I would very much like to take this opportunity to welcome the latest deck and her crew to our humble activity! HMS Incontinent (flying under a flag of convenience…) was constructed during last winter, launched and christened earlier this year by Alan Morgan (Cheshunt, Herts), Trevor Tabor (Much Hadham, Herts) and Glyn Roberts (Ipswich, Suffolk). These stalwart gentlemen have already built and flown more Carrier model aircraft in 2007 than I have since BCD started, and are even looking to run their own contest in the not-too-distant future! What’s more, they also allowed themselves to be pressed into service at Old Warden during the weekend just past, when the Barton BASH clashed with the ModelAir Mayfly, so that Carrier had a presence at both events. Thanks, chaps! HMS Incontinent has, inter alia, also docked at least twice at the flying site used by Peterborough MAC in the last couple of months (courtesy of the old Cabbage Patch management, to whom we are delighted to raise our hats in greeting, of course) and has generated considerable interest there as well. Watch out for these well-practised pilots in the future!
As you can see, there are plenty of events for you to choose from this year. Please note that it is always prudent to phone the listed contact to check the contest details before the event, although the contest director responsible for running the contest will always turn up to an advertised event no matter what the weather conditions.
The weather is worthy of further comment here. The UK climate appears to be exhibiting seemingly increasing unpredictability. Whether this is due to global warming, or simply to what would have happened naturally, is a moot point. In any event, even meteorological experts appear to have increasing difficulty in providing a reliable forecast, and with the inevitable litigation-oriented concerns that official bodies have about getting it wrong enough for people to sue them, the forecasts are always likely to be pitched towards pessimism rather than optimism (cf: Michael Fish [poor b*****d] in 1987: “ No, Madam, there won’t be a hurricane…). Last weekend’s event at Barton near Manchester is a perfect example. The forecast for both days was, frankly, quite bad: very windy throughout Saturday, with rain for most of the afternoon, and cold; only slightly less windy on Sunday, with heavy rain starting at lunchtime for the rest of the day, also cold. The actual was dramatically different: Saturday was merely breezy at its worst, with episodic showers between which the sun shone and the wind dropped, sometime to almost nothing, nor was it cold; Sunday started off with no wind at all and literally blazing sunshine, the wind gradually picking up over the day to no more than a moderate breeze, with drizzle starting at about 1400 and remaining continuous thereafter. As the forecast was so bad, most of the hoped for contestants decided not to come, thus dramatically reducing attendance even though we have had many Carrier events measurably worse than these conditions in the past. For 2007 and forwards, I would therefore like to put in place the following facility for those occasions when the weather forecast turns out to be bad enough for you to consider not to attend the contest. So, for all the UK contests in which I shall be either be the Contest Director or an attendee (ie: every event, except, because of clashes, Marlborough and the Geordie Nats), you can ring me at any time on my mobile phone (07919 128206) to find out what the weather is like at the event. Obviously this will work best during multiple day events when you can ring me early in the morning prior to your departure time; it will not be so useful at single day events when you need to start out early, since I’m not likely to be at such sites much before 0900 - but it’s still better than nothing.
It’s unfortunate to see in the calendar that there are four event date clashes, three of which are two UK events happening on the same day(s), and one of which is two Carrier events in the UK clashing with another on the continent! All these are events run by separate organisations with their own independent constraints, but it may be possible to reduce the probability of clashes in 2008 by diplomacy and negotiation, and I hope that this will be the case at least with the May clash of many years standing between Barton and Old Warden, and the 2007-only July clash between Marlborough and The Tyneside Weekend Workshop.
Nevertheless, there’s still bags of choice in 2007, so hope to see you at one or two this season!
