AAC QLD E-News. July AACQLD E News 1 July 2010 issue

Transcription

1 AAC QLD E-News July AACQLD E News 1 July 2010 issue

2 From the President A great competition, great flying, great weather, great food and great people. That is how I would describe our Queensland State Aerobatic Titles held at Watts Bridge over the Queen s Birthday Long Weekend 12 th to 14 th June It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm that surrounded the pilots, comp officials and spectators over the weekend, seeing a return to Watts Bridge of hotly contested Advanced, Intermediate, Sportsman and Graduate divisions with 13 pilots in all flying 7 local and interstate aircraft and competitors and helpers from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria attending. More details and results are presented later in this newsletter, so please read on to get the full story on the comp, but I would like to mention some of the key people that made it such a great weekend for us all. The efforts of our Contest Director, Tracy Hearne, supported by Liz Cook made the weekend flow very smoothly. The preparation they put into the comp paid off in droves as, to the outside observer, everything went exactly to plan (I am sure Tracy will have a different story). Mal Beard as Chief Judge, kept the pilots and the judges in order, resulting in a very fair and safe comp completed well within the time allowed. And as per usual, Merryn Scilini kept the whole team fed with 5 Star food and drinks for the weekend. Thank you again also to Liz Cook who doubled as Starter and Phill Entwistle from Victoria who manned the CTAF radio when not busy winning Sportsman. To these and all the folk who took part and supported, thank you. The feedback I have received, especially from our interstate competitors and visitors highlighted our clubhouse facility, the permanent aerobatic performance area and the friendly atmosphere as the key things that made the competition a special event. On the downside for the Queensland competitors, we saw all of our trophies head south for the year, but I suspect that was the ploy to ensure that our interstate competitors return next year to defend their titles. After a few quiet years on the competition front in Queensland, I am certain I can proudly say that this event was the best Queensland State Titles in a while and I am confident next year will be even better. Steven Hudson President, Queensland Chapter AACQLD E News 2 July 2010 issue

3 Reaping the Rewards 12 months ago Liz & Merryn decided we needed to be able to supply the G&Ts, Corona s and any other exotic cocktails with our own Lemons & Limes, so trees were planted and have been tended to lovingly. The first reaping of the rewards happened on Saturday evening 24 th April 2010, as you can see by the pictures below it was a momentous occasion. ANZAC Day Lest we Forget The ANZAC Day service held at Watts Bridge on Sunday 25 th April was a well run and presented occasion. The RAAF sent a representative, Scott Merrick who spoke very well and brought the history and the current day ANZAC spirit into focus. Steven Hudson presented a wreath on behalf of the AAC Qld Chapter. Breakfast was held at one of the Chalet s (Rod & Nolene). They shall grow not old as we who are left grow old, age shall not weary them nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them: Lest we forget. AACQLD E News 3 July 2010 issue

4 It s Official The Sign is up at the front gate so it must be official; Watts Bridge Airfield IS the home of the AACQLD. Russell Sneyd, Liz Cook, Brendan & Merryn Scilini did the hard to work make sure that everyone who now visits the airfield knows that we are an established and operating club. Aircraft & Pilots The lead up to the State Titles had pilots and aircraft in a flurry of activity. Steven Hudson purchased VH MKE a Pitts S2A during the month of May 2010 Steven & Martyn Woodhouse had specialized training with Phil Unicomb from NSW and Ron Noonan from VIC coming up to Watts Bridge and endorsing them to fly VH MKE. Both pilots are now solo in the aircraft and Martyn flew Sportsman at the State Titles. Steven Hudson will be making the aircraft available to Club Members. Please contact Steven (M: )to make arrangements. Steven Hudson taking ownership of MKE AACQLD E News 4 July 2010 issue

5 2010 State Titles The Queensland State Titles were held over the June long weekend, and what a successful competition it was. There were thirteen Pilots including four from Victoria and one from NSW. Phill Entwistle from Victoria did a mighty job manning the radio 90% of the time, so THANK YOU! He only took a break to fly his sportsman sequences. Even though the weather on the whole was good the wind came straight from the Victorian Snowfields and was icy cold. The Judges braved the conditions and did a mighty job. On the last day all spare sleeping bags and blankets were sent out to the line to try and keep everyone warm (happy judge, happy pilot!!). Mal Beard and Liz Cook were acting overall Chief Judges, however Steven Hudson took on Intermediate and Ian Bent watched over the Sportsman & Graduate judges. Liz Cook took on dual roles and was also the Starter for the entire weekend and kept the competition running to schedule. Volunteers where hi jacked to help out at the judging line to pencil for the Judges. This is a great introduction to the competition of aerobatics and you also get one of the best seats in the house! Everyone had the savage beast inside them soothed by the culinary expertise of Merryn Scilini who provided the nourishment for the whole competition supplying breakfast, lunch and 3 to 4 course evening meals. As always in the evenings the social side of the club comes to the fore and all enjoyed sitting around regaling tales of the day and giving each other tips on how to fly their sequences better. Though there was no presentation dinner there was a small ceremony on Monday afternoon to advise the winners of the results. For a full listing of the results are also on the AACQLD Website AACQLD E News 5 July 2010 issue

