22nd & 23th September 2007
Click here to view the BBC 'Spotlight' coverage of the Island Air Races 2007
Some fifty aircraft arrived for a ‘Day at the Races’, twenty of them being entered to take part in the actual racing. At one end of the speed range were two 1940s Auster aircraft flown by Robert Callaway-Lewis and James Wesson, which at best could only make about 100 mph, whilst at the other end of the scale, was a 240 mph Beech Baron piloted by Peter Earp. The job of the handicappers is never an easy one.
Nobody is allowed to race unless they have actually flown the course, so Saturday morning is given over to the serious business of making sure that both pilot and navigator were totally familiar with the circuit. At about this time, officials of the Royal Aero Club, together with members of the Alderney Flying Club set off to man the various turning points. Flying inside one of these markers means penalty points or even disqualification. To ensure ‘fair play’, the land based markers (Airport together with Forts Raz and Albert) are manned by observers during the race itself, whilst the ones situated offshore (Burhou and Casquets) are checked by means of the two GPS units that every race aircraft carries
The afternoon saw the first actual race of the weekend, which is in reality, two races held concurrently. Single engine aircraft race for the 'Eagle Airways' Cup, whilst the multi-engine aircraft were competing for the ‘Flightline’ Cup. The Auster was the first away, with all of the others joining the race at intervals pre-determined by the handicappers, with the fastest aircraft having to wait a full 30 minutes before they could join in.
The winner of the ‘Eagle Airways’ Cup was Richard Marsden flying a Mooney M20E, with Gordon Bellerby in a Grumman AA5B in second place. The winner of the ‘Flightline’ Cup, for multi-engine aircraft was Peter Earp in the very fast Beech B58 Baron.
With Phil Hilditch still on hand with his mobile canteen, nobody was in any hurry to leave the airfield. However most realised that a little ‘rest and recuperation’ was needed if they were going to cope with an evening at the Belle Vue and still be ‘on the ball’ for the next day’s racing.
The Sunday race was the ‘Big One’. The race that decided who would be this year’s British Air Race Champion. It wouldn’t necessarily be the winner of the race, as the Champion is the pilot who scores the highest number of points at six nominated races during the season.
The winner of the ‘Aurigny Air Services’ Trophy was Richard Marsden with Robert Callaway-Lewis in second place and Daniel Pangbourne flying a Piper Warrior coming third.
As event co-ordinator, I was privileged to present both the ‘Eagle Airways’ Cup on behalf of the late Frank Hackett-Jones and the ‘Flightline’ Cup to the worthy recipients.
As the main sponsor of the ‘Island Air Races’ we always look forward to meeting Malcolm Hart, the Managing Director of Aurigny Air Services, who presented the ‘Aurigny Air Services’ Trophy to Richard Marsden for being first across the line.
Jeff Roff of Reynards Jewellers was then invited to join the presentation party. Jeff has always been a keen supporter of private aviation in general and the ‘Island Air Races’ in particular. The ‘Reynards Special Awards’ are presented in association with Citizen Watches, to the three pilots who gained the highest aggregate points in both races. This year the winning pilots were Richard Marsden, Peter Earp and Daniel Pangbourne.
The only thing left to do, was to make the announcement that everyone had been waiting for: who was to be crowned the 2007 Champion? Geoffrey Boot, Chairman of the Royal Aero Club Racing section came forward and likened this year’s competition to that of the hare and the tortoise. He said that steady determination throughout the season had eventually defeated the fastest aircraft in the field and announced that Robert Calloway-Lewis was indeed British Air Racing Champion of 2007.
As always, our thanks must go to all who helped make the event such a success. This includes our own members and friends who did all the pushing, shoving, lifting and moving, the marshallers from Guernsey and Phil Hilditch for the hangar catering facility. To all of those who sponsored the cups and trophies, Moira and her team from AEL Avgas for a great refuelling job and of course, Alderney Airport ATC and Fire Service. Special thanks must go to both Ray Plant, Manager ATC Guernsey, for organising all of the necessary paperwork and Colin Le Ray, Airport Director. Last but certainly not least to the States of Alderney, whose support ensured that the event could take place. As we all know, times are changing and it is becoming more and more difficult to hold an event like this and still be able to have public presence in the hangar. Thanks to the co-operation and understanding of both Customs & Immigration and Special Branch we did and our thanks to Cheryl, Mark and Andy Simon, for their help.
To allow these races to happen, it is necessary to close the airport for certain periods over the weekend. We are therefore indebted to both Aurigny Air Services and Blue Islands, who make adjustments to their schedules and agree to these closures. Without this co-operation we wouldn’t have an airfield from which to operate.
The ’Island Air Races’ are organised by the Royal Aero Club Records, Racing and Rally Association and run jointly by both them and the Alderney Flying Club. To see the full results and information on air racing, log on to www.airraceuk.org.uk
Ralph Burridge.
