Monday, May 01, 2006
Neri captures fifth aero title
By Jade S. Violeta
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
SIX years after winning a rare and still unequalled feat in aeromodeling competition, Julius “JJ” Neri Jr. is back in the limelight as the Cebuano record-holder bagged the highest honor in the 20th Philippine National Aero Modelers Tournament, which came to an end yesterday at the Cebu Boardwalk in Mandaue City.
Neri, a 16-year aeromodeling veteran who is the first and only miniature plane pilot to win the Cebu Gold Cup in the tournament’s 20-year history, became only the second man in the tournament to etch three perfect scores as he snared the championship title in the Masters Category of the Precision Aerobatics competition.
Gold Cup
The Cebu Gold Cup is given to an aeromodeler who wins the competition three straight years.
Neri’s tiara was his fifth overall and his first since recording a four-eat in 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000, which is also a record in the tournament.
Neri, who is the Sun.Star Cebu vice president for marketing, scored 1,000 points in each of the three rounds to finish with a normalized total score of 2,000 points in the Masters Category, which involved a total of 23 pattern maneuvers.
The first person to ink a perfect score in the tournament was Harry Taylor, who topped the Advanced category Saturday.
Makati City’s Alexander Vergara logged the next highest three-round total with 1,729.7859 points for second place, while another Cebuano, Poy Ilano, a three-time champion, salvaged third with 1,703.3999 points.
Completing the top six finishers were Albert Roa (1,632.5053), Bacolod City’s Yepe Infante (1,592.5256) at fifth and Oscar Suarez (1,439.2151) at sixth.
Fun fly
In the Fun Fly division of the event, which is presented by the Cebu Aeromodeler’s Club Inc., Federation Aeronautique Internationale, 3D Hobbies and Sports Association, Inc. and Sun.Star Publications Network, Cebu’s John Wong snared his second crown after registering the most number of loops in 30 seconds with his record of 15.
Following Wong, who topped the Fun Fly’s Spot Landing competition Saturday, was Joel Concepcion with 14, Francisco Manalo (13), Erwin Dematera (11), and Poy Ilano (9).
Touch and go
Dematera, though, bounced back in the most number of touch and go competition, also in the Fun Fly, as he logged 4-of-6, while Francisco Manalo and Joel Concepcion bagged the second and third spots, respectively.
Completing the top five were Ilano and Michael Chua, who tallied four each in the event, which was co-presented by Futaba, Hirobo Limited, OS Engines, Audionet and Carlos J. Valdes and Associates.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 1, 2006 issue)
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