2019 English Open F3F
17-18 August 2019
Jason Bioletti on finals at Whitesheet
English Open F3F
This two day F3F event has a unique atmosphere. Partly because it's a national competition which is not part of a league, so it tends to be more relaxed. There's also a raffle with some splendid prizes, thanks to generous sponsors. And last but not least, the event raises funds for the charities Histio UK and Bloodwise, in memory of Stu Wallace's son Tom.
This year the competition was flown at the W/SW bowl on both days.
The competition
The main bowl has a reputation for turbulence when the wind isn't straight on. Fortunately the wind gods were on our side, with the bowl working unusually smoothly especially on the second day. That's not to say that all was perfect - there was a short period when the wind all but dropped to nothing!
Mike Bleathman and William Fourie both showed great promise in their first F3F competition. William had to leave early on each day, so his final score didn't reflect a solid performance. Mike flew a very tidy course in between manning the 'kitchen'. Brett Larrett did very well to finish fifth. Brett was also the delighted raffle winner, taking home an Ahi donated by the Whitesheet club.
At the end of the weekend, it was Andy Burgoyne who took the winner's trophy, for his second F3F competition in succession, flying his Pitbull. Runner-up was Graeme Mahoney, also for the second time - it'll surely be his turn next! Third on the podium was John Phillips. All in all a great weekend (although tinged with sadness at the gap on my mantlepiece!).
Many thanks to Stu Wallace and the crew for a splendid weekend of F3F. Stu sacrificed the chance of a good scrore by focusing solely on the organisation on the second day.
Sponsors
A special mention for primary sponsor Peter Payne whose ongoing support has been invaluable in establishing this event. Amongst this year's raffle prizes was a 2-night break for two at the Ross Court Guesthouse which is run by Peter. There are also lots of glider goodies at his South Coast Sailplanes site, so do go and have a look round!
Other generous sponsors were:
Results
1 A Burgoyne 12789.53 1000.00 2 G Mahoney 12400.90 969.61 3 J Philips 12227.12 956.02 4 M Redsell 12084.60 944.88 5 B Larrett 12038.54 941.28 6 T Livingstone 11946.94 934.11 7 M Evans 11927.66 932.61 8 I Falconer 11767.51 920.08 9 J Bioletti 11740.28 917.96 10 M Treble 11638.23 909.98 11 D Woods 11599.27 906.93 12 M Shellim 11578.60 905.31 13 D Rumble 11329.15 885.81 14 M Passingham 11302.91 883.76 15 P Stubley 11249.84 879.61 16 N Witchalls 11245.51 879.27 17 J Treble 11227.57 877.87 18 L Wood 11050.35 864.01 19 B Hudson 10636.21 831.63 20 G Hill 10411.76 814.08 21 M Bleathman 10209.69 798.28 22 W Fourie 8278.02 647.24 23 S Wallace 5323.51 416.23 Fastest time: Ian Falconer 36.99 secs