6 2010 QLD STATE TITLES at Watts Bridge, 12 14th June 2010 Consolidated Results Contest Director Chief Judge OFFICIALS TRACY HEARNE MAL BEARD/LIZ COOK ADVANCED Rank Pilot Chapter Aeroplane Reg'n Free Unk'n #1 Unk'n #2 Totals O/all % 1PIPER Grant NSW Giles G 200 OVR SCILINI Brendan QLD Pitts S 1S CEX Judges: BEARD Mal (CJ), CLOSE Ian, PILKINGTON David, HUDSON Steven, BENT Ian. INTERMEDIATE Rank Pilot Chapter Aeroplane Reg'n Known Free Unknown Totals O/all % 1 NOONAN Rob VIC Pitts S 2A MKE GALLETLY Mark QLD Pitts S 1E SIE GREATREX Charles VIC Pitts S 1D FOY Judges: HUDSON Steven (CJ),BEARD Mal, PILKINGTON David, SCILINI Brendan, SCILINI Merryn, PIPER Grant. SPORTSMAN Rank Pilot Chapter Aeroplane Reg'n Known Free Totals O/all % 1ENTWISTLE Phill VIC Pitts S 2A MKE CLOSE Ian VIC Pitts S 1D FOY ROBINSON Danny QLD Decathlon MRM TUDGE Clive QLD Decathlon SIS WOODHOUSE Martyn QLD Pitts S 2A MKE HALL Tony QLD Decathlon CWU FOY Mark QLD Pitts S 1D FOY Judges: BENT Ian (CJ), BEARD Mal, HUDSON Steven, CRICHTON BROWNE Anthony, GREATREX Charles, GALLETY Mark. GRADUATE Rank Pilot Chapter Aeroplane Reg'n Known #1 Known #2 Totals O/all % 1BRUNNER Denzil QLD Decathlon SIS Judges: BENT Ian (CJ), BEARD Mal, HUDSON Steven, CRICHTON BROWNE Anthony, GREATREX Charles, GALLETY Mark. TONY GORDON MEMORIAL TROPHY HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OVERALL ROB NOONAN % AACQLD E News 6 July 2010 issue

7 YOU DON T GET A SECOND CHANCE AT FIRST IMPRESSIONS Article written by Anthony Crichton Browne Each state aerobatic meet is not just a competition event but also a showcase of the state chapters hospitality and Queensland has it is spades. This year s Queensland state competition was my first visit to Watts Bridge and my first time to a Queensland Club competition. Day one was practice for the competing pilots and socialising for me. I was pleased to find the beer fridge full, the tea pot on and Merryn Scilini offering up a wonderful selection of cakes and other treats. After unloading my bags and catching up with a few old friends it was off to Nerd Varna for a healthy dose of rag and tube bi planes being lovingly cared for in a way that only a parent can. Nerd Varna is of course the home of VH MKE (monkey), VH SIE (rotten banana), VH FOY (ripe banana) and VH OBB (un named), some would call it a hanger with 4 Pitts and an Acrosport in it but they would be wrong. After checking out the toys I wandered back to the clubhouse. Queensland s clubhouse would be the envy of aerobatic clubs the world over. It has a large fully equipped kitchen, 2 fridges, storage, his and hers bathrooms, disabled toilets, power, hot and cold running water, office area, TV, stereo and of course the lounge where pilots can gather and tell each other how good they are, how much better their aeroplane is than yours and how that hard zero was egregious and an abomination in the eyes of the lord. Queensland Club President Steven Hudson, aka Alligator, showed me his newest acquisition, Pitts S 2A VH MKE (Monkey). He bought the S 2A to give the Queensland chapter members an aircraft to fly in competition and to generally increase the interest and activity at club meets and comps. He gave me the thumbs up to fly MKE subject to a check flight. It speaks to the generosity and enthusiasm of President Hudson to have seen fit to buy an aircraft and make it available to members, he has a Pitts S 1D for his own fun so he certainly didn t need an S 2A and from personal experience I can assure you he is not out to return a handsome profit from members hire. She is a lovely S 2A to fly, she has a strong engine and is a delight to turn upside down. Steven gave me the thumbs up to take her for a spin. After a circuit and some aeros with Rob Noonan in the front it was back to the clubhouse for tea and more of Merryn s cakes and rolls. Throughout the weekend Merryn was feeding all members and visitors with some of the best roasts, curries and lunch rolls you will find anywhere. As always Tracy Hearne and Liz Cook were working tirelessly to keep a disorganised rabble of judges and helpers pointed in the right direction, filling out the right forms and Chief Judge Mal Beard gave us all the good oil on the finer nuances of judging. Accommodation was in the form of a blow up mattress under my sleeping bag on the floor of the clubhouse and I can report that it was surprisingly comfortable. Being able to put down my glass of Muscat and take three steps to fall into bed is not without its advantages, I didn t even mind sharing the clubhouse with Piper, G. Galletly, M. Foy, M. and various other co habitats. Speaking of Mark Foy, in line with generous spirit demonstrated by the rest of the Queensland members, Mark let a couple of Victorians make use of his S 1D, VH FOY (ripe banana) and let one New South Welshman drink his Muscat. AACQLD E News 7 July 2010 issue

