The Roy Legg and Cavendish Hotel Trophies - 2008

Elvington is a tremendous place to run an aerobatic competition, the 3,500 by 47m runway providing a dramatic reference line compared to some of the grass airfields that we visit, and when a few of the BAeA's new bright-orange box markers have been added there's no excuse for getting off axis. We traditionally share this weekend with an astonishing collection of neo-military buffs visiting the Yorkshire Aviation Museum and a fly-by from the BBMF, this time the Lancaster being slated to visit us midway through the Saturday afternoon. The unexpected part came from the weather - hazy but brilliant blue all round for two days, give or take some passing Cu's on the first morning. We did however have an unexpected problem to resolve courtesy of the Formula-1 chaps who come here to test their goodies on Elvington's long "straight", the F1 noise footprint apparently exceeding even ours .... so there was a 17:00 local curfew to fit around our possible 58 flights on the second day. A bit tight, or what.

As usual Friday was an all-advanced affair, and by common assent at the briefing the usual ten-minute limit of the "Q" being binned in favour of running the sequence old-fashioned Known style so we could select the second unknown figures at lunch time ... then at the appointed time we didn't do the selection because everyone was mentally wedged into learning the first Unknown. In the air Nick Wakefield clearly remembered how to do it properly, leading the Known from wee Ron and an on-form James Allison. The afternoon's first Unknown however provided Adrian Howe with a chance to bag second spot, splitting the same two 1st and 3rd place men. It remained then for the second unknown figures to be conjured up and recorded, by which time most of the intermediates had arrived and as usual the call of the pub was the loudest voice of all.

Saturday was always going to be a full day, but it was clear from Friday's sessions that the pace would have to jump up a gear. With eight hours available less a judges' break for lunch and the BBMF's slot it would be critical to keep the momentum going. Then .... after a good sequence from Randal, the last bit of the flare somehow got away and MAXG became a definite non-runner for all four drivers - neatly removing 11 flights from the day. In the intermediate Known, Colwyn's One Design and Randal headed David Jenkin's Lazer, whilst at advanced Nick Wakefield threw some figures away in his Free and Adrian Howe managed to find over 80% to j-u-s-t head off Gary and Cadbury. At this stage there were interestingly balanced scores all round. Following a hasty lunch-break for the judges the Roy Legg was finally settled by just half a percent in favour of Colwyn Darlow from Andrew Holman-Wests' Yak and the McCartney Pitts, whilst before and after the big Lanc spread mass Merlin sounds around ... and we all waited patiently for a dozy meandering Cessna we couldn't contact ... the lovely new Cavendish Hotel Trophy went by a whisker to Gary Ferriman from James and Adrian. Good flying and perseverance is required at both these levels, and we certainly saw that and more.

Grateful thanks as usual to the hard working judges and assistants, to Joyce the caterer for truly excellent food, to the irrepressible Steve Roper on behalf of Elvington's lovely airfield, and from us to all the pilots for two days of very high quality flying. Bottle some of that weather and pop it out at Fenland please!

Nick B
Contest Director