Dan Smith Memorial Trophy, 2022 results

RATHER inconvenient, one week before the competition this year, to get that second red line on the lateral flow test! However, thanks to zoom and the simple expedient of wearing a small windsock on my head, to ensure remaining downwind at all times, the show was able to go on.

Eight pilots signed up, making a nice manageable number but also a proper contest. As usual the competition had two Sports sequences, a known and an unknown. Medals for the top three scores, the Trophy to go to the top-scoring Sports pilot not previously to have won it. 
Last year's winner, Leo Sentinella, was now old enough, at sixteen, to fly solo and compete for the medals. A new and talented fifteen-year-old, Jack Jenner Hall, flew with an instructor on board, making him Hors Concours for the main competition but, by recent precedent, eligible for the trophy. 

We were super-lucky with the competition Saturday, a classic glider soaring day, very cold, brisk westerly, lots of cumuli but high cloud-base and no rain. The only downside was the large grid of cross-country gliders with whom we had to compete for launches. Fortunately there were three tugs going and this year we had two K21s, so the morning was a bit slow but the afternoon flying went smoothly and the last flight was done by six. 
The conditions were a bit of a test for the hardiness of the long-suffering judges, swaddled like a bunch of Eskimos, but Rod Herve's chess set came out and he, Charles and Paul kept smiling. 

First-timer Rolph Overvliet had a few problems and was probably disappointed with his scores, but we have all been there and sympathise... keep at it! 
Steve Hardy flew respectably but probably regrets the lack of opportunity to practice. 
Szymon Bartus flew very well and was probably robbed of a better score by an area of sinking air between clouds that compelled him to finish the first sequence early... bad luck! 

It was close at the top. High scoring from Leo in fourth, Dave Gethin taking bronze, Carl Cox second and this time Will Jones came out the winner. Jack Jenner-Hall flew two very tidy sequences, winning the Dan Smith Trophy, which we all hope will encourage him to carry on to higher levels. 

Ray Stoward, retired aerobatic instructor and director of all the earlier Dan Smith competitions, kindly came to present the medals and trophy. Ray treated us to a wonderful personal account of the revival of glider aerobatics in the late eighties, after, decades of prohibition, and the story of Dan Smith, whom he knew well. Priceless stuff, thank you so much, Ray. 

Sadly, this may be the only Glider Aerobatic Competition of the year, but it was certainly great fun for all involved. Well done, and thank you. 
Come back in about a year's time for the next!

Cheers,
Andy Cunningham






(PS negative again now)



Results: The 2022 Dan Smith Memorial Trophy

Rank Team Pilot Aeroplane Registration Known #2 Unknown Totals O/all %
1 UNL Will Jones ASK 21 G-? 1154.26 1215.74 2370.00 790.001
2 ADV Carl Cox ASK 21 G-? 1001.35 1310.29 2311.64 770.547
3 ADV David Gethin ASK 21 G-? 1161.81 1110.52 2272.33 757.445
4 SPO Leo Sentinella ASK 21 G-? 926.14 1284.45 2210.59 736.862
H/C SPO Jack Jenner-Hall ASK 21 G-? 1012.35 1022.45 2034.80 678.266
5 ADV Szymon Bartus ASK 21 G-? 805.77 1202.83 2008.60 669.533
6 INT Steve Hardy ASK 21 G-? 813.92 1019.57 1833.49 611.165
7 SPO Rolph Overvliet ASK 21 G-? 400.60 575.45 976.05 325.351

Contest Director: Andy Cunningham, Contest Chief Judge: Charles Baker, Scoring Director: TBA , Flight Director: TBA

Judges: Paul Conran, Rod Herve, Charles Baker,

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