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[Ashley Hoyland]

The advert for our Team Manager for this event will appear in the next BMFA News.


Ashley

[Ashley Hoyland]

I have accepted the roll of Team Manager for the above competition.


Our 'Preliminary Entry Form' has been acknowledged by the organisers.  The closing date for entries is the 1st of February so the organising team should know the full entry list in the next few days.


I attended the Team Managers meeting at BMFA Leicester yesterday.


The initial pilot declaration forms will be sent to pilots for completion early next week.


Ashley

[Peter Jenkins]

Well done Ashley!  You will get your reward in heaven.

[Ashley Hoyland]

I am not expecting to Peter.  My rewards will come when I am watching our Team fly in Belgium.

This is just the start of the process and I/we have a lot to do before our Team can concentrate fully on the competition knowing everything else is in place.

Because of the support our Association gives to our team I think it is only right to keep members informed of what is happening.

I remember days way back when we had to wait for the results to appear in a magazine before we knew anything, how times have changed.

Ashley

[Ashley Hoyland]

Sorry I should have given the address of the official web site.


http://www.ec-f3a-2018.be/?page_id=62 


Ashley

[Ashley Hoyland]

Again to keep everyone up to date.

I have emailed our team and supporters today to say all the necessary forms required by the organiser have been received and are in order and the BMFA have confirmed everything is up to date from their side.

Our accommodation is also sorted.

So not much more to get in place now for our team the compete.

Ashley

[Ashley Hoyland]

Many of you will have heard that unfortunately Steve Underwood lost his No 1 Aircraft a little while ago and had to take the decision that he could not compete at this championship.


Our reserve pilot Gerhard Fehringer will therefore join Keith Jackson and Garry Peacock to fly in Belgium.


All our arrangements are now made and we welcome our supporters, Peter and Margaret Cappleman, Eddy Scott and I believe other members of the GBRCAA may be joining us for a few days.


Ashley

[Ashley Hoyland]

I was pleased to spend the day at Buckminster yesterday with Garry and Gerhard for a training day.


It was unfortunate that Keith had to be elsewhere, but we live busy lives.


Just a couple of weeks now before we meet in Belgium.


Ashley

[Ashley Hoyland]

Safe journey everyone, see you in a field in Belgium.


Ashley

[Peter Jenkins]

Keith, Garry and Gerhard - best of luck fellas.

[Ashley Hoyland]

We have all arrived safely and had several practice flights at the main competition site.

The weather is just like we have had in the UK for several weeks - it is hot but a slight breeze today.  Just as Garry and Gerhard arrived at the field so did two F16s (I think they were) gave us a couple of circuits of the field.  They were low and Derk who was in the middle of a schedule had to stay low and land.  There is a rumour that we may see more of them.

Gernot Bruckman's Pandora looks different to everything else in the air (and on the ground as well) slow and very accurate but the practice flight of the day for me went to Marc Rubin and his Galactica YS 200 power on a 21.5 x 10.5 prop.

Still many of the top names still to be seen in the air. 

Back to the hotel for about 19:15 before walking down the road for a steak and fries, Garry's burger was the monster of the evening, but he ate the lot.

We walked back to the hotel, still very warm to look at the documentation required for official practice and processing on Saturday morning.  The French Team and then Lassi follow us in in official practice so hopefully we can catch a glimpse of what they have to offer.

Tomorrow - breakfast at 07:45 and then off to find a practice field for the day.  I will have to leave early to attend the TM meeting, not many miles but so many roundabouts and 50 -70 kph stretches it will take ages to get there.

I have uploaded some photographs to the photo gallery - captions to follow and I have the topic now for continuity. 

06:30 Friday - overcast this morning but no wind.

More tomorrow

[Ashley Hoyland]

Friday

We got to the practice field around 09:15 to join Stefan Kaiser, (we passed Sabastiano Silvestri on the way to the field)  and Sandro Matti joined us for just one flight.

Our team flew continuously until our lunch break and all sampled Eddy's banana cake, much appreciated thank you Judy. 

Shortly after lunch I left to visit the competition site to see the model processing procedure before attending the Team Managers meeting in the next village.

