2014 UK F3F Nats
7-8 June 2014
Ouch! Mick Walsh's Crossover losing its nose as Simon Thornton launches.
Mark Redsell wins F3F Nationals
The Hole of Horcum can always be relied on to provide surprises, and the recent Nats weekend was no exception. The forecast for the whole weekend was pretty bleak, and the weather on Saturday was as expected - almost incessant rain leading to soaked models and pilots, with just one one round completed. On the other hand, Sunday provided splendid weather.
Flying on both days took place on the SW bowl. The first round was group scored, after which eight complete rounds were run.
Technique and tactics
Conditions on Sunday were pretty good. With masses of cumulous cloud, it was no surprise to find some variation in times. Climb-outs played a big part - it was interesting seeing different pilots' attempts at pumping. Those who mastered it were able to gain some advantage into Base A, while for others sliding along the ridge with thermal flap offered a more effective approach. Technique and tactics have never been more vital than now with increasingly capable airframes!
At the end of nine rounds, Mark Redsell emerged as the clear winner, with Paul Garnett a well deserved runner up, and Peter Gunning in third place. Fastest time was 34.99 by Mark Redsell. Graeme Mahoney scored an excellent fifth place with his Baudis Pitbull. Some of the other usual suspects were conspicuous by their absence from the top places.
My thanks to Jon Edison, Rich Bago and all helpers for making it all good in the end!
Keeping up with the scores
One issue with two day comps is that after a few rounds it becomes tricky to follow the scoring. I know that there is some ongoing work on a solution, using WiFi, and look forward to it becoming a standard feature of F3F league competitions.
Photos
High res photos are available in my Smugmug gallery.
Top Ten
1 Mark Redsell 8649.84 2 Paul Garnett 8476.63 3 Peter Gunning 8147.82 4 Martin Newnham 8116.12 5 Graham Mahoney 8053.54 6 Mark Abbotts 8001.33 7 Simon Thornton 7970.88 8 Tony Livingstone 7934.39 9 Mike Evans 7820.84 10 Jon Wells 7769.49With thanks to GBSRA. For full results and breakdown, see GBSRA results page.