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  • F3F is a timed speed event for model gliders. Each pilot has to fly 10 laps of a 100 Metre course and the fastest time wins the round. The average is time to cover the distance is 30 to 40 seconds. Depending on the wind and location these times can vary a great deal.

    The models are based on F3B models and some are specially tailored for F3F. The UK has some of the best slope soaring sites in the world so we have a thriving league with some of the best pilots in the World. There are some great discussions and contest report on our forums under the F3F and Slope sections. 

    If you fancy a go at it the guys are very friendly and welcome new pilots with open arms. It doesn't matter if your are not skilled as advice and help is nearby.

    Below are some videos posted by our members. There are many more on our forums.

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  • F3F Articles Events and Reports

    If you would like to submit an article, event or report please contact us.
    • Martin_N
      Apologise for the delay this season in providing the final results of the 2013 season. It has been an exceptionally busy season, not just from a flying perspective for me.
      Out of the possible 12 events BMFA or UK Euro tours, only 4 one day events were cancelled and unfortunately the Welsh open did not complete the required 4 rounds.
      With this is mind we have still had a very memorable season. I have seen many new pilots from last year improve and new faces join the exiting world of F3F.
      The year began with an explosion in Wales with 16 sub thirties and many new PB’s claimed for a number of pilots and more from other contests. It truly was an incredible 7 rounds in sub zero conditions, I can’t remember the wind chill but I believe it was around -14degrees.
      Scotland proved a great success again this year, being well supported from not just the local pilots, but from all corners of the country.
      Having flown in many places in Europe again this year, the standard in the UK is improving year on year, a true credit to everyone, participating in our very friendly hobby on the slopes. This year Simon Thornton flew to an incredible 2 place in the FAI World cup. Simon only completed 3 counting events, against others who had flown more World Cup events to gain better scores. Amazing result and it shows the standard he is flying against in the UK has helped a long way towards this result.
      There has however been one pilot that has again excelled and been close on more than one occasion to winning the league over the years. I think anyone who has had the opportunity to fly with or against him would agree he is a very worthy champion.
      This year that honour goes to Mark Redsell. Just to note at the incredible Welsh league event, out of the 7 rounds we flew, he had 6 sub thirties, truly amazing. The other pilots to join Mark on that day, were Joel West, Rich Bago, Paul Garnett and Martin Newnham. I must mention Mark Abbotts who was the FIRST British pilot to go under the 30 seconds in an earlier event in Wales this year.
      Well done Mark
      Finally this year has witnessed the birth of Great Britain Slope Racing Association, which is great news for the future of F3F. Jon Edison, John Phillips and Peter Gunning have joined the team and are working hard to get everything up and running. I must thank these guys for all the support they have given me to bring this together. Website will be available soon.
      So to the overall results please see below and enjoy, I hope you feel you have all improved on last year’s results and I am already looking 2014:
      1 Mark Redsell 100
      2 Martin Newnham 98.00333333
      3 John Phillips 94.38933333
      4 Simon Thornton 94.03033333
      5 Peter Gunning 93.71966667
      6 Paul Upton 93.14666667
      7 Rich Bago 92.78566667
      8 Mark Abotts 91.27766667
      9 Mark Treble 90.98466667
      10 Mike Mccracken 90.75
      11 Mick Walsh 90.14433333
      12 Mike Evans 88.524
      13 Tom Foreman 88.341
      14 Ronnie Lampe 87.52233333
      15 Frank Hulton 87.311
      16 Keith Wood 85.8636666
      17 John Treble 83.14233333
      18 Tony Livingston 82.126
      19 Martin Drewett 80.06566667
      20 Graeme Mohoney 73.70766667
      21 John Tideswell 73.34966667
      22 Joel West 65.85733333
      23 Greg Dakin 64.36866667
      24 Kevin Newton 63.75766667
      25 Paul Garnett 62.459
      26 Jonathan Wells 59.193
      27 Andy Burgoyne 58.631
      28 Jon Edison 57.922
      29 Tom Macpherson 56.81133333
      30 Dave Watson 55.51
      31 George Young 55.16033333
      32 Mike Shellim 54.109
      33 PhilTaylor 53.42166667
      34 Ian Web 51.93633333
      35 Gonzalo Garcia-Atance 48.07266667
      36 David Reid 31.07133333
      37 Mike Shellim 30.04266667
      38 Ewan Maxwel 29.63133333
      39 Tony Robertson 29.594
      40 Ian Falconer 28.277
      41 Scott Ravenscroft 28.19466667
      42 Stuart Wallace 25.49966667
      43 Egon Lewin 24.84766667
      44 Craig Maxwell 24.685
      45 Pete Burgess 24.04533333
      46 Roger Groves 21.41766667
      47 John Bennett 21.322
      48 Ron Boughton 16.07866667
      49 Ian Mason 14.75433333
      50 Les Wood 7.306333333
      Martin Newnham
      Forum Topic can be found here

