Dear all, October Update CANCELLED
For the 4th time Ground Hog day is certainly here. Regrettable but sensibly with conditions looking unfavorable I have had to Cancel Sunday the 19th competition. As the season is closing I will not be reorganizing this event again this year.
I suggest who ever volunteered me as CD for Ashbourne reconsider their thoughts for 2026😂😂😂😂😂
Roll on P27
Kind regards
Brico
P Only
Brian Hoare - Confirmed
Ken Moss- Confirmed
Adrian Harrison- Confirmed
Dave Matthias- Confirmed
Mike Pole- Confirmed
Matthew Smailes- Confirmed
Masters
Gregg Butterworth- TBC
P25 judges:
Jim Fallowfield
Greg Butterworth TBC
Masters Judges:
Adrian Harrison
TBC
Regards
Brico
;D
Hi Brian
Entry and payment sent.
Many thanks
Stephen
Hi Brian,
Entry and payment submitted.
Many thanks,
Mike
Good day all,
We are now three weeks away from hosting the second event at Ashbourne and at present we are lacking pilots. If you are intending to join us please make sure your entries are submitted. With the shortage of full time judges it will fall to all involved to support the event and graciously volunteer to take the seat and help with judging.
See you all soon
Brico
Good evening all,
Whilst we are currently still on track for the 2nd round at Ashbourne, we are still light on pilots but more importantly do not have the presence of any Judges.
Many thanks to those pilots who have already volunteered to judge, I do however need to ensure we have two judges who would sit in on the P&F schedules prior to confirming the competition can proceed.
I would appreciate a PM from all P Pilots entered so far, to confirm if they will or will not be available to judge the P&F schedule please.
Kindest
Brico
Brian, I've just managed to free up the weekend with management - entry sent and i'd be OK to do a bit of judging of the 'P' pilots so they don't all mark their own homework..
Excellent many thanks Gregg
See you there
Brian
Hi Brian
My weekend has become free so I have just entered P25 only.
The association are holding my entry fee for the cancelled Skelbooke comp. Can you use it for this compe please.
All the best
Keith
Good evening all,
I am monitoring the forecast for the forth coming Ashbourne comp and at present it is suggesting the day will be a wash out with the risk of thunder storms.
I will make a final decision on Friday evening and post my decision.
Fingers crossed
Brico
Dear all
Regrettably but I think you will agree sensible to postpone this weekends competition due to the weather forecast.
Whilst it's disappointing, DMFC have kindly offered us the ability to move the competition to a date later in the year.
I will be proposing the 31st August to the DMFC committee awaiting their confirmation before I repost.
Again apologies
Regards
Brian
Hi Brian
Thanks for letting us know. Looking forward to the competition later in the year, hopefully the weather will be kinder.
Regards
Stephen
Hi Brian,
Thanks for letting us know. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend on the proposed revised date but hopefully the weather will be better for those who can.
Kind regards,
Mike
Hi Mike
Apologies, I was left with only two options and I thought I should avoid the Bank Holiday weekend.
Brico
Dear all.
I can confirm that we have managed to rescheduled the cancelled competition to the 31st August.
Can you all please confirm you still intend to compete on this new date.
New entries more than welcome.
Kind regards
Brico
Hi Brian,
Thats fine for me thanks
Keith
Ok for me too.
Fine for me also Brian, looking forward to it
Stephen
Brian
If there is room I can make the new date.
Let me know when you've heard from those who entered the original date.
Thanks
Brandon
OK for me.
Hi Brian,
Sorry but I cannot make the 31st August.
Ross
Sorry I can't make that date.
Kind regards
Darren
Brian,
I can still make the 31st - although I may be a bit Jaded - as im taking my wife (really)...to the Coldplay concert at Wembley the night before - not a euphemism and cheaper than a divorce....
please don't ask for photographic evidence ! :)
Looking breezy but not much rain for Sunday 👍
Good Morning all,
I am conscious this is a rescheduled event and cancelled initially due to the weather. Having reviewed the current weather for Sunday, with expected rain disruptions and strength and direction of the wind, I intend to make a call later today as to whether we proceed or not.
Please watch this space.
Regards
Brico
Hi Brian
I'm pretty keen to fly (not having competed for 8 weeks). At the moment, admittedly, it isn't looking great.
Any chance you could make a decision at say 8am tomorrow?
Often the forecast changes overnight. You wake up in the morning and look at the forecast and it can be different from the forecast the night before.
Kind regards
Brandon
Good idea.
