Sad News
I have to report that Frank Smart passed away peacefully at the end of last month.
Frank had been in very poor health for some time. His wife Pat was with him when he died and our thoughts are with her and their children Jane and Andrew.
Nominations for Officers
As I explained in a previous newsletter by constitution all present officers must be replaced this year (they have served the allowed 6 year period)
If there are nominations for the four posts (Chair, Sec, Treasurer, Comp Sec) then there is no problem. However if we do not receive these nominations we are left with two possibilities
(a) The constitution is changed(requires a 75% majority vote)to allow the present post holders to continue.This would be the first vote at the AGM.
(b)The CFA ceases to exist.
You will find nomination forms later in this newsletter if you are eligible to vote.
Proposals for Rule Changes
In the event of (b) above these will need to be submitted to the CLTC by individual flyers.
Please assume that the CFA will continue to exist and use the forms provided later in this newsletter. Submit them to me by 7th August at the latest.I will then circulate them before the AGM which as usual will take place on Sunday 30th August at 12 noon at Nats combat control.Discussion will take place prior to any votes being taken.A ballot box will be provided and the votes counted open to view.
Combat at Berkeley - South Bristol Gala 20th June
After some years of very low entries at the South Bristol Gala, it was decided to run the Vintage Combat event on Saturday rather than Sunday. This was to allow flyers from the London area to avoid the M25 on the Sunday evening and have lie in the next morning. This arrangement worked well bringing three flyers from the South East. The plan was also to fly Oliver Combat on the Sunday but in fact, and at the request of several competitors, it was successfully run after Vintage had finished.
The South Bristol Gala has been a two day event for some years. It is always well attended by the racing fraternity as the venue is just about one of the best in the country with all facilities on site and Sunday lunch cooked to order.. Combat and racing are flown adjacent to one another on the same high quality sports field. One flyer yesterday described the venue as "Just about the best place I've ever flown combat" Praise indeed!
However, with the Vintage entry of still only eleven, the organizers made the most of it.
The first round of five bouts began at 11 on the dot. The one bye luckily went to Mick Tiernan who needed "a bit more time" to sort his gear out. No change there then. He did have new models though. Now that is a change!
First bout saw Dave Wiseman against Richard Herbert. Richard took two cuts at leisure although Dave did his best to outmanoeuvre. At the end Dave said "I want one of those motors" He had been well down on airspeed and Richard was only using his second engine!Other bouts of note included Simon Miller defeating Pete Tribe of Razor Blade fame who was flying new Andurils , Richard Evans managing four cuts from Brian Waters, and, a big upset, Harry Walker defeating National Champion Mick Lewis. Harry's new Harrison 19 is certainly doing the business but the bout was rather messy and the result of 1-1 was not decisive.
Peter Tribe took great pleasure in then beating Mick Tiernan thus getting back into the main draw.
The one eliminator saw Simon Miller using his Supermonger to good advantage and sending Mick Lewis on his way. Although Simon does not yet have fast motors, his flying has greatly improved in the last few seasons. He then went on to beat Mick Tiernan in the next round.
In the quarters Richard Herbert moved up a gear and now used his stunning best motor. Pete Tribe didn't stand a chance although the result was only 1-0. Dave Wiseman was seen off by a very fast Mick Loughlin and Richard Evans beat Harry Walker 2-0. Harry's Shogun was very tight and fast but he succumbed to the original dummy manoeuvre and planted his model breaking a prop.
So, finally down to just four flyers . Richard Herbert flew against his travelling companion Simon Miller in, I believe, Simon's first semi final. Unfortunately friendship means nothing in this game!
Simon flew well but was not able to put up much defence to Richard's merciless attack. A 2-1 result showed Simon the door.
The second semi brought together Richard Evans and Mike Loughlin, two (old) rivals who have flown against each other many times in the last two years. Both using fast Harrison 19's Mick had the edge for speed but Richard the better turning model. Yeti against Supermonger. In three minutes no cuts were scored but the chasing was continual. Mick managed to put Richard in the ground but he was up again very soon. Eventually the inevitable mid air occurred leaving Richard unable to continue. A nil nil result.