    • New F3F World Record 24.58s

      By Austin, in News and Information,

      Lin Kuo Ping has flown a new world record time of 24.58 seconds at  the 2013 F3F World Cup – Lung Pung F3F event on the Kenting Lungpan Slope in Taiwan.
      Mr ‘O’ as they call him was Flying a Needle 100 at 3.54kg. See the discussion on the forum here.

       

    • SlopeGlide 2013

      By Martin_N, in Contest Reports,

      Thankfully the weather was on our side for the weekend and we had plenty of wind and sun for this year’s SlopeGlide contest. Last year we were in Wales and with the change of location we moved to the Hole Of Horcum. Although the numbers were not as high as last year, we still had plenty of pilots for an excellent weekend of flying.
      The first day put us on Levisham, this is a very challenging slope at the best of times but add its variability and you can be punished in every round.   At the end of the day there were a few broken models after the 10 rounds, thankfully all were reparable. Setting the variability aside, other than 2 rounds the rest were won with sub forties, the fast time by Mark Redsell with 31.66 which was also the fastest time of the weekend.
      Video by Tom Foreman http://rooster-f3f.blogspot.co.uk/
      The results at the end of day 1 were as follows:
      1 Mark Redsell 8465.22 1000
      2 Greg Dakin 8120.04 959.22
      3 Rich Bago 7998.55 944.87
      4 Martin Newnham 7983.47 943.09
      5 Paul Garnet 7940.57 938.02
      6 John Phillips 7914.65 934.96
      7 Kev Newton 7791.94 920.46
      8 Ronnie Lampe 7504.88 886.55
      9 Mark Abbotts 7499.67 885.93
      10 Tom Foreman 7421.81 876.74
      11 Keith Wood 7365.64 870.1
      12 Jon Edison 7202.37 850.81
      13 Frank Hulton 7094.88 838.12
      14 Tom Macpherson 6983.12 824.91
      15 Mick Walsh 6746.22 796.93
      16 John Tideswell 6522.69 770.52
      17 Jonathan Wells 0 0
      Sunday, the wind was looking to be more southerly and the hope of flying on the bowl was eagerly awaited by all, conditions on this slope tend to more consistent, how wrong we was.  Every round had its good and bad flights, everyone suffered at some point throughout the day.  It was still a great days flying enjoyed by everyone.
      Overall it was an excellent weekend of flying and I think everyone enjoyed the flying, the relaxed atmosphere and the company.
      To the final results, Mark Redsell took the honours and didn’t put a foot wrong for a well deserved the win.  It was great to see John Phillips sharing the honours along with Greg Dakin in third.  I hope the port and win went down well.
      At the end of the 20 rounds the scores were not as far apart as the conditions would have suggested they would be.
      1 Mark Redsell 16867.49 1000
      2 John Phillips 16563.05 981.95
      3 Greg Dakin 16449.83 975.23
      4 Martin Newnham 16315.29 967.26
      5 Rich Bago 16233.95 962.44
      6 Paul Garnet 15909.66 943.21
      7 Kev Newton 15508.96 919.45
      8 Keith Wood 15471.99 917.26
      9 Ronnie Lampe 15195.49 900.87
      10 Tom Foreman 15168.34 899.26
      11 Jon Edison 15167.26 899.2
      12 Mark Abbotts 14929.47 885.1
      13 Mick Walsh 14545.54 862.34
      14 Tom Macpherson 14434.28 855.74
      15 Frank Hulton 14361.48 851.42
      16 John Tideswell 13025.04 772.19
      17 Jonathan Wells 0 0
      I would like to thank Jon Edison and Ronnie Lampe for sharing CD duties, the new timing equipment with its latest update uploaded was faultless on both days.  Frank, Mark A, Mark R and Paul for getting the course out to the slope and ready for use. Kev and Tom who shared buzzer supreme duties. Finally North Yorkshire Moors Ridge Soaring Club for sharing the slopes again for us to race our models.
      I look forward to catching up with you all again soon.
      Thanks
      Martin Newnham

