CD’s Report
Work commitments made it impossible for me to attend the Friday
Beginners contest, so Steve Green did the job and John Teesdale from Rufforth won. Thanks Steve, well done John.
On Saturday Breighton dawned bright and
breezy, but as forecast with fluffy bits at 1400ft - consequently the
launch was delayed until around 11.00, after banishing six brave judges
to the far side of the industrial estate. Having been asked to keep
things moving briskly along, the pilots duly formed an orderly queue for
take off, hold and box, and the known sequence was completed by
lunchtime. At this point of the proceedings Dave Cowden in his Pitts was in
first spot, followed by Luke Goddard in STUA and John Wicks in his
CAP-10, and the judges
returned gratefully for some shelter.
By mid afternoon when the unknowns were in
full swing, competitors were getting to grips with the off-judge wind,
instead of the mornings problems of clouds encroaching into the box. At
the end of round two the leaders had re-shuffled - Dave Cowden emerging
victorious, with David Jenkins taking the Silver and Luke Goddard the
Bronze. Thanks to all of you for competing, and for your (mainly)
intelligent arrivals and departures. There were also some very promising
results from newcomers Martin Hill and Ian Smith, who should add some
new competition for the old campaigners this season.
I hope a lot of you were able to benefit
from talking to the more experienced pilots present at this event - they
are all happy to help and share their experience, not only in terms of
technique but also with respect to preparation. While airborne practice
is essential and costly, mental preparation is equally essential, costs
nothing - and may account for up to 80% of your competition success (or
otherwise!).
Thoroughly
visualise not only the sequence itself but also the expected effects of
the wind conditions (get the 2000' wind before flight), positioning with
respect to the judges, and orientation within the box. This can be done
not only just prior to a competition flight but also as a routine part
of your preparation for training. Practise visualising the entire flight
from take off to landing - both from inside the cockpit and as observed
by the judges. It costs nothing but time and discipline, and can make a
big difference to your results.
Many thanks to our hosts at Breighton, and
especially to Brian Brown, who was presented with the Chipmunk Trophy
for his services to aerobatics over the years. Thanks also to our
stalwart judges: Steve Green, Ben Ellis, Alan Cassidy, Peter
Macintosh, Toddy and Brian Gleave, ably assisted by Debbie, Rachel, Ann,
Gerald and many others. Oh - and not forgetting Corinne who drove the
computer.
Tom Cassells