8 Day 2 was competition for real. We managed to find the judging line and ran our critical eye over 2 Advanced, 3 Intermediate, 8 Sportsman and 1 Graduate competitor. Like all aerobatic comps there was a variable standard of flying with some having better days than others but it was all conducted safely with no eyebrows raised. Reasonably high winds on the ground and at altitude made accurate navigation around the aerobatic box difficult for most competitors. The next day brought a change of axis and more strong winds, all competitors learned valuable lessons from the day before and the standard of flying improved significantly. It was great to see the pilots who were left deflated from their first flight making the most of the comp and genuinely enjoying their second flight with encouragement from fellow competitors. When Ian Bent, Chief Judge Sportsman, presented the scores he made an excellent point. Many sportsman pilots had zeroed well flown figures because they got the axis wrong after a botched spin etc his advice was to fly the practice sequences on all 4 axis of the box and not just the one most likely to be used on the day, because you never know what you are going to get. After all the competition flights were completed there was spare time for some extracurricular activity. Rob Noonan was going to take VH FOY for a fly so I thought it would be a good chance for me to get another go in MKE and for Mark Foy to see his baby up close in formation. I taxied out in MKE with Mark in the front armed with his camera followed by Rob in FOY. I got airborne with Rob quickly catching us and he joined up for some photos so we had a chance to see the pretty lines of FOY up close. There is something about an aeroplane in its natural environment that can never be reproduced on the ground. After flying the S 2A all weekend Rob couldn t help but run the S 1D through her paces and came back with a smile from ear to ear. Regrettably I had to leave soon after to catch a flight home and on the drive to Brisbane I reflected on the competition. It was perhaps the most relaxing and social competition I have been to and the facilities were second to none. It left me looking forward to flying at Watts with the Queenslanders again very soon. Ant at the controls of MKE AACQLD E News 8 July 2010 issue

9 A picture is worth a 1000 words AACQLD E News 9 July 2010 issue

10 ROB NOONAN TONY GORDON MEMORIAL TROPHY BRENDAN SCILINI 2 ND OVERALL ADVANCED ROB NOONAN 1 ST OVERALL INTERMEDIATE MARK GALLETLY 2 ND OVERALL INTERMEDIATE CHARLES GREATREX 3 RD OVERALL INTERMEDIATE PHIL ENTWISTLE 1 ST OVERALL SPORTSMAN AACQLD E News 10 July 2010 issue

11 IAN CLOSE 2 ND OVERALL SPORTSMAN DANNY ROBINSON 3 RD OVERALL SPORTSMAN (had to leave early with his aircraft MRM) Coming Events for your DIARY!! 24 & 25 July & 29 August 2010 Practice Weekend Mini Comp Practice Weekend Watts Bridge Watts Bridge As catering is ONLY supplied for those that advise they will be attending the events Don t forget to go the website and fill in the form. Steven Hudson Brendan Scilini Tracy Hearne Steven Hudson Brendan Scilini Tracy Hearne Editors Note This is your newsletter so please submit any articles, ideas to tracy@aeros.com.au I hope you enjoy this edition. I would like to give the newsletter a name so any ideas would be appreciated. Till Next Time..Tracy AACQLD E News 11 July 2010 issue