Also, sometimes it looks like rain and then you look at the satellite timeline and see that the weather is likely to be either side of the site.
Mike
Afternoon all
Ashbourne can become a problem if the wind direction is such that take off and landings especially, become tasking and at present whilst the rainfall seems to have relaxed, thunderstorms may now be forecast according to one site, in addition the predicted wind direction of SW landing towards the judges is not safe or feasible in gusts of 24-29mph.
Pilots are also travelling some distance and may need to arrange a stay over, so I think making the call today is for the best.
I am receiving a number of different outlooks from alternative weather sites and all but wind direction and expected wind speed, they do differ.
I am unfortunately not available tomorrow morning to delay the decision and make the final announcement so I am sure you will all respect the decision to announce the intention to cancel sooner than later, solely based on safety.
Kind regards
Brico.
Good evening all
Through the ongoing generosity of the Derbyshire Model Flying Club we have been granted another date to reschedule the competition.
It will be held on the 5th October.
For those who are already listed to fly can I please ask you to reconfirm you are able to attend the new date. Hopefully 3rd time lucky.
Night
Brico
Morning Brian
Please could you add me back if there is space available once others have confirmed or otherwise.
Mike
Hi Brian
Thanks for letting us know :)
I'm good for 5th October.
Mike
Morning Brian,
Unfortunately I am away on holiday from 26th Sept until 10th October so I won't be able to make it.
Best wishes
Stephen
I am afraid I cannot make 5 October. Good luck for the third attempt.
Morning Brian,
Unfortunately I will be on holiday on the 5th October so can't attend. Fingers crossed the weather will be kind to you.
Best wishes
Graham
ok for me Brico
Adrian
I don't think I can make that date
Ok for me Brico
Hi,
Would it be OK to camp overnight before the comp ?
Regards,
Matt
Hi Matt. Unfortunately access is not available for camping, but there are local sites very close to the airfield.
Regards
Brian
Thanks Brian
Will have a look about or choose the F3a morning start option 04:00.
Regards,
Matt
Hi Brian
Sorry, but i cannot make the 5th October.
Good luck with the weather. Third time licky i hope.
rgds
Keith
Evening,
As we approach what will be the last attempt to host a competition at Ashbourne for 2025, the number of pilots is currently at 8. A suggestion has been made that we proceed (weather permitting) to limit the day to 3 rounds but utilise the last couple of hours to an introduction to P27, offering the opportunity to all to either participate or simply observe attempts to fly the forth coming new schedule.
Let's hope we at least get a flight in.
See you all there.
Brico.
Evening,
As we approach what will be the last attempt to host a competition at Ashbourne for 2025, the number of pilots is currently at 8. A suggestion has been made that we proceed (weather permitting) to limit the day to 3 rounds but utilise the last couple of hours to an introduction to P27, offering the opportunity to all to either participate or simply observe attempts to fly the forth coming new schedule.
Let's hope we at least get a flight in.
See you all there.
Brico.
Brian. Oops -got the wrong weekend! But the same sentiments apply to Leicester.
I think the comp should defo go ahead in spite of the limited entrants. I shall be making an AGM proposal that comp financing and viable numbers needs to be re - addressed for the future.
Also we've had a bad season for weather & if 8 people are wanting to fly - then making a loss for the competition needs to be be well down the priority list.
The've paid their money.
Have a good day on the 5th.
Hi, Do we know yet if this competition is going ahead in light of the storm friday/sat?
Evening all
It seems that fait may strike again, but whilst today's forecast is suggesting unsuitable conditions with high winds, yesterday and the previous few days painted a different picture.
I've decided to wait 24hrs and will make the call early evening tomorrow at the latest.
Have a good evening
Brico
fingers crossed brico.
adrian
CANCELLED
Check out the original post for the update.
Brico
I cannot make that date either Brian. Fourth time lucky 🙏
19th ok for me Brico, lets hope your/our persistence is rewarded.
Happy to judge something if needed.
Adrian
FYI
Having now rescheduled for the 4th time, unfortunately I have been informed that with the date now being the 19th October, it will fall outside of the timeline to be included as a centralised event.
Therefore all schedules flown will only contribute to the National League results.
Entries are once again open to any interested parties.
Brico
Brian, I may be able to get along to the revised 4th time of asking ... - just catching up from return from several holidays...
Brian - Can we see more info on Centralised time limits.
Team selection has to take place between 1st May & 15th October (for some reason) but can't now find any time limits for Centralised in our rules or BMFA contest rules. (Can't remember the old time limits now - I think it used to be end of October)
Are there, still, time limits for BMFA Centralised events?