The final between Richard Herbert and Mike left us realising that nobody has anything to compete with Richard's best motor. Mike was also using his best and had looked pretty fast all day but against Richard it was no contest. After some initial jostling for position Richard closed in and took three clean cuts to win. A lesson in the use of unbridled horsepower!
Richard Evans then reverted to his Orcrist to beat Simon Miller and claim third place.
Results:
1st Richard Herbert. Supermonger/Harrison PAW 19 (Probably 21!)
2nd Mike Loughlin. Solid tail Yeti/Harrison PAW 19
3rd Richard Evans. Supermonger/Harrison PAW 19
4th Simon Miller. Supermonger/SGM PAW 19
Oliver Tiger Combat was then flown as recreational event by the five flyers with models. There was a lot of smiling and laughing and combat at a more reasonable speed with few mid airs or damage. Some of the models were, er, rather ancient! I I know for sure, that one of Steve Troman's models was at least fifteen years old!Mike Loughlin emerged the winner after winning his four bouts with a CS Oliver powered Chilton Warlord. This bright pink model was again built years ago by Dave Harrison himself and went very well.
Presentations of wine and trophies were made by CFA Secretary Mick Lewis. All concerned said how much they had enjoyed the day and praised the venue. Next year it is hoped to hold two events at Berkeley. Please make the effort to take part. It's not so far and a very nice part of the world.
Richard Evans
CFA Chairman
I have to report that Frank Smart passed away peacefully at the end of last month.
Frank had been in very poor health for some time. His wife Pat was with him when he died and our thoughts are with her and their children Jane and Andrew.
Nominations for Officers
As I explained in a previous newsletter by constitution all present officers must be replaced this year (they have served the allowed 6 year period)
If there are nominations for the four posts (Chair, Sec, Treasurer, Comp Sec) then there is no problem. However if we do not receive these nominations we are left with two possibilities
(a) The constitution is changed(requires a 75% majority vote)to allow the present post holders to continue.This would be the first vote at the AGM.
(b)The CFA ceases to exist.
You will find nomination forms later in this newsletter if you are eligible to vote.
Proposals for Rule Changes
In the event of (b) above these will need to be submitted to the CLTC by individual flyers.
Please assume that the CFA will continue to exist and use the forms provided later in this newsletter. Submit them to me by 7th August at the latest.I will then circulate them before the AGM which as usual will take place on Sunday 30th August at 12 noon at Nats combat control.Discussion will take place prior to any votes being taken.A ballot box will be provided and the votes counted open to view.
Combat at Berkeley - South Bristol Gala 20th June
After some years of very low entries at the South Bristol Gala, it was decided to run the Vintage Combat event on Saturday rather than Sunday. This was to allow flyers from the London area to avoid the M25 on the Sunday evening and have lie in the next morning. This arrangement worked well bringing three flyers from the South East. The plan was also to fly Oliver Combat on the Sunday but in fact, and at the request of several competitors, it was successfully run after Vintage had finished.
The South Bristol Gala has been a two day event for some years. It is always well attended by the racing fraternity as the venue is just about one of the best in the country with all facilities on site and Sunday lunch cooked to order.. Combat and racing are flown adjacent to one another on the same high quality sports field. One flyer yesterday described the venue as "Just about the best place I've ever flown combat" Praise indeed!
However, with the Vintage entry of still only eleven, the organizers made the most of it.
The first round of five bouts began at 11 on the dot. The one bye luckily went to Mick Tiernan who needed "a bit more time" to sort his gear out. No change there then. He did have new models though. Now that is a change!