    • BMFA 2013 F3F Nationals

      By Martin_N, in Contest Reports,

      Sun, 24 degrees, a view across the Welsh Valleys, just a few more ingredients, wind 10m\s increasing through the day to around 15m\s coming from the ENE direction placing us on Britain’s premier slope ‘THE WRECKER’ along with plenty of good air (thermals;-) )  and finally 32 pilots to compete in the BMFA F3F Nationals 2013 Championships. It all made for a really fantastic weekend in South Wales.
      Meet on day one was 8:15am to get registration and pilot numbers out of the way. Simon Thornton and Andrzej worked on getting the course out, setup and 10:15 we was able to get the first of 8 rounds on the way and the start of a total of a 123 sub forties including one sub thirty.
      As the early rounds started it was clear that a mid to low sub forty was going to be required if you wanted to stay in touch with the early leaders. The round takers for the day were as follows:
      Round 1
      1st Martin Newnham 35.54
      2nd Jonathan Wells 38.14
      3rd Mike Shellim 38.47
      Round 2
      1st Joel West 29.75
      2nd Scott Ravenscroft 33.02
      3rd Greg Dakin 34.58
      Round 3
      1st Martin Newnham 31.87
      2nd Mark Abbotts 32.60
      3rd Joel West 32.73
      Round 4
      1st Martin Newnham 31.86
      2nd Joel West 32.71
      3rd Mark Redsell 34.11
      Round 5
      1st Joel West 33.76
      2nd Mark Redsell 34.79
      3rd Paul Garnett 35.62
      Round 6
      1st John Phillips 32.87
      2nd Greg Dakin 34.12
      3rd Paul Upton 34.24
      Round 7
      1st Joel West 32.65
      2nd Mark Redsell 32.91
      3rd Mark Abbotts 32.97
      Round 8
      1st Mike Evans 31.92
      2nd Paul Upton 34.98
      3rd Rich Bago 35.29

      Each round requires a 300 metre walk to the landing area, by the end of the day everyone was suitable exercised and ready to get back to the various hotels to sooth the sunburn and get ready for the curry.
      Mark Abbotts had taken care of the food arrangements at a different curry house for a change, those of you that stayed away missed some great food, Mark also excelled in laying on street entertainment, and you had to be there to understand.
      Day 2 we meet at 8:30am again Simon and Andrzej got the course organised whilst I updated the pilot flying list.  The wind again put us on the Wrecker and the normally most trusted sites for the area suggested it would stay there all day, this unfortunately wasn’t the case and by the time it swung round it was too late to change location and re-setup on the Crest.
      We did manage a further 3 rounds:
      Round 9
      1st Paul Upton 37.47
      2nd Jonathan Wells 37.52
      3rd Mark Abbotts 38.63
      Round 10
      1st Paul Upton 33.46
      2nd Joel West 35.43
      3rd Mike Shellim 36.41
      Round 11
      1st Mike Evans 38.42
      2nd Martin Newnham
      3rd Rich Bago 38.62
      Even with the early finish it made for a great weekend, the standard of flying by every pilot was excellent and I am sure there are some new PB’s to be updated to the list which is growing with every contest we have in UK as is the numbers to each event.
      Special thanks have to go Andrzej who CD’d the whole weekend, he kept it flowing and without him we wouldn’t have completed the rounds we did. As a pilot that takes dedication for so many others to be able to enjoy their flying, whilst he choose not to.
      Simon Thornton made sure the course was up and ready to go at the start of each day and disassembled it at the end of each day. John Phillips our buzzer supreme kept the base going over both days, which isn't easy trying to make sure a pilot is back in time ready to fly in each round. Thanks to all of you and to all the other pilots that take the time to get involved rather than letting the normal individuals take the load.
      You have already seen the results from the weekend; Joel West flew stunningly, not one mistake all weekend and is without and doubt a deserved British Champion for our sport. He also took fastest time of the competition posting a 29.75 in the second round.
      1 Joel West 9565.03 1000.00 Freestyler 4
      2 Martin Newnham 9258.30 967.93 Freestyler 4
      3 Mark Redsell 9082.52 949.55 Freestyler 4
      4 Mark Abbotts 8965.73 937.34 Cladera
      5 Paul Upton 8948.36 935.52 RaceMX
      6 Mike Evans 8828.10 922.95 Freestyler 4
      7 Greg Dakin 8814.82 921.56 Needle124
      8 Rich Bago 8686.53 908.15 Avalon\Needle124
      9 John Phillips 8648.37 904.16 AirOne
      10 Jonathan Wells 8567.77 895.73 Needle124
      11 Tom Foreman 8540.41 892.87 Stinger
      12 Mike Shellim 8509.74 889.67 New Sting
      13 Frank Hulton 8470.78 885.5 New Sting
      14 Mark Treble 8329.90 870.87 Freestyler 3\ Needle124
      15 Paul Garnet 8292.64 866.97 Needle124\Crossfire
      16 Keith Wood 8287.31 866.41 Freestyler3
      17 Simon Thornton 8190.99 856.34 Needle124
      18 Scott Ravenscroft 8090.49 845.84 Vampire
      19 Andy Burgoyne 8047.21 841.31 Radical
      20 Ronnie Lampe 8025.52 839.04 Needle124\Strager
      21 Graeme Mahoney 8023.17 838.80 Cyril
      22 Jon Edison 7770.78 812.41 Needle124
      23 Tony Livingston 7625.39 797.21 Freestyler3\Needle124
      24 Mick Walsh 7574.89 791.93 Needle124
      25 Martin Drewett 7557.62 790.13 Pitbull
      26 Ian Web 7036.83 735.68 Vikos\Needle100
      27 Tony Robertson 6984.54 730.21 Freestyler4
      28 John Treble 6976.09 729.33 Extreme
      29 Pete Burgess 6899.84 721.36 Extreme
      30 John Bennett 6118.42 639.66 Willow
      31 Ron Boughton 4613.79 482.36
      32 Ian Falconer 1947.98 203.65 Willow
      Thank you everyone for making it such an enjoyable weekend, I look forward to seeing you on the slope again soon. I have plenty of pictures and I know Mike Shellim also took plenty, I will post what I have soon.
      Best regards
      Martin

