Leinster Scale Championships 2010
Portlaoise June 20, 2010 By Paul Fetherstonhaugh
Photos from this event can be viewed in the gallery -- click here.
The expected cordite smell of nitromethane was snaffled by low grey clouds and summer drizzle on the morning of Saturday 26th June 2010, but not for long as southerly winds chased the greyness away. All aircraft were unleashed by 10.30 hours, much to the relief of resident and visiting pilots. A good turnout for the Laois Scale Champs, with 9 pilots competing in Clubmans, 2 in F4C (room for improvement of numbers in this class) and 1 in novice.
It is always encouraging when guest pilots make their way to a competition, not a light undertaking when an early morning start and travel beckon on what should be your morning off work, and for all of this their attendance and participation is the bedrock for a really good day of flying. A big thanks to Melvyn Inwood with his trusty spitfire, Alan Humphrey with his large scale Yak, Ger Carter also with a mighty Yak and Sam Kirkpatrick with his F4C Cessna and clubmans Gipsey Moth. You guys helped to make the day, and we hope to see more of you.
The competition results tell it all, watch out for those ace flyers who are up at 1600+, Kieran McEvoy, Ger Carter, Martin Sweeney and Steve Elster, very closely followed by Melvyn Inwood, Brian Foran, Fergus O’Reilly, Alan Humphrey and Sam Kirkpatrick. It was head to head on the second round, and all over in the third.
F4C comprised your Scale Secretary with his DH Beaver, and Sam with a finely built Cessna, both pilots flying scale aircraft with a light wing loading in this class, were challenged by fresh southerly winds, making it more difficult for them than the more agile scale aircraft competing in clubmans. One of our previous Scale Secretaries in a fine article in Flightlines described F4C as the jewel in the crown of scale, and while your present scale secretary is aware is aware of these jewels, it’s a pity more of them are not taken out of their closet and flown around the country.
I know F4C is work in motion for many scale pilots (including your scribe) and I am aware of at least 6 other enthusiasts with completed or almost completed aircraft, whom I hope will make that extra effort to get their fine flying machines to a scale event this year.
F4C is one of 3 classes in scale, which class is dedicated to the scale builder and flyer, a combination of multiple skills, which will serve us well into the future, as it has done in the past. To the everyday flyer, with busy workloads, domestic demands and the grind of time constraints, then clubmans where ARTF’s prevail is the obvious entry for competition flying, but for those out there, and whom we know, their time given in preparation for F4C static and competition flying is a dual science which represents the ultimate accolade in scale flying.
On a lighter note, the splendour of drinking wine makes for a humorous analogy, albeit a bit mad. You might take novice as a regular supermarket number, something such as Jacobs Creek which you imbibe, goes down ok for a while, when you then progress on to a more satisfying clubmans number. This might be a fine Australian Merlot or Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, real good wine, goes down very well indeed and most enjoyable. The F4C wine is outstanding, fermented over a number of years, handcrafted, excellent presentation, goes down with angels singing your praise and a sensational experience against which the other wines are judged. And so it is with F4C, a permanent benchmark of what is best in scale - you don’t mess with it.
Some scale pundits already know of Bob Banka’s scale aircraft documentation, providing photo packs and 3-view line drawings, and a huge selection of prototype aircraft colour schemes at your disposal. Check out the web address - www.bobsairdoc.com, and drool for hours on end.
Our field and runways were in tip top condition for the Leinster Scale Champs, and a big thanks to our own Seamus Foy for all his hard and appreciated work. Thanks also to our gourmet chef Aoife Elster, who kept us nourished and energised for the day with delicious burgers, sausages, sauces and numerous side salads. Aoife even presented us with cheese airplanes, a first in model aviation history.
All participating pilots had something to take home, whether a glow starter or battery charger, and our end of day presentation of prizes and gifts, also included a free raffle for a Chriss Foss WOT 4 ARTF and other model goods. Thanks to our CD Steve Elster who made arrangements to purchase these items, and who in the end and on the eve of the competition was obliged to travel some 80 kilometres and back for their collection. The folks behind the scenes who kept the show on the road, Denis our cheerful scorekeeper and number cruncher, Judge Walter Reno who adjudicated 26 clubman flights and our general field workers, the sincere thanks of Laois MAC and scale community at large. Another great day.
| Pilot | Class | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Static | Final Score | Place |
| Sam Kirkpatrick | F4C | 1279.00 | 1511.50 | 1523.50 | 458 | 1975.50 | 1st |
| Paul Fetherstonhaugh | F4C | 1504.00 | 1602.00 | 1530.00 | 156 | 1722.00 | 2nd |
| Kieran McEvoy | Clubman | 1693.00 | 1621.00 | 1696.00 | 1694.50 | 1st | |
| Ger Carter | Clubman | 1688.50 | 1639.00 | 1601.50 | 1663.75 | 2nd | |
| Martin Sweeney | Clubman | 1606.00 | 1654.00 | 1646.50 | 1650.25 | 3rd | |
| Steve Elster | Clubman | 1628.00 | 1667.50 | 1625.50 | 1647.75 | 4th | |
| Brian Foran | Clubman | 0.00 | 1616.50 | 1589.50 | 1603.00 | 5th | |
| Fergus O'Reilly | Clubman | 1580.50 | 1583.50 | 1612.00 | 1597.75 | 6th | |
| Melvyn Inwood | Clubman | 1574.75 | 1595.50 | 1535.50 | 1585.00 | 7th | |
| Alan Humphrey | Clubman | 1546.00 | 1456.00 | 0.00 | 1501.00 | 8th | |
| Sam Kirkpatrick | Clubman | 1214.50 | 1339.00 | 1507.00 | 1423.00 | 9th | |
| Graham Dwyer | Novice | 884.50 | 345.00 | 0.00 | 659.75 | 1st |