Fling Competition Report: July

Remnants of the early morning's mist are still drifting across the field in small patches as the first pilots arrive for the July round. By the time the gliders are prepped and launch systems deployed for the opening heat, cloud base is still only a couple of hundred feet and the air seems soggy and asleep.

The morning's competition started with eight pilots readying themselves at the launch site. Before take-off, our new club president, Mr Henderson Garry-Hyphen, wandered out to officially introduce himself. Most of us had already met him. 'All of you look whacked, except for the time-keeper,' he said cheerfully. The time-keeper tended to agree with Garry; he himself had noted that Dallas was behaving somewhat oddly.

Dallas didn't have a great day. In one of the middle heats a stupid tree recklessly grew itself straight up into his glider's flight path and snatched it as it went past. Dallas let out an expletive that would have caused serious concern in a Catholic school. 'We call that an out landing,' Dallas then explains with an air of authority. In an earlier heat a bungee line from someone else's glider had carelessly and malevolently wrapped itself around Dallas' aircraft as it approached its release point. Clever pilot that he is, he managed to circle the purple plane enveloped in a spider's web of launch line safely back to earth.

Also in the starting line-up today and looking dashing in a dark blue Hermes shirt was Scott the Invincible. Scott's only bad flight was his first. His glider was back on the ground within 60 seconds. Like Dallas, another pilot not having an excellent morning was Russell the Beard. Russ was wearing the stub of a cigarette from the side of his mouth today. I think it's the same cigarette he was wearing in early January. I wonder if he takes it out when he goes to bed at night. Russell can always be counted on to be pushing Scott for first place in the competition but not on this occasion.

Having an altogether better day and enjoying himself immensely was that young Turk of the town, Ross, looking resplendent in both shorts and a shirt. Ross was voted man of the match. From memory, it was Ross who climbed the tree to retrieve Dallas' glider. Ross, congratulations. Well won. On such an abysmal gliding day, your star shone brightest.

Competition Leader Board

Ross: 7825

Scott: 7799 points

David: 6828 points

Russell: 6729 points

James: 4738 points

Chris: 4579 points