First bout saw Dave Wiseman against Richard Herbert. Richard took two cuts at leisure although Dave did his best to outmanoeuvre. At the end Dave said "I want one of those motors" He had been well down on airspeed and Richard was only using his second engine!Other bouts of note included Simon Miller defeating Pete Tribe of Razor Blade fame who was flying new Andurils , Richard Evans managing four cuts from Brian Waters, and, a big upset, Harry Walker defeating National Champion Mick Lewis. Harry's new Harrison 19 is certainly doing the business but the bout was rather messy and the result of 1-1 was not decisive.
Peter Tribe took great pleasure in then beating Mick Tiernan thus getting back into the main draw.
The one eliminator saw Simon Miller using his Supermonger to good advantage and sending Mick Lewis on his way. Although Simon does not yet have fast motors, his flying has greatly improved in the last few seasons. He then went on to beat Mick Tiernan in the next round.
In the quarters Richard Herbert moved up a gear and now used his stunning best motor. Pete Tribe didn't stand a chance although the result was only 1-0. Dave Wiseman was seen off by a very fast Mick Loughlin and Richard Evans beat Harry Walker 2-0. Harry's Shogun was very tight and fast but he succumbed to the original dummy manoeuvre and planted his model breaking a prop.
So, finally down to just four flyers . Richard Herbert flew against his travelling companion Simon Miller in, I believe, Simon's first semi final. Unfortunately friendship means nothing in this game!
Simon flew well but was not able to put up much defence to Richard's merciless attack. A 2-1 result showed Simon the door.
The second semi brought together Richard Evans and Mike Loughlin, two (old) rivals who have flown against each other many times in the last two years. Both using fast Harrison 19's Mick had the edge for speed but Richard the better turning model. Yeti against Supermonger. In three minutes no cuts were scored but the chasing was continual. Mick managed to put Richard in the ground but he was up again very soon. Eventually the inevitable mid air occurred leaving Richard unable to continue. A nil nil result.
The final between Richard Herbert and Mike left us realising that nobody has anything to compete with Richard's best motor. Mike was also using his best and had looked pretty fast all day but against Richard it was no contest. After some initial jostling for position Richard closed in and took three clean cuts to win. A lesson in the use of unbridled horsepower!
Richard Evans then reverted to his Orcrist to beat Simon Miller and claim third place.
Results:
1st Richard Herbert. Supermonger/Harrison PAW 19 (Probably 21!)
2nd Mike Loughlin. Solid tail Yeti/Harrison PAW 19
3rd Richard Evans. Supermonger/Harrison PAW 19
4th Simon Miller. Supermonger/SGM PAW 19
Oliver Tiger Combat was then flown as recreational event by the five flyers with models. There was a lot of smiling and laughing and combat at a more reasonable speed with few mid airs or damage. Some of the models were, er, rather ancient! I I know for sure, that one of Steve Troman's models was at least fifteen years old!Mike Loughlin emerged the winner after winning his four bouts with a CS Oliver powered Chilton Warlord. This bright pink model was again built years ago by Dave Harrison himself and went very well.
Presentations of wine and trophies were made by CFA Secretary Mick Lewis. All concerned said how much they had enjoyed the day and praised the venue. Next year it is hoped to hold two events at Berkeley. Please make the effort to take part. It's not so far and a very nice part of the world.
Richard Evans
CFA Chairman
Vintage combat Barkston Heath 12th July 09 – By Mike Loughlin
Fourteen entries made their way to a windy (as usual) Barkston. No South Bristol contingent this time, mainly due to Mick being on holiday.
The first round progressed without too many surprises, although newcomer Jon Taylor flew very well to beat Stuart Vickers. Willy Wallace is another flyer who has improved, although he lost to me in the first round, he flew very well. Both he and Stuart were soon back in via the losers round.
The losers round saw Harry Walker, Mick Tiernan and Simon Miller eliminated, the later two suffering from equipment problems for much of the day. For equipment, read motors, which was a feature of the day, with lots of people struggling to get their motors started and running reliably. The new Rothwell TBR motor really can’t come soon enough. Vintage combat would be a very different event if everybody had a motor that started easily and went reliably.
