The 1996 California State Hot-Air
Open Championship, held in Newman, in the lush San Joaquin Valley, the last
weekend in August, was won by Gloria Navarrette of Antioch, California.
by Christine Kalakuka
The 1996 California State Hot-Air
Open Championship, held in Newman, in the lush San Joaquin Valley, the last
weekend in August, was won by Gloria Navarrette of Antioch, California.
The deciding contest, pronounced by the California Open Championship Organization (COCO), required a full-stop landing at one or more of 3 targets declared in advance. The goals were the Newman Championship Site, which was also the launch site, Gustine Airport, 4 nautical miles from the launch site, and Los Baños Airport, 30 kilometers distant. In order to be scored, the entrants were required to fly for at least one hour before landing.
Navarrette, skillfully piloting her 1970 AX-6 Raven S50A, tested wind directions and landed after three overflights of the championship site. Several other pilots, including Gary Michalek, of Lafayette, California , David Robinson, Half Moon Bay, California , and Brent Stockwell, Oakland California , flew over the site, but were unable to make a full-stop landing. Bob Piña, Discovery Bay, California , Pat Moore, Gilroy, California , and Ted Overton, Glen Ellen, California all tried for the Gustine designated Target, however there was insufficient wind to carry them the distance. Several pilots claimed that if the contest had been a baggie drop, they could have nailed the center of the target.
[One of the founding precepts of COCO is that contests should bear a direct relation to the discipline being tested, thus balloonists are tested for their spot landing skills, not their throwing ability.]
The Championship was held in conjunction with the Newman Fall Festival, a traditional celebration of thanks for a bountiful harvest.
California ' s large Central Valley, composed of the Sacramento Valley to the north, and the San Joaquin Valley to the south, is an agricultural wonder, producing a large portion of the world ' s food, and, from Newman going south, a goodly portion of the nation ' s finest cotton. One chase crew, trying to keep track of the crops they passed, saw tomatoes, bell peppers, alfalfa, beans, melons, cotton, walnut and peach orchards and many, many dairies. Landing sites must be carefully chosen, since most arable land is under cultivation. Chase crews appreciate the mile-square roads that provide access to many areas, and the friendly farmers and workers who are willing to lend a hand, listen to, and tell stories. One competitor had a family of 7 children help with pack up.
The Awards Dinner, for pilots and crew, was held at the St. George Hotel in Newman. All pilots were presented with participation certificates, and Navarrette was awarded a silver trophy in a simple ceremony. No speeches were allowed.
