The Esso Tiger Trophy - 2007

Now let us rewind by a day, to noon on Friday at Sherburn Aerodrome in mid Yorkshire. A band of foul weather is spending its day centred on this particular latitude in order to replenish local reservoirs. Several pilots have seen it forecast and preceded it, whilst others puzzle how to cope with it. Veteran ex service pilot Peter Mac magically sources a forecaster who promises clearing at 1600L, flyable by 1700. We were later to complain that he was out by 20 minutes.

The rule on "not at briefing so can’t fly" is unpopular but essential. It is in the vital interest of both the pilot and the Association that every pilot is briefed, for if he were not, and there was an incident, the Association too might be at risk. Furthermore late briefings are time consuming and can never be as comprehensive. Given the dissent the matter has caused in the past, strict new rules cover late arrivals, which do not absolve any pilot from setting off in time to be at the briefing with due consideration for prevailing weather. A newly coined !status briefing! at 1500 was followed by a full briefing at 1600 and first flight at 1700. By 1920 the judges could hardly see their subjects so we stood down for the night. Beginner Andy Leitch was awarded the winners token, and Richard Gee the coveted David Perrin Trophy for his four minute freestyle.

Peter Mac’s contact had opined mist at 0800 Saturday, cleared by 0900, and so it did. At the Saturday briefing a quiet dedication was also made to remember our much respected friend and previous Tiger Trophy host Brian Brown, who died displaying a Hurricane a week before. Then, whilst the weather-gods allowed us to fly, the royal family did not, with (thankfully brief) interruptions twice during the day… and before long the weather-gods changed their minds too with a squadron of low cloud, so we stopped for lunch. The morning’s flying had started with continuation of the previous days "bad light stops play" Masters contest, immediately followed by the four levels of the Tiger contest: standard, intermediate, advanced and unlimited. All flew unknowns, and whilst it is not my place to comment it is evident from the scores that some pilots found their sequence challenging. Others did not: at standard for instance it was gratifying to see two Decathlon pilots in second and third places above such as Pitts’s and Yaks, and a humble C152 around the middle of the scoreboard.

The Esso Tiger Trophy is amongst the most coveted of BAeA trophies: first because it has been won previously by, and so carries the names of, our sport’s most famous characters, and second because it enables a lower level pilot to "beat" a higher level pilot. So much so it always attracts a big entry, with the result that the contest is now subdivided into the four levels, with gold, silver and bronze medals being awarded at each. Marisha Pennington, the lovely assistant manager at Sherburn, presented the awards, and I guess the greatest applause was for the inimitable, the charismatic, the unique septuagenarian JOHN WICKS, winner for the second year running.

From Eric Marsh, Contest Director