    • New UK F3F Record 26.84

      By Austin, in Contest Reports,

      A new UK F3F record of 26.84 for Martin Newnham at the first BMFA F3F League event in 2013
      Martin was amongst 6 others pilots that achieved sub 30 second runs in great condition on the Wrecker in Wales.
      Mark Redsell was the overall winner with Martin second and Joel West in 3rd place.
      See the forum topic here
      Martins full report below.
      “The start of the new season got off to a bang and what a BANG, I don’t think there has ever been anything quite like it in the UK before. Earlier in the week it looked like it would have to be cancelled due to issues at the scheduled location. Unfortunately Whitesheet is unable to provide all wind directions, therefore a decision was made to relocate to Wales after consulting with all the registered pilots and reopening registration should anyone else wish to participate. Andrzej Tabero kindly confirmed we were able take advantage of the slopes in Wales as they provide all directions. The direction we needed was ENE and this put us on what is regarded as UK’s best slope, the Wrecker, coupled with a 20 – 23 m\s wind speed and you have the right ingredients for a great competition. It was overshadowed by the potential of hill fog, but thankfully the weather gods were on our side and we didn't have one stoppage due to weather all day.

      Round 1 got on the way and after a few weeks before when Mark Abotts went sub thirty with his Caldera flying a 28.75 it wasn’t expected that we would see a time like this again anytime soon. How wrong we were, Joel West stepped up round one and posted a 29.46 a few pilots later and Martin Newnham went sub 30 with a 29.61. This wasn’t the finish of the round and Mark Redsell keen to get going, not only went sub 30 but broke the British record again flying a 28.73. The round contained many low to medium 30 + times.
       
