South Leinster Aerobatic Championships July 18-19, 2009
Photos from this event can be viewed in the gallery -- click here.
Well yet again the recent run of weather was not all that encouraging. However here in the 'Sunny South East' we always remain hopeful as weather wise we get our fair share of the good stuff. Sure enough it turned out perfect for a comp, being a bit windy on Saturday and with really nice air on Sunday.
We were not expecting a huge turnout due to the bad run of weather and we were pleasantly surprised to have an entry of 14 or 15 pilots. This entry included 4 for Masters, which was great to see as this class has been struggling for the last few years.
The event ran in a relaxed, but efficient, manner with everybody enjoying the two days of competition, chat & banter, BBQ and a social night on Saturday.
F3A was competitive as is usual now with rounds being shared in Tier 1 and Noel dominating in T 2. We are now well into the 2nd season of P09 and the standard is reflecting this. Make a mistake and you slip down the order quickly. Angus flew an 'F' schedule on Sunday which was truly 'world class'. Ray and John also flew high quality F schedules.
The other highlight of the comp, was the competitive Masters class with Paddy Gavin and James Murphy duelling for first and second places while Dessie was being hounded and harassed by Dominic who tried every trick in the book to shake 3rd from Dessie's grasp.
James took a worthy 1st in the end while Dessie held on to third in spite of Dominic's barnstorming of the judges in an attempt at intimidation, which for a while seemed to be working if the look on Ray Keane's face was anything to go by.
On the hospitality front the competitors were greeted with a cuppa with homemade buns each morning, a large variety from the BBQ/Salad table all day each day and the now usual strawberries and cream. On Saturday night we all went out to dinner which went down well and then most of us went further a field for a few beers and a game of pool.
For the prize giving, we had the now usual framed certificates for all classes. The members of the IMAAA decided some time ago the spend at our comps should mostly be on hospitality and facilities rather than spending our meagre budgets on shiny plastic and cheap 'crystal'. This way all who attend share in the spend for the most part rather than the 'usual suspects' walking off with all the spoils. All of the prizes were graciously accepted by the prize-winners.
I would like to thank the club members for making the site available and ready as well as all those who attended. A special thanks to those who helped out and to Daphne and Collette. See you all again next year and maybe some new faces should any of the other 'pilots' fancy a go.
| Pilot | Class | Total Score | Position |
| Angus Balfour | Tier 1 | 3000.00 | 1st |
| John Martin | Tier 1 | 2979.19 | 2nd |
| Ray Keane | Tier 1 | 2913.89 | 3rd |
| Niall O'Sullivan | Tier 1 | 2854.23 | 4th |
| Brian Carolan | Tier 1 | 2750.74 | 5th |
| Gordon James | Tier 1 | 2713.98 | 6th |
| Paul Houlihan | Tier 1 | 2699.92 | 7th |
| Noel Barrett | Tier 2 | 3000.00 | 1st |
| Dave King | Tier 2 | 2726.00 | 2nd |
| Kevin Murphy | Tier 2 | 2706.00 | 3rd |
| James Murphy | Masters | 3000.00 | 1st |
| Paddy Gavin | Masters | 2775.00 | 2nd |
| Dessie Owens | Masters | 2299.00 | 3rd |
| Domnic Ryan | Masters | 1802.00 | 4th |