2016 Nationals Cootamundra

Sunday, 02 April 2017 11:42

2016 Nationals Cootamundra

Written by Peter Bryner

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November 4,5 and 6th 2016 saw 37 R/C pilots from all over Australia converge on the Cootamundra Sate Field which is just south of Coota itself. The field is situated in a river flat bounded by hills to the west, and a sight rise far in the east. The main road south is about 500m to the east. John Mainwaring and his team worked frantically to prepare the site as there had been heavy rain in the weeks leading up to the competition.

By the time the West Aussies arrived early the field was looking pristine. Two EAST-west runways were mowed into the ample grass. And with the warm weather arriving snakes were likely in the long grass. Needless to say our landings were on the strip and not in the grass.

The camping area filled progressively during the practice week, with the WA boys chewing through the fuel. The weather stayed nice till the end of the week, and started blowing quite briskly on the second day of competition. Enough to distort the Aerobatic box far off to the left on the Advance/Unlimited flight line. The wind dropped in the evening and made the freestyle event a pleasure to watch, beer in hand. Smoke on. Congratulations to the freestylers, this is a highlight of any competition. Tim McDonald flew brilliantly as did Aaron Garle. How hard is it to judge the artistic merit of a flight. Good to see the younger competitors show their skills in this event.

The ASAA dinner was held in the Coota Pub. The bus trip in as well as the dinner had us entertained by small drones flying about. The NSW vs the rest of Australia saw NSW win the "Boat Race". The return trip to the field was provided by friendly local volunteers. Our guide took us past Don Bradman's birthplace and we got to know some of the local history.

Results

Class	Place	Name
Basic	1st
	2nd
	3rd
Sportsman	1st
	2nd
	3rd
Intermediate	1st
	2nd
	3rd
Advancd	1st	Peter Bryner
	2nd	Tim McDonald
	3rd
Unlimited	1st	Mark Easton
	2nd	Harley Wall
	3rd	Aaron Garle
Freestyle	1st	Tim McDonald
	2nd	Aaron Garle
	3rd	Mitch Heit

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Nationals

Peter Bryner

I began R/C flying in about 2000 after a brief foray into RC modeling as a teenager.

I liked aerobatics and always tried to fly what I thought were the maneuvers. I saw Steve Coram fly at an open day at the KAMS field south of Perth. I was hooked, and it all looked so simple. Little did I realize what was to follow in order to fly at a fraction of his level of expertise.

I have been an active IMAC pilot in Western Australia, having joined the group at KAMS around 2003-4. I was inaugural President of Scale Aerobatics Western Australia (Inc) at the same time as the ASAA was being established in the east. In 2015 I served as stand-in President of the ASAA. Presently I am Secretary of the Scale Aerobatics Western Australia (Inc)

I have progressed slowly but steadily through the ranks despite some unexpected life events. I've attended interstate competitions in Katherine, Bendigo, Barossa and Yenda, until in 2016 I gained three promo points and won Advanced at the ASAA Nationals in Cootamundra.

What I've learned is that the first ingredient is a reliable aircraft which comes down to choosing good equipment and then putting it together so it won't fall apart the first violent maneuvere you make to correct that misbehaving thumb.

Secondly the plane needs to be appropriately trimmed and setup with rates that match your needs. Your setup will change as you need to execute more difficult and finessed figures.

Thirdly you need to read the rules and the judging guide. Learn to judge by judging others as well as yourself. Modify your stick inputs, modify the travels to iron out your own mistakes. Downgrade what you see wrong according to the scoring criteria. Listen to fellow pilots about what they see, how they judge and appreciate the differences in perception. As you become a better pilot and a better judge your scores will improve despite the ever present inconsistent judging to which we humans are prone.

I am in awe of the intensity and dedication one can dedicate to this sport - all to make flying look so easy.

We look froward to seeing you all at the WAGIN ASAA NATIONALS in SEPTEMBER 2017

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