1st Centralised - Leicester MAC - 16th April 2011
CD: Andy Prime Judges: Alan Simmonds, Peter Brett. Trainee judge: Adrian Mansell. Score recorders: Sandra Plimmer(LMAC), Brian Hoare helped by Ady Keys. Time keeper: Dan Simmonds (LMAC). Catering: Sandra Plimmer (LMAC). Hosts: Leicester Model Aero Club, with thanks to members and officials, and Howard Murphy for preparing the superb site. Podium: Team section P11 F11. 1st Richard Christopher, 2nd Matt Hoyland, 3rd John Harrop. FAI P11: 1st Dave Mathias, 2nd Peter Scoles, 3rd Adrian Mansell. Advanced: Steve Hunt. Intermediate: Nigel Smith. Contest Directors report: After several weeks of preparation, the day finally arrived to throw open the welcoming doors of the LMAC to our guests from the GBR/CAA as hosts for the 1st Centralised competition of 2011. Being Chairman of our club it’s always a great honour for me to be able to provide our facilities in the interest of the furtherance of F3a, as a club we are renowned for our competitive interests which date back to 1932! Leicester had enjoyed quite a spell of unusually warm and sunny weather for the time of year leading up to the competition and with the local forecast looking slightly less than favourable for parts of the day, I was keen to get the competition under way as soon as possible in order to get enough flights completed for the competition to be a valid part of the team selection process. I had envisaged a pilots briefing (PB) of 08.45h with a first flight scheduled for 09.00h, but for a couple of minor deviations leading up to the PB we would have achieved this. Given the fact that some pilots were travelling great distances to take part in the competition coupled with a personal wish to show some understanding to those couple of pilots who needed just a few extra moments to fully prepare themselves for the day’s events, I allowed a little extra time for last minute completion of the scrutineering process. So, with the scrutineering completed and the pilots and judges ready, I conducted the PB at around 09.05h which only took a few minutes to complete and with all guests fully versed with their day’s surroundings and site specifics, we got under way at 09.20h. I decided that in fairness to all the FAI ‘P & F’ pilots, I would conduct a draw to select the flying order; after all it’s never nice to be ‘first up’. This event saw a new trainee to the judge’s chair; ‘Adrian Mansell’ had volunteered his serves earlier in the year so without any hesitation I ensured that he was seated comfortably and had been briefed by our two long term judges in attendance which were Peter Brett & Alan Simmons. It has to be said, that judging is a very demanding job and one which can sometimes to overlooked for its commitment and mental dedication, although I’m sure those of you who have undertaken to conduct a day’s judging will agree that it is personally rewarding to have provided a much needed and valued aspect of competition support. So with the competition under way and running very smoothly, I took a few moments to gather myself mentally and take a quick slurp of coffee (well I had been up and on the go since 04.45) before carrying on with ensuring that my guests were all being taken care of and that all of the pilots were getting themselves ready to occupy the ready boxes (RB’s). Again, the professionalism portrayed by all of the pilots in this regard was abundant, another very helpful aspect for any CD. Before long, we had achieved a full round for all classes and the second round for the P&F pilots, so lunch was called. This gave everyone a welcomed break (especially the judges I’m sure) and a chance to take in some of the wonderful scenery we enjoy at the LMAC along with a beverage and a bite to eat. So, lunch over and on with the show. The second round was finished for the remaining ‘P’ only FAI and of course the Intermediate and Advanced pilots. The third and final round saw the team selection pilots undertaking the ‘F’ schedule; this is a very demanding schedule on both the pilots and the judges alike. The roll sequences are quite complex which can only make for a very difficult 8 minutes of any pilots life, how on earth these guy’s manage to put the countless hours of dedication in to learning two schedules is a mystery to me and deserve to be recognised for their commitment, I for one take my hat off to them! Before long, the third and final round was complete with some very tidy flights being put in by all pilots. For me, this felt like my best round which my caller and mentor for the day ’Andy Nicholls’ (thanks again Andy for all your input) confirmed after. I had set out to just enjoy my day’s flying and hopefully improve on my previous flights; I think this was achieved even if not by a huge margin, but certainly by vast amounts comparing my flights at the practice session only a week before at the LARKS. I can only put my improvements down to Andy’ calling for me during the day with his calming manner that broke through my at times, rushed execution of the schedule. My focus points now being “V Box” & “Spin”, I’ll take this opportunity to get back to the office for more practice……………………. In closing, I would like to thank Howard Murphy for the stunning site preparation, Sandra & Brian for score recording, Peter Brett Alan Simmons & Adrian Mansell for judging, Andy Keys for helping with relaying the score sheets, all of the scribes during the day and last but by no means least my wing man for the day Dan Simmons. Dan and his ‘wife to be’ Sandra joined me on site at around 7am to help get set up for the comp; the first thing Sandra asked me was ‘Coffee?’ closely followed by the statement “the bacon’s on”, my kind gal, and Dan was straight on with helping get the scrutineering equipment set up an started processing the models as they arrived swiftly followed by a full day of timing. It has to be said that without fellow members such (oh yes, Sandra does fly!) as these by my side, my task would have had to rely heavily on the good will of the association members, so I’m sure you would all join me in my expressed words of thanks to them both. I took a lot of personal satisfaction from this competition and the hard work was certainly worth it, any more for any more?...................... 2011 season, bring it on! Andy Prime.
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