I will publish the flying order when the team have been told later this evening when they get back from practice.

So a fairly early start in the morning for official practice at 09:00 with processing thirty minutes later.

Forgot to mention it rained today for about 2 or 3 hours, cleared up again now though.

[Ashley Hoyland]

Saturday

We met last evening and drove to the Buffelo Grill for our evening meal. I was told our team had been out all day flying, although after I left the field there was a shower of rain which interrupted practice for a couple of hours but it was felt they had achieved their goals. The Swiss team arrived later .

The TMs meeting in Grandrieu was uneventful once we had found the venue.  Much emphasis was put on models being 'legal' and the consequences if found to be outside the rules.

Our flying times are:
Sunday: Gerhard  11:34  Garry 12:51  Keith 14:54

Monday: Keith 08:24  Gerhard 15:30  Garry 16:56

Tuesday: Gerhard 08:51  Garry 10:17  Keith 17:37

Wednesday:  Keith 10:58  Garry 14:17  Gerhard 18:13

Our official practice was 09:00 this morning so it was a fairly early start for us as we are about 40 minutes from the competition site..  The sound check was located at the top of the field (for those who know Sivery) and although there were a few anxious moments all our models passed.   We did see that some pilots were having trouble and a change of propeller was necessary, at least one had motor noise problems.  I understand it was made clear that after changing the propeller that was the one they should use in the competition.

Then to possessing in the big tent, an anxious moment for Keith while they manipulated his model into the box and several moments passed before he got the OK. In the end all passed.

We decided to stay on the field until the opening ceremony at 4pm so there was time to observe.

It was warm but the clouds were gathering.  It was not until the opening ceremony was about to start that the rain started and it poured.
It is very obvious that Gerard had put a huge amount of organisation into this competition and the organising team did not deserve this, two hours rain just at the wrong time.  We spent time sheltering under one tent then another before the F16s returned to fly some low passes over the field but after the second run they abandoned the rest of their display and whole ceremony was moved inside.  We did have an aerobatic display from a 1932 Bucker Jungman or was it a (Jungmister?) just before we left for the nearest restaurant to the hotel for our evening meal.

[Ashley Hoyland]

Sunday

I am at the competition site writing these comments at 07:45 waiting for Gerhard to arrive for his first competition flight, the sun is shining but this makes it difficult for the early pilots as they need the sun disk.

Marc Rubin has just put in a 458.60 and Lassi 485.3 later Christophe 514.

Gerhard 383  Garry 412.6  and Keith on a different panel 416.1.

It is hot and sunny with little wind but by mid afternoon it is starting get thermally.

The team are packing away their aircraft again to go and find a practice site, so it could be a late meal this evening.

At 5pm as I leave the competition site it is –

Christiophe
Gernot
Lassi
Sandro
Kaiser

....................  but there are two judging panels and we will not see a meaningful result until the end of the second round.

Not too late an evening as we are back at the hotel by 9:30 after eating at the Crocodile, a restaurant named after the train that ran through the Gothard tunnel in 1933.  The themed restaurant had a unusual concept, pay for your meal and all drink is free.  The 'home made' lemonade was good.

An early start for us tomorrow so little time for breakfast and straight to the competition site.

[Ashley Hoyland]

Monday

An early start as agreed and arrived on the field for around 07:20.

Keith was already putting his models together, Garry and Eddy arrived a few minutes later followed by Gerhard.

Keith improved on his flight from yesterday but on a different judging panel.  All our team have now left to practice at the Havay field we used last evening.

Christophe has just recorded a 492.5 with the other panel.

Watched a lot of flying today and it is easy to see the downgrades.

Just had the set lunch in the big tent and now waiting for our team to return from practice.

All our team have had good flights today with no huge mistakes.  I will post the results after two rounds tomorrow. (see results for two rounds here: http://www.gbrcaa.org/smf/index.php?topic=5462.0)

We stayed at the field to watch B J Park fly and we were all vey impressed with his contra drive (not yet available).

Returned to the hotel for around 8pm (so about a fourteen hour day for us) and went next door for a Chinese.

Another early start in the morning so more tomorrow.