Neil Thorburn, Jim Dowe and Jez Burgoin

THIS was the third LOOP/British Aerobatics Association Beginners day, the second for 2007 and without a doubt the most successful with almost double the amount of participants over the previous event.

Twelve budding aerobatic pilots arrived at Little Gransden Airfield along with instructors, aeroplanes and offi cials despite the weather - 6/8ths cloud cover at 2000 feet. The aim of the day is to introduce more people to aerobatic competitions and help make safer and better pilots. It’s also about taking away some of the mystique behind aerobatics.

The participants pay for the aircraft time at a very reasonable rate of £150 per hour. The flights tend to be around 15 minutes each and with two flights on the day the cost to most participants was less than £100. This surely represents the best value in aviation!

The morning was used to allow the pilots a training flight away from the field where they could dodge the cloud and get used to their mounts. The aeroplanes were quite a mix - CAP-10s (Bs and Cs), Yak-52s and a Slingsby Firefly. Each pilot was assigned an aerobatic coach/instructor. The coaches on the day were Simon Janvrin (Slingsby T67), Phil O’Donoghue (CAP-10C), John Calverley (CAP-10B) and Ian Austin (Yak-52).

The help of the coaches is a major factor in why these events are gaining in popularity - you get feedback in the air on what you can do to improve your flying and they make it very safe. After lunch and a briefing by Chief Judge Ian Austin there was some excellent flying. Everyone coped very well with a strong wind, no-one flew who we could not expect to see compete at Standard - the top third scoring over 70%.

In the end Neil Thorburn came out a worthy winner with Jim Dowe and Jez Burgoin a very close second and third. Ultimately, this isn’t a competition and the atmosphere is about learning, not winning. Thirteen very happy pilots walked away at the end of the day - all expressing an interest in attending a BAeA beginners competition.

Thanks to Kester Scrope, Competition Director, Mark Jefferies for the use of his airfield, and most of all, thanks to the instructors. They worked hard all day and it was their efforts that enabled everyone to improve, fly safely and have fun.

W: www.aerobatics.org.uk


RESULTS
LOOP Beginners Day
1 Neil Thorburn CAP-10 71.74%
2 Jim Dowe CAP-10C 71.46%
3 Jez Burgoin Pitts S-2A 71.38%
4 Louise Renz Slingsby-T67 69.93%
5 Clive Rudd Yak-52 67.59%
6 Pedro Tavares CAP-10 62.48%
7 Dave Holland Yak-52 61.49%
8 Brian Griffin Slingby T67 54.42%
9 Ed Riley Yak-52 50.36%
10 Martina Willis Extra-200 49.33%
11 Jim Lawrence CAP-10C 48.35%
12 Eric Whitehead Slingsby-T67 39.92%
T-67M 47.86%