If not - on what basis was the decision made to cancel the event as a centralised?
Hi Stuart
I suggest you aim you thoughts at the committee for this ruling. My reference to timelines refers to you own conclusion as team selection which as far as I was aware is an centralised event and as my comp is my being held 4 days after this rule you yourself have stated being the 15th for team selection conclusion then it is now a National league event and not a centralised.
Plus I didn't understand you rational for calling me regarding last weeks competition prior to making the decision not to proceed as you were not included in the days events. What was your agenda?
Regards
Brico
Hi Stuart
There isn't anything written but there is an "expectation" that all the results will be sent in by 1st October to allow time for the BMFA trophies to be engraved with the name of the winner.
There was just enough wiggle room to manage a final competition on 5th October but not beyond that date unfortunately.
If you think that's bad there are still some who believe we should "approve" results at the RC Power Technical Committee. When I asked what would happen if the results weren't approved there was no good answer.
Sometimes we just have to work around the bureaucracy as best we can.
Now I've read the previous post I should add that the 15th October cutoff for team selection is a throwback from the Covid years and we would probably be challenged if we left if that late by plan.
None of this was Brian's decision - it was mine as I have a foot in both camps - UKF3A and BMFA.
Hi Brian & Kev. No apologies from me for questioning the 15th Oct date. It was just odd & I could find nothing in BMFA rules referring to that date re centralised comps. (might have missed it, I accept)
It just seemed that cancelling the comp as a centralised, if we didn't have to, might reduce the entry level and reduce available judges. That was my agenda Brian.
Kevin - I know you would take up the centralised dates with the pt committee (if there is no reference in their own rules)
Given the dreadful weather we've had this year ( and no reason to expect better weather in future) it would be to our advantage to extend the season to the end of October. if we had to.
That would grant us more flexibility and also to comply with the BMFA' s own specialist body rules. I doubt that any BMFA official is closely monitoring our comps and whether they actually know their own rules to that extent anyway & we can't run comps on BMFA expectations!
I thought we had talked about reducing the number of centralised.
I understand as a specialist body of the BMFA our requirement is to run a minimum of three centralised.
A
I understand the questions and concerns about whether the final Ashbourne competition should be designated as a Centralised or not. It was my decision and I take responsibility for it. The primary reason is that we are at the busiest part of the year for collating results and getting BMFA trophies engraved ready for presentation to the winners. We have held six Centralised competitions already this year which is the target number to generate a meaningful league for the Sid Allen Memorial Trophy. We can hold a minimum of three but this brings risks if competitions are cancelled. One year we only had one Centralised - so the winner of that got the trophy for First Centralised, Last Centralised and the league, which didn't seem right, so we agreed to return to the historic target of six competitions.
The entries for the six events this season were 6, 4, 3, 1, 4 & 2. The rescheduled Ashbourne competition has just two entries also. In my opinion this isn't enough and to raise the standing of these events I think we should reduce the number or separate them from other competitions. That's one of the topics for the AGM pre-meeting.
A further workload for me at this time of year is getting rule changes ready for 2026. Incredible as it may seem I am required to present our potential rule changes at the Technical Council meeting on 29th October, even if they haven't been approved - so in essence I just have to guess what they may be. I'm not joking! Other specialist bodies are in exactly the same situation as we are too.
4th time lucky.
We currently have 6 out of potentially 9 pilots confirmed with room for more.
I will be closing the entries and confirmation timeline by Thursday 18.00.
Regards
Brico
Hi Brian,
Apologies, I can no longer attend this event.
Hope it goes well this time!
Keith
Dear all
Whilst it is our full intention to proceed with the last event of 2025 on Sunday, having limited entries in schedules other than P25, it will be difficult to allocate judges to conduct the day fairly.
Is there any willing bodies who could offer their services please let me know.
I am also open to any suggestions.
Regards
Brico
Hi Brico, happy to judge P25 or P27 happier to be flying P27 as P25 is history but I appreciate there are league points are on offer.
If this helps.
Adrian
Thanks Adrian
I don't know about you but I'm reliving a "Ground Hog" day all over again.
The weather forecast isn't looking favourable once again, I can't see it improving but I will post a final decision tomorrow night.
Have a good evening all
Yours
Brico
You're not having much luck with the weather Brico! Have you upset the weather gods?
Who would have believed the weather would intervene once again. No one could say you didn't try your very best Brico to get this competition completed.
Full steam ahead now with the new schedules.
Good effort Brico I am sure your efforts and persitence are appreciated by all.
Adrian