flour bombing and spot landing

LAM Spot Landing and Flour Bombing Contest

October 2009, EAA chapter 691 issued a challenge for a flour bombing and spot landing contest. Only 9 pilots
answered the challenge. Thanks for Thomas Spickerman for the photographic evidence.

The plan

Will Fox designed a flilght path so each aircraft got to do a fly over/bomb drop, then go back out around the
pattern to try for a spot landing. This was somewhat complicated by the Los Alamos airport's tight air space
with no flyovers to the west, restricted airspace on the south side and the 1 % uphill grade of the runway. The
flour bombs had to be dropped from an altitude of no less than 300' over the approach end of the runway. After
the drop, the plane would start a climb and fly off to the north, then re-enter a right hand downwind for runway 27.
The engine had to be pulled back to idle when the plane was abeam the numbers for 27. Every bump of the
throttle on approach cost a 100' penalty. The spot landing target was the beginning of the fixed distance markers
on Runway 27. Landing short of the marker disqualified that attempt. The flights were done in two groups so all
the pilots got to take their turn watching the others flounder. Each group got to make two flights, so each pilot
got to make two flour bombing attempts and two attempts at a spot landing. The spot landing was specifically
designed to force the pilots to practice their engine out approaches.

The gallery of observers.

More observers and judges.

Skip attempts to drop his Taylorcraft on the spot landing marker with a side slip.

John slightly overshoots the landing with his Interstate Cadet.

The Peanut Gallery under the pop up tent top. Was the tent there to protect from the sun or the errant flour
bombs?

BOMBS AWAY! Skip drops a flour bomb from the Taylorcraft.

April Fox piloting with Will Fox acting as bombardier from the Super Decathlon.

Gary Cavasos bombing from "Big Bird". Would that flour bomb be considered "Big Bird Droppings"?

Wayne Bongionni and bombardier get lined up for a drop.

This looks like the winning spot landing. Jeff Scott had the closest landing with 170 feet past the marker. Surely
we have better pilots that will join the competition next year.

One of these has to be Lloyd Hunt's winning bomb drop with bombardier Doug Balzley making the drop within
24 feet of the target. The other must be Jeff Scott's second place drop of 25 feet off the target.