By Zinnia Kilkenny, IAC 437244

ZK: The San Diego Hammerheads held the Hammerhead Roundup last April, in which an impressive 44 pilots participated. In addition, a newly incorporated rule allowed you to compete as a student with a CFI.

KL: To hear a new rule allowing student pilots to compete with a safety pilot who is a CFI was remarkable news. I have been flying with Ross Ferguson for a few years and am grateful that someone is willing to be thrown around in a plane for half an hour to an hour until our eyes go googly from the amount of aileron rolls or until we get hungry doing hammerhead after hammerhead, all to help me improve my aerobic ability. Ross had mentioned the new rule and the competition in Borrego Springs, suggesting that my father and I attend. He helped me get my student pilot's certificate so I could compete.

Instead of practicing various maneuvers, we began working on box placement, the importance of how you present yourself to the judges, and the Primary routine. Some days I would watch Ross or Marian Harris practice while the other offered suggestions and comments from the ground, then they would switch who commented and who was flying. Of course, I would usually get to fly as well, but it was interesting to see what the maneuvers looked like from the ground. Marian provided ground critique, which helped me visualize what the judges saw versus what I saw. Moreover, trying to stay in a makeshift box of landmarks when practicing was helpful. It subsequently made the box feel less daunting and not as small as I expected it. 

ZK: Between the three-hold system, there were 18 Primary competitors in your class. How did the pace of the contest feel?

KL: I found I didn’t have an issue with the three-hold system as the YAK can take some time to warm up, leading to usually skipping the first two hold areas. From preflight preparations to starting your engine to all the other aspects that lead you to the box, then getting in and out of the box as efficiently as possible while still trying to perform your best, made the competition (for the most part) fast paced. Due to a large number of people, I wasn’t given a volunteer position, so once my flying time was up, there was some time to breathe. I’m sure it wasn’t easy to regulate and run the competition. It was even more fast-paced for the organizers and volunteers, which is why I am thoroughly impressed with the organization and dedication to making this competition possible.

While this was my first time competing in aerobatics, I have some experience competing in sports like track and field, which has a similar structure. This helped me mitigate whatever stress I might have been feeling. I was also very fortunate to have Ross as my safety pilot, considering his experience. He was unable to offer comments during the sequence, but I think just having someone there made me feel more assured. It’s a competition, and people want to win, of course, but it was reassuring to see that, like me, people were flying for the pure enjoyment of aerobatics. Overall, I’m truly grateful for the experience and appreciative of the people I met.

ZK: Pawel Miko stirred up some friendly competition at the Roundup by pairing closely matched competitors in each category. He decided that you and your father, Marinus, would face off. (Pictured right.)

KL: Miko's idea to incorporate the face-offs was great. It helped ease the stress and worrying of where you might be placed, and at least for me put a focus on trying to enjoy the experience. 

Whether we were put together due to flying the same plane or because it would be father versus daughter, I think if I wanted to compete against anyone at the time, it would have been my father. I know either way there would have been no hard feelings, along with the fact that at least someone in our family would win something. We were both supportive of each other, and I was pretty excited to see how he would do. Our scores weren’t too far off, but in the end, I did place ahead of him by one position. We still joke occasionally that I need to savor my small victory as it won’t last forever, which I am certain.

ZK: What in aviation has been the most fulfilling?

KL: I’d like to say soloing on my 16th birthday has been one of the most fulfilling aspects and has brought me the most happiness. It might sound a bit bland, but to put what I have been working on into fruition was gratifying. I hit that milestone and now I’m working towards my pilot's certificate. My long-term goal is a career in aviation. I want to fly commercial, although I am also looking into the Air National Guard.

There are, however, a lot of little moments that I cherish, contributing to making my aviation experience what it is today. An example is after I completed the Known, I was a bit apprehensive to see my score, but to see I had placed third, I was surprised to say the least, albeit very happy. While I’m not fully sure, I think I may have taken my father and Ross a bit by surprise as well.

I like to believe that they were just as happy as I was.

Photo by Craig Rembold