The Fenland and McAully Trophies - 2008

CD's Report
It is never a good sign when you leave home in the rain to go to an aerobatic competition. Whist driving to Lincolnshire from Buckinghamshire I took calls from pilots in Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Sussex and Surrey, with the consensus being doubt that a) they would get to Fenland that day and b) it would be worthwhile making the effort. However, you have to be an optimist to fly aerobatics in the UK, and the weather at Fenland seemed to be better than anywhere else. First briefing was delayed, but by early afternoon it looked as if it would soon be flyable. At Fenland, having the wind from the North East is generally not helpful; damp air comes in over the Wash with clouds condensing over the airfield leaving us wishing the box could be mover a couple of miles North, or South to “the hole”, and the judges get frozen!

The bare statistics are that we flew 9 sequences on Friday afternoon, 5 sequences all day on Saturday but 43 sequences between 09.00 and 15.15 on Sunday. Put another way, we completed Beginners on Friday, wasted a lot of Andrew Holman-West’s and Adrian Willis’s fuel on Saturday but flew off all the scheduled sequences on Sunday, albeit with, overall, a 28% "no-show" or "gone home to avoid divorce" rate amongst the original entry.

The beginners flew very tidily with Simon Barnard the tidiest in the Super-Stinker, but with John Scott in a CAP and Jonathan Taylor in a Decathlon not far behind; we will doubtless be seeing more of all of them.

The McAully Trophy Known + 3 can be trying for the judges but I have to compliment the Standard level pilots this year for keeping up a superb launch rate. Andrew Barlow had to mend his brakes (with much assistance from fellow pilots) before flying but, despite this distraction, headed the field after the first sequence, closely followed by David Thomson in a Decathlon in 2nd and Phil Burgess heading a group of 10 pilots with scores between 69.3 and 73.5%. The unknown was best flown by Ben Thompson in Tom Cassells’ Slingsby, followed by Phil O’Donoghue, John Calverley and Andrew Barlow. Andrew’s lead from the first sequence was sufficient to retain first place to win The McAully with David Thompson an admirable and much remarked upon 2nd in the Decathlon and John Calverley 3rd in his YAK 52.

The three day marathon at Intermediate was headed for each of the four sequences by David Jenkins; he flew well throughout (benefitting from coaching?) and I particularly enjoyed his 360° rolling circle in the 2nd unknown. Colwyn Darlow flew less well than he knows he can and had a close tussle with Brian McCartney who will, I suspect be working on his snap rolls as hard as Colwyn will with his rolling circles. Adrian Willis had hung around throughout Saturday afternoon (and tested the cloud-base several times), only finally to complete the Free as first flight on Sunday and I don’t think the long wait helped him much. We all enjoyed the rumble of the YAK 50 and the sight of Andrew Holman-West cloud dancing on Friday and Saturday, but he, like Richard Verrall concluded that a third day was too much. Richard Verrall had one of those moments we can all remember; "weren’t the last few figures supposed to be on the other axis after that spin?"

So, my main memories of Fenland 2008? A good-natured group of pilots calmly waiting for the weather to improve; good airmanship and sportsmanship throughout. With excellent support from Chief Judge, Ian Scott and the firm foundation of the BAeA, Nick (judging this time) & Jen Buckenham (registrar, scorer, organiser, dog walker and corrector of computer glitches) and Steve Green (CJ’s assistant and radio operator this time), CD-ing really isn’t that difficult. I must also thank the judges and scribes; Julie Wood, Phil Atley, Martina Willis, Belinda, John Calverley, Phil O'Donoghue, and Dan Seagrave plus several other pilots who helped out when we needed it. It was perishing cold at times on the judging line, despite the sun, and it did drizzle occasionally.

Last, but definitely not least, I must remark upon the friendly, professional and positive support of Fenland Aero Club, its Committee in the shape of Peter Cunningham, Ray Nicholson unflappable and unfailingly helpful in the tower, ably supported by Simon & Scott, the refuelers (Steve, Gary & Keith) and the catering staff, Katy and her team. Good weather or bad, a weekend at Fenland Aero Club is a very pleasant experience. When the weather’s good, it’s perfect!

Martin Sandford
Contest Director