EVENT PHOTOS: 2009 Heli Invasion – Friday

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I had the opportunity to travel to Fredricksburg, VA to attend the 2009 Heli Invasion and the trip was well worth it. When I pulled into the field on Friday it was very evident this event was going large. People were everywhere and two rows of cars and RV’s lined the back of the field. Last years event had about 80 registered pilots and that number was surpassed by the end of the day on Friday. Friday turned out to be great day of fun, food, friends, and of course off the hook flying with many pros in attendance. Jarad Granzow, Marcus Kim, Bert Kammerer, Nick Maxwell, Curtis Youngblood, Henry Caldwell, and Justin Chi were all there to name a few.

The event was hosted again this year by the Fredricksburg Area R/C Club at Robbie Campbell Memorial R/C Field and the field was exceptionally well maintained with beautiful scenery in all directions. The skies were overcast with a little wind but nobody complained and flying was round the clock from one end of the flight line to the other. Joe Coppola and Clay Klemm shared the CD role and they were well organized keeping things moving with safety in mind all the time.

Hobby Hut, Hobby Hangar, and RC Hobbies and More were on hand with many great specials and deals for those in attendance. The were two food vendor stations on site keeping people well fed and hydrated. There was a raffle prize table with well over $5,500.00 worth of merchandise to raffle off for Saturday.

Many activities were scheduled for Saturday such as the Noontime Demos, The Curtis Youngblood Auto Clinic, a Dueling Heli/Airplane Demo by Nick Maxwell and Curtis Youngblood, a Question and Answer Session with the Pros, the u-neak Designs/Hobby Hangar “Do It in the Dark” Night Fly Competition with a $500.00 winner takes all cash prize.

Friday activities continued after dark with the fun-filled Blade MSR Races and many people partied well into the early morning hours. All in all, Friday looked to be a great success with an action packed Saturday still ahead.

Check out the photos below from Friday and stay tuned for more photos and videos as well.