The long range weather prediction on Monday, 1 June 2009 suggested that the event would be washed out, if not frozen. Fortunately during the week a high pressure system moved inland & kept the yapping cold fronts at bay long enough for us to enjoy a good day's flying at BERG. A few of cars had already arrived at 08:15, and we soon had our launch line & winches setup.The pilots briefing (with the emphasis on brief) highlighted only two frequency clashes for the field fo 23 pilots. Prior to the briefing, flying was performed using a peg-on system & the mobile frequency board to avoid incidents. Whilst the day was generally moderate & the breeze was not excessive, sink & changing wind direction (especially on landings) highlighted differences in ability & models.
It was also exciting to see 2 brand new Nan Model Xplorers (Paul & Jason). Both pilots commented favourably (raved!) about how well the models floated in zero lift conditions & how well they penetrated into the breeze. Obviously setups must still be tweaked, but the model seemd to launch very well too - maximising the use of the breeze. Also of interest were the SA F3B team, flying their Ceres models & more often than not achieving top scores against the specialist thermal duration models.
The first slot was simply horrid - some downwind launches & sink as far as the model could fly. Times were very, very short, but Paul managed to clinch this slot with a 7:55 & a spot landing. Slot 2 was a little more of what we are used to on the Highveld, & our champion junior, Jason, just pipped Michelle by 2 seconds to claim the max. Slot 3 was a draw between Craig & Chris who scored identically with stunning flights & landings.
Round 2 saw our wonderful conditions stretch the majority of flight times to the limit, Derek flying his Sagitta 600 being the notable slot 2 winner. Peter had a bit of an argument with a roof, but pilot & model appeared unscathed to fly again.
Round 3 witnessed an emerging pattern of pilots maxing, with some very closely contested results. Landings were the differentiating factor across this round - with everyone trying there best to centre the spot.
Round 4 was very closely contested, the rapidly changing wind direction creating havoc on landings. We broke for lunch during this round too.
Round 5 had large sections of sink interspersed with good lift - scores representing across both sides of the scale. Derrick Fish flying a 2M Fling, was unfortunate to launch into a strong thermal which snapped his model's wings.
Round 6 saw a huge section of sink set across the field & time fell dramatically as a result.
The final results (apologies for the fuzzy/size thing, but until I have figured out how to add tables to the BLOG, that's about as good as it gets - you should click on the table below to get a clear image of the final results). Craig narrowly clinching the title, just 4 points ahead of Chris. Paul was also a close 3rd. First Junior Jason flew very well into 8th position (dad would be pleased with his own 7th place). First 2M was Derrick Marusich in 10th - flying to the Open Class 10 minute task.
Thanks to everyone who attended, assisted, & had fun.
Fly safely