      Round 2 the same 3 pilots went sub 30 again Mark getting close to his new British record. Joining Mark, Martin and Joel was Paul Garnett with his first sub 30 and new PB flying a 29.24. Tony Livingstone having only attended a few winter league events made yet another improvement on his PB going from a 37.37 down to a 34.94. Ian Falconer only started flying last year and has also only attended a couple of competitions to find out what it’s all about, was getting times in the mid forties, which may not seem fast to some but it you know the Wrecker it’s not for the faint hearted especially in 20 – 23m\s wind.
      Round 3 see Joel West just slip into the low 30’s but Martin Newnham and Mark Redsell still were trading blows. Martin Newnham broke the UK record with a 26.84, but Mark wasn’t going to give anything away with a 29.97. Richard Bago was also getting closer to going sub 30 but not yet.
      Round 4 Joel West was back with a sub 30 time, but not quite fast enough and Martin Newnham just took the round with 29.11. Mark Redsell again was not too far behind and still less than 30 seconds with a 29.71.
      Round 5 and Richard Bago finally got what he was looking for, posting a new PB 29.44 and his first sub30, again Mark Redsell was still there taking the round with 28.79. Martin Drewett got a new PB and first sub 40 time with a 37.98 and improved on this again in the next round, posting a 34.20.
      Round 6 and Stuart Wallace who is relatively new to F3F competitions was already having a good day and up to this point his slowest time had been 40 seconds posted a 35.80 and I think a PB, his remaining round was over 40 seconds but 5 sub forties from 7 rounds is great flying by any standards. Joel West got his final sub 30 of the day to take round 6, with Richard Bago in second and Mark Abotts in third.
      The 7th and final round and Mark Redsell posted his 6 sub 30 of the day to take the last round, followed by Joel in second and Mark Abotts in third.
      To summarise, all of the above equalled an epic day in South Wales for everyone, regardless of whether you went sub 30, sub 40 or improved slightly on previous times. The conditions provided some of the best conditions I have personally ever flown in and I am sure others would echo this view.
      I would like to thank everyone who helped out on the day but special mention must go to Simon Thornton getting the course up and CDing with me. Richard Bago, our buzzer supreme and everyone that spent time out on the buzzers. Stuart Wallace for taking on the task of debt collecting (entry fees). Finally Joel West, Mark Abotts, Paul Garnett who must have a right arm like popeye’s as they did most of the launches for everyone all day.”
      1st Mark Redsell (Freestyler 4 )
      2nd Martin Newnham (Freestyler 4)
      3rd Joel West (Freestyler 4)
      Fastest time of the Day Martin Newnham 26.84
      Full Results below:
      1 Mark Redsell                   5928.66      1000.00
      2 Martin Newnham             5866.32        989.48
      3 Joel West                         5784.75       975.72
      4 Rich Bago                        5652.05        953.34
      5 Paul Garnett                    5497.41        927.26
      6 Mark Abotts                     5304.84        894.77
      7 Simon Thornton              5281.98        890.92
      8 Mike Evans                     5202.24        877.47
      9 Keith Wood                     4800.16        809.65
      10 Frank Hulton                 4741.58        799.77
      11 Tony Livingston            4588.84        774.00
      12 Mark Treble                  4549.52         767.37
      13 Stuart Wallace              4535.37         764.99
      14 Martin Drewett             4294.41         724.34
      15 Mike Shellim                4280.46         721.99
      16 Tom Macpherson        4205.83          709.40
      17 Graeme Mahoney        2741.89         462.48
      18 Ian Mason                    2624.26         442.63
      19 Ian Falconer                1759.16          296.72
      20 Mick Walsh                  1422.15          239.87
      21 John Treble                   598.04           100.87

