Jerry Trimble Helicopters (JTH) held its seventh annual touchdown autorotation competition at McMinnville Municipal Airport on June 25, 2017. Thirteen helicopter pilots competed in the event, with Ramsay Nicholson from CFI Hillsboro Aero taking home first place.
Bruce Latvala, test flight pilot at Cessna, took a close second; with Tizian Gruber CFI Hillsboro Aero taking third. Trent Vick, also from CFI Hillsboro Aero, placed fourth.
Scoring was based on technique, accuracy and slide distance. Trimble flew with all pilots.
The judges for the event were Ron Gustafson, Federal Aviation Administration designated pilot examiner; Isaac Etherington, former JTH student and winner of the second TDA contest, is former Papillon tour pilot and is currently an emergency medical service pilot for Air Medical Resource Group; and Lina Ngo, former JTH student and Ameriflight pilot.
“We were very pleased with the turnout and caliber of pilots that competed,” said Jerry Trimble.
Several flight schools were represented during the contest. There were pilots from Hillsboro Aero Academy, Leading Edge and Corvallis Aero Service.
JTH gave $25 helicopter rides and the Lions Club served pancakes to support the charity programs.
