The Dan Smith Memorial Trophy - 2012

CD's Report
We were so lucky! On Friday, the day before the weekend Competition, the majority of the competing pilots turned up at Dunstable for practice, check-flights and a view of the box. What they got was cold, too many cups of tea and a view, from the clubhouse, of the dim outline of Dunstable Downs, barely visible through the thick clag....no flying possible all day.

At Saturday's early briefing I had to report more poor weather. Thick low stratus at a thousand feet or less, forecast to rise gradually through the day to three or so, but remaining unbroken. However, the forecast for Sunday was excellent....blue and light wind. We re-briefed at 1.0 pm, still low cloud base, so plenty of time to give all the pilot info and safety reminders. Chief Judge Charles Baker gave a clear and informative explanation of the new positioning rules and scoring, and Allen Kefford, who is very active in promoting aerobatics at the club, gave an excellent slide show on box position and local airspace (at Dunstable it is VERY local...we sit in the edge of the Luton zone!).

We agreed to bank on the good forecast for tomorrow and the rest of the day flew check flights and practice under a maximum two-and-a-half thousand solid cloud base....

...and on Sunday morning it had vanished! A beautiful blue day, barely a wind, and we started the known sequence at ten o'clock. These perfect conditions inspired some truly excellent flying, with six of the nine competitors scoring in the high seventies or just over eighty. The so-called novices Rod Herve and Adam Lindsay were right up there with our current national champion, Paul Conran, and old hands Paul Watson, Richard Brown and Dave Morgan. Our American visitor Terry Pitts (some family talent there?) did creditably in his first ever full sequence, hardly scaring his safety pilot, Allen Kefford!) Gerald Davies flew tidily...but poor Mike Corcoran was abducted by aliens at figure five, just as it was all going so nicely, and forced to miss out figure six and gain an agonising succession of hard zeroes ... have we not all been there?

A quick lunch and a one-thirty start for the unknown. This had an amusing first figure, the "Sumpty-Pump", involving a pushed quarter-loop from level, into a half positive loop into an up-line and push back to level. Not seen before in a sports sequence ( well done to the author of this one!) it was flown expertly by most with only two or three fallers. Once again it was lovely to see such good flying in such beautiful conditions, so rare for the Dan Smith...someone must have smiled on us.

No hitches, to CD's delight and relief, and the last flight finished at about four. Very tight at the top, with Paul Conran being pipped for gold by only 0.09%. Rodolph Herve in bronze did brilliantly, as a genuine Sports entrant, to get 77.5% and claim a BGA badge as well. The gold AND the Dan Smith Memorial Trophy went to Adam Lindsay with a fantastic 81.3%. I am sure his mentor, Charles Baker, our Chief Judge, was as proud as Adam was.

Top six all scored well into the seventies overall, confirming a really encouragingly-high standard, with some younger pilots ready to move on and up...well done!

This was my first comp as CD and I sincerely thank Ray Stoward, not only for presenting the prizes but also for “holding my hand” It went so well because all those involved and helping, from the BAeA and the London Gliding Club, did their tasks well ... thank you.
Andy Cunningham
Contest Director