UK F3F Contest Entries

Well done for solving the problem.  General comment: don't give up on Taranis (certainly not in my opinion to go back to Spektrum), everything is very logical and open, just get to know it better.  Best investment for me was buying the printed manual from T9 Hobbysport:  https://www.t9hobbysport.com/taranis-x9d-plus-opentx-user-manual

Denis Oglesby has asked me to post these words on the forum as an addition to the comments made by Jim Wright. Chris had suffered some mental confusion in his last few years so it was after my annual exchange of Christmas cards with Jeannette, Chris's wife, last year that Jeannette broke the news to me of Chris's passing. I then eventually managed to lodge the news at the BARCS website. Not without some delays due to numerous other activities and my inability to access the appropriate part of the BARCS website. In the early to mid-70s I was exploring R/C thermal soaring just north of the Humber and met up with BARCS treasurer the late John Whitaker when he moved house to become manager of a local bank branch. He recruited me into BARCS and then as the second northern area representative trying to cobble together a season of thermal meetings across the area. Rules were "site-flexible" and based on a six minute max from the new 150 metre towlines (the 50 metre towline free flight people would have laughed at that max!). This brought me into BARCS committee meetings and also the AGMs where I was quickly impressed with the very active and direct way in which the members themselves developed our thermal soaring rules directly while under the chairmanship of Chris Tompkins who resided in Islip, Oxford and worked in the university's architects office. This process was lightning fast compared to the then very indirect area delegate procedures of the SMAE (later the BMFA). The next year I was proposed and accepted as Hon. Sec. and started handling the considerable minuting and rule amending of a very formative decade during which the early BARCS thermal soaring sub-group became the tail that wagged the dog and grew to nearly a 1000 members. Through some 10 to 15 hours a year of committee meetings Chris was a delight to work with, he had a quiet, charming and measured approach to his role. In over ten years of committee work I was only shocked on the one and only occasion I heard him swear! The AGMs were very enthusiastic gatherings of about 120 thermal fliers and it seemed as if all were wanting to discuss and amend the various rules. Chris's steady chairmanship was remarkable as he patiently handled many proposals AND their multiple amendments during debates with all the multiple voting that evolved the main BARCS Open rules These eventually formed the basis for the worldwide FAI F3J class. During this period, following actions by the ever influential Geoff Dallimer, the FAI awarded BARCS the Diplome d'Honneur. One committee member arranged for numerous smaller colour copies to be printed and I posted these to all except one committee member at the time. I still have that last one to deliver so if you hear about this Jackie (ex) Barker, get in touch! Chris's niece Sally helped sort out his house when Chris's wife moved back north and reported finding a large version of this certificate, it must be the original so I am liaising with her for its safe return to BARCS/BMFA. After about 10 years like this Chris justifiably thought he had earned the right to stand down, taking many acknowledgements of gratitude from the AGM floor with his usual calm grace. For continuity I stayed on another year and was rather brought back to reality by his replacement, a capable but busy friendly executive who would come to one of our 5 hour committee meetings with all the briefing notes I had sent out with the minutes and would start items by asking me what was such and such an item all about! I handed my Hon Sec role over to my replacement, together with a small van load of indexed meeting minutes to an enthusiastic young thermal flier, the sadly now late Chris Moynihan! Chris Tompkins remained active at competitions for a number of more years together with the famous (now late) "Oxford Three" comprising himself, Neil Webb and John Shaw. Neil was the first to pass on, this happened quite suddenly while Chris was away on holiday. I just happened to telephone Chris minutes after he returned home so it fell to me to break the news. Chris and John moved on to flying indoor duration classes, probably until John passed on. Chris later went into model and real steam railways in no less a company than Lord McAlpine enjoying many days at Fawley in Lord McAlpine's estate working on full sized trains and also an O gauge model railway until ill health developed during his final few years. Denis W. Oglesby