Wings over Applegate

Still thinking about attending?  
Registration fees go up $100 after May 6.
We still have a few slots available for the Open and Sprint

It looks like COVID infections in Jackson county have peaked and are on their way down.  We’re highly confident we will be able to have the competition June 19-26 as scheduled.

On the other hand…
If for some reason you need to cancel note that the cancellation fee goes up from $25 to $200 on May 7.

Dan Wells
AO Admin.

One thing that used to drive me crazy with the Rat Race and continuing with the Applegate Open was the Mandatory Pilots meeting and the 160 or so pilot roll call.

With COVID concerns, and how to socially distance 160 people in a tent, we had to think of something different.  We are eliminating the Saturday Mandatory pilots meeting this year!

Here’s the plan…

There will be a “MANDATORY PILOT READING MATERIALS” page on the website that pilots can access.  All the material we need to present to relative to local rules, scoring, “no land fields” and other things to keep you safe will be there.  Pilots can read through them at their leisure at home on your computer in a comfortable chair while sipping on their favorite beverage. 

To support this effort there will be two Zoom Q and A Meetings ahead of the event  Pilots will have a chance ro ask any questions they might have had while reading and listening to the presentations on the web page.

Just one other thing…

PILOTS IN THE SPRINT AND OPEN RACES WILL HAVE TO CERTIFY THAT THEY HAVE READ/LISTENED TO THE MATERIALS.  This will need to be done BEFORE the first day of the competition.  The link to certify will be the webpage.

It will be a while before we have everything up on the website.  But if you want to get a head start you can read the local rules.  

Dan Wells
AO admin.

As of today, we will not be able to ABSOLUTELY confirm additional slots for U.S. Pilots in the Open Race.

Currently we have 76 of the 100 slots available confirmed for the Open Race. We have to hold  25 slots for foreign pilots until May 5 per FAI sanctioning rules.  Right now, we only have one foreign pilot registered.   It is likely we will have 15-20 slots available to CONFIRM on May 6 due to the uncertainties of international travel with COVID.

To deal with this we offer the following to U.S. pilots:

Purchase your registration now and we will TENTATIVLY CONFIRM your slot.  Then on May 6 we will CONFIRM those slots in the order they were paid. 

If for some reason you paid, were TENTATIVELY CONFIRMED and there are no slots available, we will give you a FULL REFUND.

So if you are a U.S. pilot I would recommend that you purchase your registration fee now to have the best chance of getting a slot in the Open race in case we sell out.

Please not also that the Sprint race currently has 13 slots available with no limitations, and the Super Clinic is full.

Dan Wells
AO-Administrator

Registration  for 2021 is now open!
We’ve had to raise the fees a bit this year primarily  due to anticipated higher transportation costs due to COVID and some uncertainties on attendance.  On a more positive note due to some new USHPA requirements your required local club membership will be good for ALL of 2021. 

Here are the 2021 registration  fees:
March 1- May 6, 2021 (normal registration)
Open/Sprint Race $520 plus $30 RVHPA local club membership $550 Total

SuperClinic $670plus $30 RVHPA local club membership $700 Total

Here are some  key registration dates   (updated 3/27/21)
Monday March 1, 2021
-Online registration opens
Tuesday March 16, 2021
-Priority registration for top 25 ranked US pilots ends
Wednesday May 5, 2021
-Priority registration for foreign pilots ends.
Thursday May 6, 2021
-Normal registration ends.   Registration is $100 higher after this date.

As a reminder:
The event runs June 19-26.  We have proposed a possible backup date of Aug.28-Sept. 4  if COVID surges and the June date is not feasible.  But for now things are looking very good for the June event to go off as scheduled. 

To register, Click here  or go to the Apply tab.

Volunteers:
We need you!  Click here to sign up.

Dan Wells
Applegate Open Admin.

Backup date in place for AO 2021

As we write this cases in Jackson County are declining and we hope they will be at a level where we can hold the event as scheduled June 19-26.  But just in case we have set a backup date for the competition.  If necessary, we have set August 28-Sepember 4 as a backup.  If we end up having to use the backup date and you can’t make it then, we’ll notify everyone in time to cancel their registration without a  penalty.

Proof of vaccination or negative test requirement.

When you register for this year’s competition you will have to agree to submit written documentation of completing vaccination at least 10 days prior to the sign in on June 18th or written documentation of a negative COVID test within 72 hours of the sign in. 

Please do not show up at sign in without one of these.  Otherwise, you will not be able to compete and no refunds will be given.

Cheers,

The Applegate Open Team

Hi Pilots!

Save the date.  June 19-26, 2021.

Our competition sanctioning application has been submitted to USHPA and we are just starting to plan Applegate Open 2021.

Like previous years there will be an Open Race, a Sprint Race, and a SuperClinic.

The event will run from June 19-26, 2021.  You can see the key dates for registration under the About tab.

COVID-19 will likely still be with us so you can expect some changes from previous years.   We’ll have more updates for you as the plans finalize between now and the first week in February when registration opens.

Thanks to the pilots who opted not to get a refund and have their 2020 fee applied to 2021.  I show you already as confirmed for 2021.  The rest of you will have to wait till March.

Fly safe and COVID free,

Terri Stewart                     Dan Wells
AO Organizer                     AO Admin

Pilots,

After careful consideration (and heavy heart), we have little choice but to cancel the 2020 Applegate Open event.

This may not come as a surprise to many of you.  We reviewed the Opening Oregon draft Plan from the Governor’s Office and weighed it against a few critical components including non-essential travel abilities both in the US and abroad, the ability to uphold physical distancing, and meet mass gathering requirements in addition to other elements.   With many of the flying sites currently shut down, the lack of flying and teaching currency also played a role in the decision for both race and especially SuperClinic pilots.   With all the uncertainties, rather than waiting two more weeks hoping the pandemic would disappear we chose to cancel.

For those of you who have confirmed your attendance with a payment we have some options for you:

• We will apply your 2020 payment towards the 2021 AO.
• We will refund your payment less the bank fee.
• You also have the option to donate a portion, or all of your paid fees, to a fund we have created to give back and provide support to individuals, businesses and/or projects in the Applegate Valley who will suffer economically from the loss of this event.

A form will be sent in a separate email with those details for you to choose your option.

For the rest of you who have registered but not paid, if you would like to make a donation to a fund mentioned above, here is the link to do so.

https://wingsoverapplegate.org/product/applegate-valley-relief-fund/

I want to thank the team of dedicated folks that have relentlessly supported this event including pilots, staff, and volunteers. The decision to cancel was not easy, but necessary in ensuring you and your loved ones some planning opportunity. We each must do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19. We encourage you to visit Woodrat once it has been deemed safe and watch for updates on smaller organized events including the September Star thistle Fly-in.

Stay healthy, call a family member or friend and check in on them, pick up some extra groceries for a neighbor who may need to stay home more than you due to medical conditions, support a local store or restaurant by purchasing a gift card or other item, and thank an essential employee; that includes the grocery store clerk.

See you in 2021. Thank you!

Terri
Terri Stewart
President,  RVHPA
Organizer, Applegate Open 2020
AO-organizer@rvhpa.org

We have pushed back the decision date to go ahead with the event or cancel from mid April to the end of April.  We are hoping state and local guidelines will be available by that date.  Admittedly its a longshot. 

Meanwhile if any of you have ideas on how to run a competition while maintaining social distancing let us know.

We’ll notify pilots on the website, on our Facebook page, and in an email once we have a decision.  

Dan Wells
Applegate Open Admin
ao-admin@rvhpa.org