Master Class
Charles Blomfield was
my great great Granduncle. Charles was a landscape painter probably best known
for his paintings of the pink and white terraces before they got blown to
smithereens by Mount
Tawawera Auckland
Charles painted this
masterpiece for a competition near the end of his painting career. It was
apparently loved by the public and won the peoples choice award. The judges
unfortunately were looking to promote more modern styles and passed it over.
This broke Charles heart who had poured his soul into the work. The picture was
taken home and hung at the foot of the stairs and all the family and friends
delighted in the illusion of walking into the forest through this portal. A
little like a Cessna180 can transport a pilot into another world.
The healthy bastards
bush pilots competition was similarly entered by masters in the art of
precision, short takeoffs and landings. The entrants were a who’s who of
outback flying. The aircraft ranged from DMF, the Marlborough Aero Clubs
faithful Tomahawk to Sounds Airs Cessna Caravan.
To a casual spectator
it was entertainment up there with a Red Bull air-race. Constant action, pilots
verses gravity, conveniently right in front of our eyes. Like an artist going
to an exhibition the devil is in the detail. Pilots will critic far more
rigorously than the general public. The styles were numerous. There were the
fast and furious, the low and slow (stalkers), the throttle fiddlers, the
dumpers, the skidders, the ground kisses, the arrivals, the under-cookers
(short), the over-cookers (long), the wheelers, the flap bouncers, the tail
smackers, the glide-slopers and the bounders. The winners didn’t necessarily present
the prettiest flying techniques but I now know who I’d trust to get me in and
out of a bush strip with all my organs still in place.
The framework (rules)
were clear. Anything before the line was disqualified. As it should be. If you
misjudged your landing during the real thing and ended up in a tree it would be
game over. Bounces of more than 10 metres (horizontally) were taken from the second
bounce. The touchdown point was judged on the main wheels. The STOL (short
takeoff and landing) was the combined length of takeoff and landing. All
competitors got two shots. I am pleased to say no aircraft was harmed in the
name of competition by nosing over under brakes and falling out of the sky due
to zero airspeed. Overall ALL of the landings I saw were amazing. Most of the
landings I would have been mighty proud to have called my own. All credit to
those willing to front up and strut their stuff. I certainly wasn’t game to fly
my colours. In saying that a Bolkow would have had just as good chance as a Piper
cub in the precision landing. A lot of pilots landed very close but just short
of the mark, disqualifying themselves. Perhaps I’ll enter next year (yeah
right!).
The competition was
run with military precision. With 67 aircraft entered and the typical pilot
time adverse behaviours it was a credit to MAC personnel that it just seemed to
flow. There was the usual compulsory coffee caravan, food and ice cream
trolley. The commentators Ray Patchett, Willie Sage and, Craig Anderson were
informative and funny keeping us entertained throughout proceedings. Rays
hospitality extended into the evening with the dinner, prize giving and dancing
being held in his hangar. He reckons it’s a great deal. Once a year all these
people turn up and help him clean up his hangar. A party at Rays is never
complete without music. He excelled again in his selection. We had music with
actual words and real instruments.
The necessary swop of
runways at lunchtime was filled in with radial entertainment in the form of a
fleet, a beautifully restored Cessna 195 and the rumble of Bill Reids Anson.
Fittingly the main sponsor Doc Dave was taken for a fly in her. Other sponsors included,
Sounds Air, Spy valley Wines, Simply Avionics (lets not go spreading at rumour Lester)
and the Marlborough Aero Club.
My peoples choice vote
goes to the Bearhawk for looking like the business. The aeroplane was so new
the paint still looked wet and the pilot didn’t look much older. Despite low
time in the aircraft Jonathon Battson came a very respectable third in the STOL
heavies category. If I was a betting woman I’d put my money on him for next
year. First and second in the heavies went to the 180s. John Richards in BKG and
Micheal Tapper in BJU.
The microlight
category was dominated by Zeniths who took out the two top places. Deane
Philips first in JUG. Second went to Jock Struthers in ZMX. The fit for purpose
Carbon cub CSS with Robert Gray was a very close third. The light touring class
was dominated by the PA-18 cubs. BOY (Nigel Griffith), BTX (Bruce Coulter) and
ERB (Innes Bint) in that order.
The standout pilot
performance to age ratio has to go to Jack Griffith. A pre-PPL 17 year old lad who
would put 80% of NZs CPLs to shame. He reckoned he cheated by practicing! What
does he think all the old boys have been doing for the last 50 years?
There were a few salubrious
shelia’s competing in the precision landing. Jan Chisum in her mini-cab RJK and
Karen MacDonald in a Tomahawk DMF.
The pilots and machines
were as varied as pictures in an art galley. Like art, beauty is in the eye of
the beholder. A judgement on style, colour, strokes, depth, subject matter can all
be made by the observer. At the end of the day none of that actually matters.
To the artist or pilot it is all about them. Most pilots outwardly were
competing with each other (and for the prize money) but inwardly their harshest
judge and biggest competitor was themselves. Putting their heart into a project
either on canvas or into fabric and metal.
The competition was
called the healthy bastards bush pilots champs. It was where the bush pilots
came to town to show us townies how it’s done backcountry style. It’s given me
a new respect for short dumpy planes with large wheels and big capacity engines.
I have this image of them in their campsite cuppa in hand, freshly caught fish
frying on the open fire, their object of desire parked on the only patch of
flat dirt for miles, living temporarily in their own bubble of serenity. New Zealand
Published Aviation News March 2014
Published Aviation News March 2014
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