This is the 2007 European Carrier programme as at 1st June 2007. If there are any errors or you would like to make additions, please let me know. NCH
Date Event Details May 12 & 13 Manchester Weekend Workshop BCD. Other C/L classes as well. Barton Airfield, Liverpool Road (A57), Eccles, Manchester M30 7SA, 1 mile south west of M60 J11. On-site camping facilities, toilets and daytime hot snacks & drinks. Carrier contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. May 12 & 13 Old Warden Carrier Demonstrations BCD demonstrations only. Other C/L, F/F and R/C classes, plus sport flying, as well. This is the ModelAir Mayfly event at Old Warden Aerodrome, 3 miles west of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. On-site camping facilities, toilets and daytime restaurant. Contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. May 26 & 27 Dutch Carrier Contest BCD. Other C/L classes as well. Held at the Gorkum R/C Club's flying field next to the River Waal near Gorinchem, Holland. On-site camping facilities and toilets. Contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Jun 10 Bilston MAC Vintage Fly-In No.1 BCD & Class 1. Other C/L classes as well. Frank Harrison School playing fields, Leamore Lane, Bloxwich WS2 7NR, 1 mile north of M6 J10, on the east side of the motorway, north of Birmingham. Contact is Keith Garbett on 01902 568006. Jun 16 & 17 Three Kings Aeromodellers Carrier & Scale Contest BCD, Club Scale. Also plenty of opportunities for C/L sport flying on both concrete and grass. But it's not at Croydon Airport this year! Instead, it's at Tangmere Military Aviation Museum (www.tangmere-museum.org.uk), Chichester, West Sussex PO20 2ES, signposted off the south side of the A27 dual carriageway, 3 miles east of Chichester. As all flying is considered part of the annual Tangmere Museum Weekend Show, flying participants will therefore be given free admission to the museum. Tempted? Make a weekend of it! Carrier contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186; Scale contact is Bernard Seale on 01435 863856; all other queries Stephen Waller on 020 8310 6101. Jul 7 & 8 Tyneside Weekend Workshop BCD at Fulwell Quarry Arena, 2 miles north of Sunderland, near Newcastle upon Tyne. Convenient camping, B&B and pub restaurant facilities nearby. Contact is Doug Miller on 0191 258 0824. Jul 8 Marlborough MFC Scale & Carrier Contest BCD, Club Scale. Also plenty of opportunities for C/L sport flying from the best grass in and one of the most civilised UK venues! Contact is Mike Welch on 01793 612629. Jul 21 & 22 Old Warden Carrier Deck Weekend Workshop BCD, Training. Other C/L, F/F and R/C classes, plus sport flying, as well. This is the ModelAir Scale Weekend event at Old Warden Aerodrome, 3 miles west of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. No contest fees; all you pay is the normal gate entrance price. On-site camping facilities, toilets and daytime restaurant. Carrier contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Jul 29 Thames Valley Roadshow Carrier Training. Also R/C demonstrations. This is part of the Cholsey Model Mania event (www.cholsey.com) at Cholsey Primary School, Cholsey, near Wallingford, Oxfordshire. This is a provisional event and will be confirmed later. Contact is Mike Welch on 01793 612629. Aug 5 The Curtis Trophy BCD & C/L electric Fun Fly (the first formal C/L Electric Gathering in the UK). Football field, Lakeside, Essex RM16 1QQ, on the north side of the A1306, 1 mile east of M25 J31. Contact is Peter Tribe on 01322 222924. Aug 11 & 12 Belgian Carrier Contest BCD. Also international C/L Speed, Aerobatics and Team Race classes. Verviers, between Li?ge and the German border, in Belgium. Carrier contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Aug 25-27 BMFA Nationals BCD, Class 1, Training. Also all other national C/L and R/C classes. RAF Barkston Heath, on the west side of the B6403, 5 miles north east of Grantham, Lincolnshire. THIS IS THE BIG ONE! Pre-entry required as last year: look for the entry form in the BMFA News. Carrier contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Sep 8 & 9 Old Warden Weekend Workshop BCD & Class 1, Training. Other C/L, F/F and R/C classes, plus sport flying, as well. This is the ModelAir Festival of Flight event at Old Warden Aerodrome, 3 miles west of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire SG18 9EP. No contest fees; all you pay is the normal gate entrance price. On-site camping facilities, toilets and daytime restaurant. Contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Sep 8 & 9 German C/L Carrier contest BCD. Also other C/L classes. Held at the Aeroclub Rheidt's field in Niederkassel-Rheidt, between Cologne & Bonn in West Germany. This is the the 3rd LASSOGEIER-Controlline-Circus, run by Axel Jungherz & Robert Schulze. Contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Sep 9 Geordie Nationals BCD. Also other C/L, F/F and R/C classes, plus sport flying, as well. Albemarle Barracks, via the crash gate off the B6309, 11 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne. Barracks buildings' postcode is NE15 0RF, airfield is adjacent. Contact is Doug Miller on 0191 258 0824. Sep 15 & 16 Yorkshire Weekend Workshop BCD. Pontefract Racecourse, via the gate on the A639, 1/2 mile south M62J32, West Yorkshire. This is a provisional date and will be confirmed later. Contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Sep 15 & 16 Dutch Nationals Championships BCD. Also other C/L, F/F and R/C classes, plus sport flying, as well. De Peel Airfield, 16 miles east of Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Pre-entry required. Carrier contact is Andy Housden on 020 8541 0186. Sep 23 Bilston MAC Vintage Fly-In No.2 BCD & Class 1. Other C/L classes as well. Frank Harrison School playing fields, Leamore Lane, Bloxwich WS2 7NR, 1 mile north of M6 J10, on the east side of the motorway, north of Birmingham. Contact is Keith Garbett on 01902 568006. Sep 29 & 30 St Albans & Dist. Model Engineering Society Show (SADMESS...) BCD, Scale & Aerobatics over both days. Francis Bacon School, Drakes Drive, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 5AR. Contact is Bob Phillipps on 01727 841343. and possibly... End of October? Witham Winter Warmer BCD, Class 1. Also C/L Aerobatics and Scale. Somewhere near Colchester, Essex. This event would have taken place in March, but was cancelled due to a waterlogged site. This information is therefore provisional. If the event is going to be able to be held at all in 2007, information may be distributed during the Nationals at RAF Barkston Heath. Contact is Gary Church on 01206 272382.
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