Hearns Trophy and Yoemans Competition 2014

HEARNS TROPHY

What a great day for flying it turned out to be. Peter Koch and Peter Rowland senior were our honourable judges for this event with Bruce Mackay putting the scores together in the background. Thanks also to Les for doing the running and manning the BBQ. Good to have you back from holidays although disappointing that some of your gear was stolen during the week from the storage shed at the field.

Six contestants battled it out for the prestigious Hearns trophy, weather was good , ground was mown low, birds were singing, and judges were ready. 3 rounds were to be flown. When the dust and feathers settled it was Mark Ellins claiming top spot. He flew his Yatsenko which had only been returned recently from o'seas he put together 3 good flights and if he can only find time to practice will be hard to beat.

Next was the ageless Doug Grinham. His Starcraft flew smoothly, but for a motor cut in round 1, he would have given Mark a run for his money.

3rd was Mark Gordon flying a Brodak Cardinal, fresh from his Advanced win at Nats, he will be right up there soon. The Cardinal which he bought 2nd hand (from a very shady character) is not quite up to it and a tad over weight.

Next was Dave Nobes, the elder statesman flying his Live Wire 2 . Dave missed a few manoeuvres early, could have been due to his cheat sheet missing a few manoeuvres, which was handed to him by a rouge club member.

New on the scene was next man in John Fugill, he is practising hard and his scores are improving all the time, He gained valuable tuition from the guys, which he will make use of and he will improve rapidly. Builds a nice model too, and his preparation is first class.

Next was Gavin Opperman with his K Factor. We all feel for you Gavin, no one likes to see a model wrecked, but given the hardness of the ground, there was no leniency in the arrival, Gavin is a real trouper, he competes with a very laid back approach, and is a very popular guy. Gavin please do not buy a 2nd hand model to replace it from that very shady character. All in all, it was a good day, smiles all around, judges did not nod off , birds kept singing, ladies gossiped on all day, men just waffled on, must mention also that it was good to see the Wake brothers at the field. Noel had a serious illness and hopefully he his on the road to recovery.

The following pics taken by Les and Hedley Potter.

YOEMANS TROPHY

It was encouraging to have some entries for the Yoemans Trophy this year. Although originally designated as Advanced F2B the competition this year was simplified to encourage novice flyers to enter. Congratulations go to Dave Lacy flying his vintage Jamieson Special in a consistent manner to pull the rabbit out of the hat. Thanks go to Mark Gordon for judging.