Jerry Trimble Helicopters (JTH) is planning a fun summer at the McMinnville, OR airport with two upcoming events: the JTH 4th annual touchdown autorotation contest and a Poker Run.

The 4th Annual Touchdown Auto Rotation competition is slated to be held on June 22, 2014. New this year is a flour bag bombing contest. Spectators can sit in the bomber’s seat of the R-22 to test their skill at hitting a target on the ground with a bag of flour. The competitions correspond with the annual Lions Club Fly-in/Drive-in. There will be an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast served 7AM – 12PM. The public is invited to bring their own aircraft, car or motorcycle to participate in the show. With every breakfast purchase, spectators receive a ballot to vote on their favorite car and airplane. Jerry Trimble Helicopters will be offering $20 helicopter rides all day. Glider rides will be available and there will be a drone presentation. Also new this year is a presentation from Garmin on ADS-B and its technological effects on aviation.  All female helicopter pilots are invited to a Whirly-Girls meeting.

The autorotation competition will be judged on straight-in full down autos. Scoring is based on distance from the pre-established “spot”, technique and the slide distance, if any. Pilots can have points subtracted from their total score depending on how much assistance is given by Trimble. Each pilot is allowed 2 full-down auto rotations. All flights will be flown with Jerry Trimble unless the pilot supplies their own helicopter. The cost to enter is $75 which includes the helicopter rental and a $5 donation to a local charity of the pilot’s choice. First place will receive $600, second place $400 and third $200. Space is limited, register early. The contest begins at 10 AM. JTH offers a “Blow the Rust Off” package for those who wish to brush up on their autos prior to the competition.

The second event, a Poker Run will be held on July 12. This event is being held in conjunction with the McMinnville Turkey Rama. The Poker Run is open to aircraft, cars and motorcycles. Participants will draw a card at JTH then travel to 3 surrounding airports to draw their next card. The final card will be drawn when they return to JTH. Poker hands will be judged and the winning hand will be awarded a prize. After the poker run, the FAA will host a FAA Safety Briefing open to all pilots.