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The Fenland and McAully Trophies - 2012 |
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CD's Report
As is so often the case, the weather forecast lied. Having been told to expect a howling gale from the south (and positioning the box accordingly) the howling gale moved to the west. A box change later the howling gale decided to move back to the south, with the result that when the cloud base finally lifted to a flyable level the pilots were confronted with some significant positioning challenges. Phil Massetti managed to kick off proceedings mid-afternoon and two hours later we’d completed the Intermediate free. Much good-humoured schadenfreude was in evidence as pilots battled the off-judge wind, but a surprising number managed to hold it together with John Scott at the head of the pack.
A brief interlude saw Alex Cartwright achieve a very creditable 69% at Beginners and then we resumed the Fenland trophy with the Intermediate Free. By this time the pilots were getting the measure of the wind and, assisted in part by the free break, some excellent flights were scored (Richard Goodwin, Farrell McGee and Phil Masetti all at or around 80%). Thanks to some flexibility on the part of the airfield we were able to complete the Intermediate Free on the Friday evening, leaving Saturday clear for the remaining 4 programmes.
Saturday morning brought no respite from the un-compliant weather. Frustratingly the early morning saw fantastic visibility and plenty of sunshine but 5-6 oktas of cumulus with a cloud base initially at 1500ft. Great for flying; un-flyable for competition. Eventually, after several showers and much sky watching, Stephen Evans managed to get airborne and the McAully Known programme was completed relatively quickly and uneventfully thereafter. Some brief excitement was provided by a starter solenoid failure in G-WAZZ, but the brawn of Farrell McGee quickly hand-started Jonathon Taylor’s S1.
The first Intermediate Unknown was characterised by a number of showers (with the judges stoically remaining in the field) and some intriguing variations of a quarter clover – most of which didn’t score very well! A different quarter clover appeared in the standard unknown, with similar results in some cases. A brief scare with a control restriction during a “split S” served as a poignant reminder of why the base heights are set where they are and how important it is that they are respected.
Throughout the afternoon pilots and judges were dodging showers and grey skies and it’s thanks to the dedication of both that three programmes were completed by 6.15. Simon Hampton’s spirited flight in very challenging conditions was, in particular, above and beyond the call of duty.
At the end of the day the scores speak for themselves. The fact that the lowest score in the McAullly Trophy was only just shy of 70% says a lot about the quality of the flying, and John Scott and Paul Elvidge were both worthy winners in highly competitive fields and difficult conditions. Jonathan Taylor and David Lloyd at Standard level were separated by less than 1% from Paul Elvidge, and Lauren Richardson also flew exceptionally well, being denied honours only because of her inclusion of an illegal repeated element in her McAully free programme. The fight between Paul Brice and John Scott for the Fenland trophy was even closer, with only 5 points out of 4300 between them (0.08%).
Since this year marks both the 50th Anniversary of the McAully trophy and the 40th anniversary of Fenland aerodrome the awards were presented by Robert Laming, President of the Fenland Aeroclub, and John Betts, Chairman of the McAully flyers.
As always we owe a considerable debt of thanks to Simon Cook and his team at Fenland for helping us to stage another excellent event there.
Likewise, to Ian Scott and his panel of judges and helpers, who redefined the term “commitment” when they refused to come back at all during a 7 hour period on Saturday to get the contest completed. And last, but certainly not least, to Jen Buckenham, without whom most competitions would unravel before they’ve even started.
Click here for some excellent photos taken by Leif Culpin
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