    • The 2012 season has finally come to close and the results are in.  This year has seen a change in format for the league and although we are not divided into regions, the intention was to organise the league in a way that would enable pilots to gain a full league result, without having to chase all over the country.  Missing one event could ruin a whole season, additionally with fluctuating / rising costs in travel, accommodation etc you can easily spend a fortune on travel.
      The aim was to hold enough contests evenly across GB to allow people with in reaching distance to complete enough races.  Obviously you cannot account for weather, but at least it would provide the pilot with the ability to travel the extra miles to complete the required events should it be needed.  One big consideration was to also make sure that as many flown rounds would be completed by each pilot by the end of the season, therefore allowing consistent flying to be rewarded.  Two day and Euro Tours are held across the country each year. Based on this it was decided to use one of these events to count towards the pilots overall league score.
      The result being the pilots best two, one day events counting and their best two day, Euro Tour score counting to the final league result.  This allows the pilot to attend as many contests as they wish and their best results going to the league.
      I looked back 5 years to see how things compare with previous season and here are my findings:
      2007: 14 pilots completed full league score with 23 rounds in total completed.
      2008: 13 pilots completed full league score with 14 rounds in total completed.
      2009: 19 pilots completed full league score with 27 rounds in total completed.
      2010: 16 pilots completed full league score with 21 rounds in total completed.
      2011: 7 pilots completed full league score with 32 rounds in total completed.
      In 2012 there were 67 individual rounds flown across a total of 8 contests. Using the method for the league today, 21pilots posted a full league score, 13 pilots posted 2 scores and the remainder completed a single contest.  I need to reconfirm the figure but the average individual flights flown by a pilot was 26 flights.  So although the formula is different compared to previous years the rounds are very similar.
      Like everything there is always room for improvement, but the hope is we are making the league more accessible for all to compete.
      This year’s one day league events got off to a rocky start with the first two being cancelled due to poor weather conditions.  Thankfully the Eastbourne Euro Tour went ahead as planned with 11 rounds flown between 36 pilots.  Simon came out on top with his new Needle 124, getting the full potential out of the glider. As the season progressed the Needle 124 at the hands of a number of pilots was to become a force on the UK slopes.
      Hole Of Horcum was the first successful one day event to run. Richard Bago with the Needle 124 taking all the points, but was closely followed by Greg Dakin and Peter Gunning.
      In June we had the BMFA Nationals. We had rain, floods and all sorts of weather conditions going on all around, but in the middle of it all, 25 pilots stood on the slope at Levisham to complete 10 rounds.  It had been on the cards for some time and it really did become the Paul Upton show.  Armed with a Needle 124 he took the competition by storm winning the first of 2 major GB competitions this year.  The Needle by this time was really showing its pedigree and it filled the first 4 places after the weekend.
      Scotland followed the Hole of Horcum in July, this turned out to be one of those once in a life time competitions. 8 rounds of madness, the slowest round winning time was 33.xx and the fast time by Simon Thornton (with the Needle) and new British record was 30.02.  This was the first ever BMFA league contest to be held in Scotland and may there be many more in the future. Well done Peter Gunning
      To increase the number of two day contest, SlopeGlide was re-introduced and scheduled for Wales in August.  After a rest from, the slopes Joel West made a return and flew as if he had never been away.  Mark Redsell was very close behind and Adam Richardson was on form with the Vampire.
      Long Mynd in September was next and a warm up for the Welsh Open the following week.  Mike Evans thankfully had everything setup early ready to go.  This turned out to be key in completing the event.  Challenging conditions along with faulty timing equipment, we only just got enough rounds in to complete the contest.
      Welsh Open was organised and executed to its normal high standard by Andrzej and Kevin.  The relaxed atmosphere always makes the event a pleasure to attend. 11 rounds completed over the first two days, sadly only one could be managed on the Sunday before the rain came in.  At least we still managed 12.
      To our final event in Eastbourne, the weather had been undecided all week. It improved on the Friday, it looked great, so it was called on, by 5pm on Saturday it looked like it would be a washout. The course was setup on Sunday and we waited.  Thankfully the cloud lifted and we were able to complete 4 rounds before the rain and cloud came back in.
      There are always many standout moments each year and far too many to remember, if you can think of any please add to this thread.  But for me I have to mention the following:
      Frank Hulton hanging on for dear life as his New Sting performs 31.xx on Bishops Hill
      Watching Mark Abbotts fly his Caldera on Bishops Hill at speeds that didn’t seem possible with a model of this size.
      Sitting on the back of the Wrecker in thunderstorm of all thunderstorms wondering if Joel West’s face will be the last thing I ever see.  Trust me; you had to be there to understand how scary it was.
      David Loomes timing gear and seeing the real time updates and stats of the race in Scotland.
      The league CD’s this year have yet again done a fantastic job at running each contest on their slopes.  I would hope everyone will join me in thanking Andrzej Tabero, Kevin Newton, Jon Edison, Mike Evans, Peter Gunning and John Phillips. Also everyone else out there that’s helped in the centre, been Buzzer-supreme, help setup the course or carried a piece of equipment up or back from the slope.
      To the final result, it feels like this year has been particularly long, but I am sure that’s not the case. In total we had 69 pilots compete in the league this year. As I stated above, 21 of those pilots completed the required number of contest to post a full score. Below are the overall positions, you can find a breakdown of each contest at the following address:
      http://www.rc-soar.c…2/f3f/index.htm
      Congratulations to all the pilots on a well flown season. We have had many new faces attend this year; I look forward to meeting you again.
      BMFA F3F League Positions
      Rank Pilot Score
      1 Martin Newnham   3000
      2 Richard Bago    2963.95
      3 Mark Redsell 2958.75
      4 Simon Thornton    2951.67
      5 Paul Upton    2904.07
      6 Greg Dakin   2844.95
      7 Mike Evans   2838.01
      8 Peter Gunning 2801.04
      9 Mark Abbotts    2793.34
      10   Adam Richardson 2713.93
      11   Gary Harrison   2713.61
      12   John Phillips 2702.34
      13   Frank Hulton    2681.34
      14   Ronnie Lampe 2670.05
      15   Mick Walsh   2666.27
      16   Tom McPherson   2664.38
      17   Tom Foreman   2637.38
      18   Keith Wood 2548.62
      19   Mark Treble 2534.91
      20   Mike McCracken 2472.6
      21   Peter Burgess 2343.86
      22   Joel West 1911.76
      23   kevin Newton    1879.57
      24   Dave Watson    1838.97
      25   Andy Burgoyne 1733.34
      26    Scott Ravenscroft 1727.73
      27    Paul Stubley 1674.54
      28    Bob Ryan 1645.67
      29    Egon Lewin 1561.4
      30    George Young 1560.26
      31 Steve Streetly   1541.87
      32    Allen Elliott 1513.26
      33    Craig Maxwell   1431.35
      34    Paul Garnett 1421.99
      35    John Treble 980.48
      36    Dave Wright 977.18
      37    Mike Shellim 950.58
      38    Jack Cubitt    904.6
      39    Phil Taylor    897.06
      40    Clayton Landells   889.24
      41    Paul Middleton 886.58
      42    Dave Rumble    885.1
      43    John Bennett    883.61
      44    Andrzej Tabero    867.31
      45    Ian Mason 863.91
      46    Jon Wells 848.23
      47    Jon Edison   843.84
      48 Ian Webb 833.63
      49    Tony Robertson   829.94
      50 Rob Coles   822.57
      51 Ian Simpson    815.66
      52 David Loomes 805.91
      53 Ewan Maxwell 801.36
      54 Jason Bioletti 800.45
      55 Maria Freeman   788.5
      56 Tom Noble 788.23
      57 Vic Eldridge 768.96
      58 Stuart Wallace 758.23
      59 Bob Runyard   755.91
      60 Martin Drewit    755.78
      61 Ian Stewart 748.31
      62 Gonzalo   746.18
      63 Alex Hamilton   740.04
      64 Mark Richards 686.48
      65 Ray Wells    577.18
      66 Bob Dickinson 321.92
      67 Sam Smith   275.27
      68 Andy Evans    249.78
      69 Robert Carson    213.63
      Martin Newnham (BARCS 3634)

