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CD's Report
In composing this Contest Director’s report I am reminded of a scene
from a Frankie Howerd movie, in which he played the part of a
weather forecaster:
“Good evening. This is the BBC weather
forecast for England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, for 24 hours from
today at 7.0’clock Monday 1 April until tomorrow Tuesday 2 April at
7.0’clock.
FOG.
That is the end of the BBC weather forecast.”
Of the Saltby Open Glider Aerobatic Contest at
Buckminster Gliding Club near Grantham in Lincolnshire, what more
can I say? BR was there ALL Friday and Saturday, disappeared on
Sunday morning, but then within an hour and two launches
re-manifested itself as low cloud. By then pilots and crew were
becoming increasingly disenchanted, such that the consensus favoured
an abandonment of the contest at 1320.
However all was not lost, for Charles Baker proposed the event be
converted into a training session, to which the judges agreed, so
lists were drawn and performances assessed with no competitive
element. Thus The Saltby Trophy was not awarded but kept in its
clubhouse for safekeeping and use at a later date.
One minor advantage of such non-flyable events is that it provides
much opportunity for discussion. My own subject is the recruitment
of personnel to man aerobatic events, particularly judges and their
aides. I gently raised this with some glider folk, on the lines that
there seem to be an imbalance between power and glider volunteers.
The explanation suggested was that glider people did not know there
was a requirement for volunteers, and the reason for that was that
few if any subscribed to the BAeA Exploder, which is renowned as a
wealth of valuable aerobatic info. As a result Chris Cain (for
gliding) and Nick Buckenham (for power) conversed extensively, and I
was assured that the outcome will be that aero glider pilots will be
encouraged to monitor the BAeA Exploder (and vice versa) which will
enable them to volunteer to assist at power comps as well as provide
more experienced operational crew for glider contests.
Significantly, as a result of this initiative, a glider pilot
volunteered to assist at Elvington for our final event next weekend.
 Finally
grateful appreciation must go to the many who contributed to the
Saltby (non-) event; truly too numerous to mention, but
traditionally special mention is made of the Chief Judge, Alan
Cassidy and his acolytes, to Scorer Cindy Cain Copsey, who made a
quite extraordinary effort to achieve what she did over the weekend,
to Tim Beasley as Airfield Manager, to all the volunteer helpers at
Saltby, and of course to the infinitely patient pilots: together
they donated to me a small gift, which I hardly deserved (having
done nothing!), but did appreciate. I appreciated too my first
glider flight, for which unique thanks to Charles Baker. |
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