Saturday morning arrived and we made our way to the BASF field and were met with some low level cloud which delayed the start. The field is excellent with two superb grass runways and beautiful scenery providing a great backdrop for some precision aerobatics! Two classes were being flown the sportsman class and the FAI class. Mark Linwood one of the local members was competing in his first comp, he was flying his new Mythos 125 by Sebart, this a really excellent plane which Mark flew well and by the end of the comp was starting to get in the swing with the demands of F3A. As an aside, my Dad has recently purchased a Sebart Mythos 125 so all being well will bring you a report on this plane soon.
Gavin Broadbent made a return to the F3A scene after having a few years break. My Brother, Angus, had competed against Gavin at the 2005 World Championships where Gavin had placed very well, so I knew he was one to watch! Gavin is still working on getting his Cyclone airframe back in the air so flew an Impact lent to him by Peter Pennisi, Gavin flew well and was improving flight on flight. Gavin is more well known for being a World Class RC helicopter pilot, we were lucky to be treated to some demos with his helicopter which were absolutely stunning, I had literally no idea where the helicopter was going next!
Flying went well on Saturday, managing four rounds for all pilots in what proved to be a very hot day( at least for a Scottish guy like me!).
Saturday night, all competitors enjoyed a night out at a local bowls club, enjoyed some good food and discussed the finer points of aeromodelling!
Sunday came and the final two rounds were upon us. Aaron Garle had a small technical issue with his number one plane so flew the Sunday with an Extreme Flight Vanquish. Aaron flew this well, indeed this is the plane he used to secure his place in the Australian Team for the upcoming World F3A Champs in South Africa. Aaron is leaving in a few weeks, he has chosen to fly a Bj Craft Episode with the Plettenberg Advance upfront. At the comp Aaron was still getting to grips with the new plane, he was planning to do a lot of practice in the coming weeks. I'm sure come World Champs time he will do Australia proud.
My personal campaign was going well, flying my trusty Sebart Wind S Pro now in its third season. This is a really great plane with the Plettenberg Evo providing plenty of quiet power alongside JR Guidance. This has been my first electric F3A plane and has been super reliable allowing me to practice with ease and I believe my flying has really improved because of this.
Another plane of interest was John Paynes own designed Tempest, it is really good to see some own designs at the comps. The Tempest features a very deep,wide fuselage providing constant speed and a small canalizer helping guide the plane in knife edge. John has won the Queensland Championships for the last five years in a row a testament to his dedication and flying skills.
The Sportsman pilots were having a good comp with he top spot changing hands a few times, in the end David Garle won through flying the Extreme Flight Vanquish, a well deserved win.
The F3A class was heating up as Gavin was getting back in his stride, we didn't receive the scores until the final prizegiving. In the end............ I was extremely pleased to win the F3A class, I felt I had flown to the best of my current ability and was honoured to receive the QLD Championships Trophy.
Attached is a photo of the final results. Thanks must go to BASF for the use of their excellent flying field, MAAQ for the prizes,Colin May for being contest Director and all the Queensland Pattern flyers for making it a great weekend. Thanks to Mark Linwood for the photos. Next F3A comp is in August check it out here:
http://queenslandf3a.ning.com/
Next report will be IMAC at Dalby, will bring you that in a couple of weeks, Happy Flying
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