The Wellesbourne Aerobatic Meeting - 2008

For inspiration one reviews fellow CD’s reports, which typically relate proceedings as one would a cricket match. Alas I am challenged in that particular skill, so prefer to record the events as one would in a diary.

So… Any ‘club’ needs an inflow of green numbers, and the BAeA management recognised some time ago that a good source might be flying instructors, particularly aerobatic flying instructors. Similarly On Track Aviation, a professional training organisation founded by Alan Newton and Mark Young in 1997, saw that aerobatic instruction would enhance their curriculum. Thus it was agreed that On Track would provide the venue and BAeA the instruction, and a mutually beneficial partnership emerged.

The 2008 convention started on the Thursday evening with a seminar given by Alan Cassidy titled ‘Contest Aerobatics’: I have heard it several times and it is ALWAYS riveting. Next day ‘green’ instructors were paired with BAeA instructors in suitable aircraft and given 20 minutes familiarization followed by a critiqued sequence over the box. The day ended with a barbeque, and a flying display of model aircraft.

Friday was for a full contest at standard level, for which we had a near-record 24 entrants. For this reason we were obliged to anticipate the 9:30 first briefing by an hour, and then held a second ‘first’ briefing at 9:30: a trial by BAeA but it worked well. Thus flying started promptly at 09:30; alas midmorning cloud suspended ops for nearly an hour, which had the effect of stimulating both pilots and personnel to expedite such that thanks to all the last flight ~ the 49th~ landed at 17:00, 15 minutes before curfew.

It is the privilege of the CD to thank everyone, but, with an estimated 25 BAeA, On Track and
Wellesbourne helpers, plus 25 pilots and 25 pilots mates, individual appreciation was restricted to Heads of Department, namely Steve Green as Chief Judge ~ understudied today by Lynne Westnage ~ Scorer Jen Buckenham, and On Track principal Alan Newton, who also presented the awards.

Standards as indicated by scores were particularly high: half scored over 75%, the top two over 80%, the second of which, flying a Decathlon, beating all the remaining exotica.

It was interesting to see increasing evidence of cockpit–dog training at the flight school. (Reportedly future aircrew will comprise a man and a dog, the man to feed the dog and the dog to bite the man if he touches any controls). Types ranged from a big spotty dog, to a puppy sheep dog, a big yellow husky, and a wolf which whistled at Jen the scorer. There was also a cub, a tiger, a yak, a chipmunk and a robin. Unfortunately nobody knows which one disgraced itself by soiling the lawn whilst nobody was looking. I think it was the cub, Winnie the Pooh.
Eric Marsh
Contest Director