Standard practice for this event is for everyone to turn up at the site on the Friday for some practice and to recover from the long drive. Problem was that Friday was rained off to a great extent and so practice was generally non-existent except for the true die-hards. Mark Tilbury and Jeremy Fox turned up on the Wednesday for some extra practice. Those who turned up on the Friday had a social gathering in the caravan before returning to their accommodation for some rest. There are always some late arrivals, with Jamie Cole arriving just in time to check in, after driving most of the night.
Saturday dawned and it was obvious that rain would stop play, at least for a while. After a passing shower or two, the competition started albeit an hour late. The first round found Mark Christie in the lead with Mark Tilbury, Dave Wilshere chasing, with Jeremy Fox a surprise 3rd.
Following the first round of FAI there was another short break for rain before starting the clubman’s. Again without any hiccups, Pete Christy was in first place, with Martin Briggs hot on his tail. For some, this was the first time they had entered the event and took some time to find their feet. Indeed the judges held a quick seminar prior to round 2 that saw most people improving their scores by 10 –20 %. The first round did have a couple of surprises, Jamie Cole was disqualified for flying too low (3D style) and Garry Rowlands was also scored zero on his aero’s for flying behind the judges line.
After another short rain break the second round of the FAI started and without surprise found Mark Christy in first again, so securing his fourth 1st place at the event. Mark Tilbury and Dave Wilshere were still battling it out for 2nd and 3rd with Noel Cross taking up the challenge, but still settling down with his new X-Cells. Straight after the FAI was the second round of Clubman’s. Again Pete Christy was first, and Martin Briggs second with a battle for the following 4 places developing.
So ended the Saturday’s events with father and son as the 1st places in Clubman’s and FAI respectively. Saturday evening saw the Aberdeen Aeromodellers electric Fly-in event. Due to the weather, however, only a few turned up. Dave Wilshere and the motors and rotors team took advantage, as forewarned, they had several electric models with them and flew on into the evening.
Sunday turned out to be a better day, albeit windier. A quick start and with all pressing to get the job done, and with the assistance of Leslie Cross and Richard Mott, the scale and Auto-spot competitions were to run at the same time as the Clubman’s and Free-Style. With the FAI underway prompt at 10 o’clock and a straight run into the Clubman’s it was barely lunchtime. Again no mishaps or surprises and the placing for both competitions were finalised. Again Jamie’s 3D aerobatics knocked his score and also his chances at 2nd or 3rd places. The extra wind on the Sunday knocked most of the less experienced pilots scores back a few points, especially if a squall hits during your round.
With Scale and Auto-spot well underway, it was time for the Free-Style. I didn’t see much of the event as being CD also brings the joys of adding up the scores, even with the aid of a PC this takes time! Enough to say that I did see the end of Jamie Cole’s attempt which unfortunately prevented him any chance of picking up the cup for the second year. Yes, you guessed it one broken model, this is the joys of 3D flying on the edge! Dave Fisher then went on to claim 1st place with Robert Mott in 2nd place.
This year saw four entries in the Scale event with some rather nice looking models and rather nice paint jobs. The judges reliably inform me that they would not like to be a passenger in Dave Wilshere’s model had it been full size! This probably cost him 1st place, as Scale flying is just that, pretty much nice and easy does it.
As for Auto-spot, how do you land less the 2 inches from the mark in a fly-off! Some of us have enough problems getting that close with the engine running, and anywhere inside a couple of metres is great for a auto! Every year the winner is very close to the mark and indeed the combined score of less that a few centimetres has been recorded.
Even with the delays on the Saturday, the push on the Sunday to get a round or FAI, Clubman’s and Freestyle, led to the prize giving at 2:15 pm the earliest ever. It’s amazing what can be crammed into a relatively short time!
It was nice to see Martin Briggs back at the event after several years break. I’m sure he was glad to be there, especially after picking up 1st place in the Scale event and 2nd in the Clubman’s. It would be nice to see a few more of the old faces returning to the event or even some more new ones. Everyone is always welcome, so put a date in your diary for the 15th & 16th of June 2001 for next years event, (to be confirmed nearer the time).
Lastly thanks to the Judges, Competitors and helpers without whom there is no event to run.
Please visit the new web site for updates on the event entry forms, directions and maps etc at www.shn.ukf.net.
Ian Corse
Contest Director (or at least I try to!)