    • BMFA F3F Nationals 2012

      By Martin_N, in Contest Reports,

      With the weather undecided all week, I was never sure if we would get enough flying in to complete the F3F Nationals.  I had received a few mails and texts asking as early as Monday, if I would call the contest off.  Putting a weather call on a 2 day contest would never be possible because you may always get opportunities in between the showers, to run a round and complete the required four over the 2 days.
      For once the weather gods were on our side and although we could see rain all around us, we were able to get the competition on the way a little after 11am, once the first showers had cleared. The wind was never an issue and we had plenty of it on Saturday averaging between 12 and 15m/s.
      More images here from Tom Foreman
      Briefing over and bibs handed out we got on the way.  First up to start the contest was Paul Upton and he certainly got things going with a bang, 36.50seconds with the Needle 124 taking full advantage of the conditions, but flying the bases very tight to squeeze out every ounce of the conditions.  Mike Shellim was second in the pilot box and followed Paul with a 40.66. Not letting Paul take the round easily, Rich Bago applied the pressure, he was also the 3rd pilot to fly posted a 36.61.  So the first 3 pilots finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the first round.
      This time rather than just moving the start number, X number of pilots on the second day.  I moved the start number on 5 places as each new round started.  Greg Dakin started round 2 with 42.80sec run, with the round progressing the times stayed reasonably consistent, until Adam Richardson stepped up with the Vampire and posted a 39.50. This followed a good time in the first round and making sure he kept in touch with contest front runners.  Tom Macpherson after struggling in the first round with difficult conditions, set off with the Radical nailing the bases to get an excellent 37second run. Paul Middleton also squeezed into the sub forty class.  Then we got back to Paul Upton 36.50 in the first round wasn’t good enough, so he flew 36.47 to take round 2. Tom was second followed by Dave Wright, who was flying his Needle 124 for the first time in a contest.
      Round 3 started and the times were much more consistent throughout. Simon Thornton although at this point not in with the front runners was always nearby. He took round 3 with a 38.60second moving him up into 3rd for the overall contest behind Rich Bago in 2nd and Paul running things in 1st. For the round Simon was followed by Keith Wood just squeezing into a sub forty and Mark Redsell in 3rd.

