The Don Henry and Air Squadron Trophies - 2007

This year I arrived on Friday morning, together with heavy showers and low cloud, but briefing of four Beginners and six Advanced pilots commenced at 1400 sharp. The very confident first Beginner Michael George and his CAP-10 started into his sequence promptly at 1500 only to be called down by the judges because his performance was rendered un-judgeable by slow passing scud. That same scud, clearly kicking off the ridge on which the airfield stands, persisted all afternoon and was still visible late that evening as a classic meteorological phenomenon in an otherwise flyable sky.

It was the summer solstice, the weekend of nearby Glastonbury, so the Weather Gods scheduled rain. At Saturday’s 0800 hrs briefing of Beginners, Advanced & Intermediate pilots I suggested they expect the worst. At the next ,1100, briefing a 1500 hrs abandonment was already being mooted. It was during one of the inevitable time-passing hangar tours (we were riveted by the most extensively equipped homebuilt I have ever seen, which even included a TV camera in the fin) when webmaster Nick Buckenham alerted us to a sudden weather clearance. I hate it when the Weather Gods do that! Beginners and their judges were scrambled and the four flights completed with commendable expedition. There then followed the most discontinuous flow of flights I have ever experienced, but eventually the Advanced pilots completed at 16.45.

The onus then lay on the first Intermediate pilot – Brian McCartney – to continue or not, and with commendable sportsmanship he flew and thus committed others to do likewise. The Weather God alas was less sporting and continued to deliver frustratingly deceptive low scud into the box, plus much less subtle heavy rain showers. Pilots and judges fought back valiantly, with every single pilot being given an opportunity slot, but in the end the Weather God prevailed, and at 1900 we capitulated. Flying until “late” might seem a good idea early in the day, but as pilots and judges became cold, wet, tired, hungry, thirsty and homesick the prospect palls. Pity, because at 1930 hrs it was CAVOK….

Our charismatic host Clive Hughes presented the awards: Beginners went to local Annabelle Burroughs, interestingly the pilot of both the non-radio Bucker Jüngmann and the hi-tech TV equipped RV7. The Don Henry Trophy for Advanced went to the Chairman Alan Cassidy. The coveted Air Squadron trophy was not awarded and will be re contested later in the year, but for the record the highest scorer of the five who did fly at Intermediate was Simon Johnson with 68.95%.

A required item in the mandatory contest briefing is notification of the applicable rules. I use that opportunity to remind pilots that they must be cognisant of the rules, or at least have access to them, but if they have a protest they must make it. Rules recently modified cover late arrivals and un-penalised breaks, and copies of all can be downloaded from this website at www.aerobatics.org.uk/general_rules.htm

Eric Marsh, CD