battson]

If anyone videoed it, I couldn't find it. I shared the stills on the BH Facebook Group.

[svyolo]

It is fun to watch. I finally even watched some STOL drag videos. Very cool.

[zkelley2]

Not impressed by the distances?? :P

We fly as light as possible.

If you can land your 4 place in 150ft at gross, then call me it's important.

No I didn't initially look at the distances, I was more interested in what airplanes flew in what category. Like how a bearhawk is usually lighter empty than a 180 but was in the 185 weight class?
we're looking at new weight classes for this may.. not Valdez. Which is why I was looking.

[svyolo]

This is obviously a spectator sport, but fun to watch, even for me. Watching folks really great at what they do is impressive. I kind of wish they would make a couple more categories. 20 gallons of gas and 200 kg of cargo, and maybe 40 gallons of gas an 400 kg of cargo. Something like that. But then again most people watching are just enjoying the show, and having an adult beverage or two. Maybe I am in the latter category.

[zkelley2]

This is obviously a spectator sport, but fun to watch, even for me. Watching folks really great at what they do is impressive. I kind of wish they would make a couple more categories. 20 gallons of gas and 200 kg of cargo, and maybe 40 gallons of gas an 400 kg of cargo. Something like that. But then again most people watching are just enjoying the show, and having an adult beverage or two. Maybe I am in the latter category.

Ya it doesnt make for a very good spectator sport but we do a Mgtow stol comp at talkeetna every year. The pilots there respect the hell out of those winners. But no one that isn't a pilot thinks much of a 450ft takeoff with 1100lbs of load with an airplane lighter than a 180. Anyone that's ever worked single engine 135 goes... whoa.(unfortunately we're not the biggest market for airplanes. Such jobs where you're an amazing stick don't pay enough to afford your own airplane. The people that can't fly out of a wet paper bag are the one's with most of the money for this stuff... and I'll gladly include myself in that after selling out for a jet and money.)

Valdez has little to do with bush flying but it sells airplanes and parts so... it's good for the industry.

I really hope this doesn't come across as negative. Very much congrats to Battson. But I think you'd win by a larger margin at gross. A 2500lb airplane in 500ft is really good. It's one of the reasons I chose the bearhawk. Not for a toy that can do 100ft takeoffs with nothing on board, but something that can put a days work in and move stuff while taking off in a short distance. Toys are for weekend warriors. We need something to haul the mail.

[JJohnston]

I just noticed on the printout of the results: apparently the NZ flying doctors service uses F-4 Phantoms. Now we have an answer to the question, "What do I have to do to get a ride in one of those?"

[Battson]

No I didn't initially look at the distances, I was more interested in what airplanes flew in what category. Like how a bearhawk is usually lighter empty than a 180 but was in the 185 weight class?
we're looking at new weight classes for this may.. not Valdez. Which is why I was looking.

I was just kidding around.

It depends on the gross weight for the class divisions, so for instance anything 1,500lbs gross to 2,500lbs gross is light touring class. So you see Carbon Cubs in with the 172s. It's not fair, but then again 172s are not best-in-class STOL machines. I would say the same about Bearhawk's vs 180s.

Ya it doesnt make for a very good spectator sport but we do a Mgtow stol comp at talkeetna every year. The pilots there respect the hell out of those winners. But no one that isn't a pilot thinks much of a 450ft takeoff with 1100lbs of load with an airplane lighter than a 180. Anyone that's ever worked single engine 135 goes... whoa.(unfortunately we're not the biggest market for airplanes. Such jobs where you're an amazing stick don't pay enough to afford your own airplane. The people that can't fly out of a wet paper bag are the one's with most of the money for this stuff... and I'll gladly include myself in that after selling out for a jet and money.)

Valdez has little to do with bush flying but it sells airplanes and parts so... it's good for the industry.

We talked about a max weight competition with the organisers of the event.
It was decided that a MCTOW STOL event would not be great to watch, but more importantly it would be very hard on the machines and the risks would be greater. Planes close to the stall at full aft CG, little excess power available. It just seemed like a bad idea.

MCTOW STOL is also subject to the same biases as minimum weight STOL, whereas a 185 will lift a lot more than a Bearhawk but has the same size brakes, so would still struggle to compete.

I think what you are saying is the Valdez flying 'competition' part of the overall event has little to do with backcountry flying - the most competitive aircraft and how they are operated anyway. I think the skills themselves are highly transferable. I also think the whole event overall has a lot to do with backcountry flying, bringing together the community, sharing skills and stories, and generally all things backcountry aviation in one place at once. It's as much for the pilots, as it is for the spectators.

[JimParker256]

All I know is that it's a heck of a fun thing to watch!