The eliminator round saw the shock defeat of Richard Herbert by Willy Wallace. Richard’s motor had (another) new piston and was very tight and I struggled to start it and Richard lost a point. However things were soon under control with Richard two cuts up, however, Willy wasn’t done yet and took two fine two cuts off of the best defender in the business, Richard losing by the one point I lost him at the start.. Also out were Roger Fisher to Stuart Vickers and Tim Hobbins to me. Tim was another victim of motor trouble and never really managed to get up and was very dispirited.
Jon Taylor continued his winning ways in the third round by beating Willy Wallace. I beat Chris Fisher, Stuart Vickers beat Bob Payne and an in-form Alec Herring flew well to take out Dave Wiseman.
Alec cruised on in the semis, defeating Jon Taylor. This left me and Stuart Vickers fighting over a place in the final. The first bout was a one-cut-all non-event. The re-fly however, was a different story. Both models were really quick and Stuart was soon one cut up. This was followed by a very comprehensive line tangle which ended with me on the ground. Richard Herbert did his usual great pit work and we soon had the lines untangled (after a fashion) and I was up again. What happened next is a bit of a blur, I remember getting two cuts and another line tangle at which my, by now, very second-hand lines gave up the ghost and my model went into the tarmac at it’s usual ballistic speed, totally destroying what was my best motor (sob).
This left the two teammates Alec and Stuart in the final. To conserve models they elected to toss a coin to decide the outcome. In a dazzling display of skill, Alec chose heads (or was it tails?) to take victory! I beat Jon Taylor for the final position.
1st Alec Herring
2nd Stuart Vickers
3rd Mike loughlin
Fourteen entries made their way to a windy (as usual) Barkston. No South Bristol contingent this time, mainly due to Mick being on holiday.
The first round progressed without too many surprises, although newcomer Jon Taylor flew very well to beat Stuart Vickers. Willy Wallace is another flyer who has improved, although he lost to me in the first round, he flew very well. Both he and Stuart were soon back in via the losers round.
The losers round saw Harry Walker, Mick Tiernan and Simon Miller eliminated, the later two suffering from equipment problems for much of the day. For equipment, read motors, which was a feature of the day, with lots of people struggling to get their motors started and running reliably. The new Rothwell TBR motor really can’t come soon enough. Vintage combat would be a very different event if everybody had a motor that started easily and went reliably.
The eliminator round saw the shock defeat of Richard Herbert by Willy Wallace. Richard’s motor had (another) new piston and was very tight and I struggled to start it and Richard lost a point. However things were soon under control with Richard two cuts up, however, Willy wasn’t done yet and took two fine two cuts off of the best defender in the business, Richard losing by the one point I lost him at the start.. Also out were Roger Fisher to Stuart Vickers and Tim Hobbins to me. Tim was another victim of motor trouble and never really managed to get up and was very dispirited.
Jon Taylor continued his winning ways in the third round by beating Willy Wallace. I beat Chris Fisher, Stuart Vickers beat Bob Payne and an in-form Alec Herring flew well to take out Dave Wiseman.
Alec cruised on in the semis, defeating Jon Taylor. This left me and Stuart Vickers fighting over a place in the final. The first bout was a one-cut-all non-event. The re-fly however, was a different story. Both models were really quick and Stuart was soon one cut up. This was followed by a very comprehensive line tangle which ended with me on the ground. Richard Herbert did his usual great pit work and we soon had the lines untangled (after a fashion) and I was up again. What happened next is a bit of a blur, I remember getting two cuts and another line tangle at which my, by now, very second-hand lines gave up the ghost and my model went into the tarmac at it’s usual ballistic speed, totally destroying what was my best motor (sob).
This left the two teammates Alec and Stuart in the final. To conserve models they elected to toss a coin to decide the outcome. In a dazzling display of skill, Alec chose heads (or was it tails?) to take victory! I beat Jon Taylor for the final position.
1st Alec Herring
2nd Stuart Vickers
3rd Mike loughlin
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