Saturday, May 31, 2014

Aerobatics competition continues today at Richard B. Russell Airport (KRMG); admission free to watch

The plane hummed overhead as judges watched its path through the sky above Richard B. Russell Regional Airport.

Mark Nowosielski, a competitor in the Southeastern Open aerobatics competition, stood on a runway as one of his team members prepared for his turn. One of the pilots who will represent the U.S. in the August World Championships in Slovakia, Nowosielski came to Rome to prepare for his stunt on the world stage.

“I equate it to figure skating,” Nowosielski said Friday. “The judges know what you’re going to do before you do it. You can make a mistake, but you’re not going to get anywhere close to winning.”

The competition continues from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. today. Admission is free.

Competitors have three types of routines: a sequence they know, one they make themselves and a third that’s only revealed to them about a half day before they fly.

Marty Flournoy, one of Nowosielski’s team members, said the competition tests the mind and body. It forces pilots to think in three dimensions, and makes them feel extra weight because of G forces.

“It just feels like you weigh 400 pounds, but you get used to that,” Flournoy said.

At about 11 a.m., an F/A-18 appeared on the horizon. A crowd cheered as Robert Hortman, a Darlington graduate whose family lives in Floyd County, landed the aircraft, turned around and slowly rolled back to the airport’s terminal.

Hortman, who recently returned to Virginia Beach after his deployment to Afghanistan, must log hours in the air as a Navy pilot.

“It’s a great honor, and I feel very fortunate to be able to do it,” Hortman said as the crowd approached and greeted the pilot.

Hortman graduated from the Naval Academy in 2003 and began his pilot’s training. He spent about three years in Japan and another three years at Top Gun, the Navy Fighter Weapons School, before his year stint in Afghanistan.

Taking a moment to answer a question, Hortman figures he’s reached 500 mph in the F/A-18.

“It’s not very exciting, actually,” he admitted. “Unless you’re pulling Gs, it’s a lot like driving a car — just faster.”


Story and photo gallery:  http://www.northwestgeorgianews.com

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