      Paul Upton, allowing others to have a glimpse of hope in the previous round, stepped up in round 4 to not only win the round but take the fastest time of the contest with a 34.07 second run. This was followed by Dave Wright in second with a 37 and Simon Thornton also getting a 37 to take the 3rd spot for the round.  Mark Abbotts wasn’t far behind with his shiny Caldera, posting a 38 second run and his first sub forty of the contest. Also Greg and Peter Gunning getting in on the act with a couple of 39’s to take 5th and 6th.
      Greg Daking focusing on utilising the EM style, took full advantage in round 5 of the air placing the Radical on the slope in a way that only Greg can. He squeezed a 36.69 out of reasonable air to take the 5th round.  Adam Richardson again was not far off the pace against Greg and flew a great 36.80 faultlessly; he was followed by Rich Bago’s 38.85 seconds.  Dave Watson and Tom Foreman both flying the Cyril, joined the sub forty crowd at this point posting 39’s to fill up 4th and 5th in the pilots order for the round.
      Dave Wright had been in the mix from the start and finally took his first round with a 37.22, looking more and more settled with his Needle as each round passed.  Mark Abbotts who was also looking better with each round, flew his Caldera to second in the round flying a 39.94 and 3rd went to Peter Gunning getting a very low 40 second.
      Round seven and after being out of the top 3 for a couple of rounds, Paul Upton Stepped up again to fly a 35.68. Under normal circumstances you would think this would be a round winner. Immediately behind Paul, Mike Shellim flew his trusted Sting, almost taking the fastest time away from Paul with a brilliant 34.89, pushing Paul down into second place for the round.  Dave Watson also got in on the act to take 3rd with a 35.86.  But lurking in the background was Mr Wright not far behind with a 38second time and Simon Thornton squeezing in on the act just making sure the leaders don’t get too far ahead.
      With round 8 now on the way, Ronnie Lampe stepped up (still grinning from a recent 31.xx a few weeks earlier) and decided it was time to get in on the act and join many others in the sub forties. Not by just getting under the 40second mark, but flying a 34.20 second with the Strega. To add a little tension he was immediately followed on the course by Mark Abbotts. I’m sure he must have heard the Caldera screaming left and right as he walked off to land.  Mark couldn’t quite get Ronnie but did his best with a 34.58. 3rd spot was filled by Dave Wright with 35 second run.  4th and 5th taken by Simon and Rich.  Also to note and I am sure there were many others Paul Stubley got a PB with a 41.42, well done Paul.
      Round 9 and the last round of the first day Rich Bago stepped up to the pilots box to fly a ripping 34.88, was it a round winner? NO Dave Wright immediately following didn’t want to be out done by his partner posted a 34.75 to rob Rich of the round.  Mark Redsell finally got in on the act with a 36 to take 3rd spot.  Paul Upton taking 4th and Greg in 5th.
      At the end of the first day Paul Upton was in the lead but closely followed by Rich Bago.  Dave Wright had earned himself an excellent 3rd spot and Simon Thornton was on his heels in 4th.  With everything still to play for on the second day.
      The forecast had improved for the second day with regards to the rain forecast; the only challenge was going to be the wind.  After chasing the wind around the Hole of Horcum walking (what felt like miles) we managed one more round and abandoning 2 others due to wind direction.
      So the results, you have already seen these posted but to summaries.  Paul Upton flew outstandingly at every opportunity holding his nerve, it was never a done deal going into the second day. Rich had every opportunity to catch Paul.  Dave Wright flew some outstanding rounds not forgetting it was the first time he had flown the Needle 124 in a contest, which is a real credit to the gliders breeding. However Simon Thornton is not somebody who will hand anything over and after winning last year was never going to go down without a fight just took 3rd spot from Dave.
      I would like to thank NYMRSC for providing their slopes to hold the 2012 BMFA F3F Nationals. Mark Redsell, Rich Bago and Simon Thornton for running the centre, along with Jon Edison’s technical assistance.  Ronnie Lampe for Buzzer supremo and everyone for taking part and not forgetting T9HobbySport and MKS Servo’s for stepping forward to sponsor our most important UK contest in the F3F calendar, providing a full set of the highest specification MKS servos to the winner, along with additional prizes to 2nd and 3rd.  Also to Jonathan Wells for his new magnetic switches.
      Thanks
      Martin Newnham



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