Competitions
The club has become a regular entrant in Precision Flying competitions organised by the British Rally Flying Club (BRFC) and we are planning a really busy season ahead. We have been extremely fortunate to secure substantial financial help from RAFFCA to subsidise these events, so please, if you want to enter any of them, get your bid in early to take advantage of this very generous support. New for 2009 we will be participating in Air Racing too! The training day is on 16 or 17 April (either day is fine) and is essential before competing. The details are on the calendar.... More details about Air Racing here
What is a Precision Flying competition?
Well, in layman’s terms it could be described as a cross between airborne orienteering and a treasure hunt! Pilots fly around a pre-defined course using visual navigation techniques. They have to identify ground markers at turn points and along track and with a set of provided photographs, identify whereabouts around the course the photographs were taken. In addition to all this crews must accurately fly around the course and make each turn point in a specified time. To ensure that this is achieved a portable GPS logger is carried, the data from which can be downloaded onto a PC and the second by second flight path of the aircraft can be plotted onto a map. The competitions are a very social occasion, carried out in a friendly competitive manner where the order of the day is safe and fun flying.
I haven't completed my PPL, can I enter?
You don't need to be a PPL holder to enter - it's great training for cross country navigation! The club enters in the Sportsman category where 2 members fly together as a crew. Therefore even if a member has not completed their training to gain their PPL, they can fly as the second team member. This provides them with the opportunity of flying from different airfields and develops their navigational skills. The experience and confidence gained are certainly beneficial to completing the Qualifying Cross Country flight and Navex part of the Final Skills Test to complete the PPL. For more details on the BRFC please click here.