Ozark Mountain Jets

EVENT REPORT

Ozark Mountain Jets enjoyed an outstanding second year of weather that was far better than we could have reasonably hoped for! OMJ 2003 had 37 pilots from 10 different states participating that flew countless flights during the three-day event. Flight time available for each pilot was almost unlimited. The race for most flights was pretty intense with Scott Harris of Nashville coming out on top by a slim margin. Very close behind was Tom Antlfinger from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, and Tim Redelman from Winamac, Indiana. It was clear from the beginning that all the pilots came to OMJ for some serious flying time. I arrived at the field by 7:30 each morning and each morning, two or three jets were already in the air! Many of the pilots flew until it got too dark to see their jets.

As usual, we again enjoyed outstanding support from the airport, the City of Sullivan, and especially from the firefighters of the Sullivan Fire Protection District. We were a little short on event workers this year but the firefighters saw the need for assistance and stepped right up to the plate and helped out without even having to be asked. The firefighters had their own 4 wheel ATV which they used to help us out with "crash cart" duties. Support from the local community just doesn't get any better than this! Not one pilot left Sullivan without having their air tanks refilled right on the spot by the firefighters.

This year's physical layout for the OMJ event was very different from any other jet rally that I have ever participated in. "Shelter Row" was 250' back from the centerline of the runway in order to satisfy the FAA's Object Free Zone requirement. This put the shelters right on the back edge of the parallel taxiway. This new setup provided a 40' wide expanse of pavement immediately in front of everyone's shelter. This worked out great because it allowed the pilots to pit immediately in front of their shelter and to use the far edge of the taxiway as their startup area. So, no matter how far away your shelter was from the runway access taxiway, nobody had to carry heavy jets or equipment anywhere! Pilots could start their engines in front of their shelters and taxi to the runway and after landing, taxi right back to their shelter. From the feedback we received this was a big hit with the pilots.

On Friday evening, the pilots and their pit crews were treated to a catered dinner at the field; all you could eat barbecue pork steaks, Italian pasta salad, green salad, baked beans, dinner rolls, and homemade pie. The folks who provided the concessions during the rally did an outstanding job catering this meal; surely all the pilots would agree.

At OMJ we had awards for "Best Sport Jet", won by Tom Cook for his Firebird, "Best Scale Jet" won by Don Reger with his JMP T-33; "Best Finish" won by Ron Colbert with his new BVM F-86 finished in Flite Metal, "Most Spectacular Flight" won by Lewis Patton with his CAI Predator, "Best of Show" was won Roman Myrdacz with his Spider Jet F-16; and last but not least was the "Top Gun" award won by Tim Redelman with his BVM F-4. There was no trophy for the pilot with the most flights for the weekend but Scott Harris got first pick of the pilots prizes and chose a frequency scanner donated by George Estes.

Hope to see you on 9, 10, & 11 September 2004 the weekend after Labor Day.

Text by: Steve Collins the Assistant CD for OMJ

Paul Applebaum waiting on the Hog's landing to taxi out his Vantage.