We Won the "Dawn to Dusk"!
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
We Won the "Dawn to Dusk"!
I found out about a week ago, but didn't get around to posting it. We weren't even going to enter, since I had so much work for my CPL(H) this year. But we won the Bonney Trophy for best all ladies' entry last year, and wanted to keep "our" trophy. That, and maybe coming better than 5th (last year's position), was the sum total of our ambitions. Well, we kept "our" trophy, we also got the Pooley Sword for best log and report, and also won the whole competition overall! I still don't quite believe it.
And for those of you who think I only fly little whirly things, this was in a C152. Well, I had to somehow get my 12 hours by September to keep my PPL(A) didn't I?
And for those of you who think I only fly little whirly things, this was in a C152. Well, I had to somehow get my 12 hours by September to keep my PPL(A) didn't I?
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Alresford, Hampshire, UK
Well done Whirls - just remind us again - where / what did you do / go to achieve this? Something I have had in the back of my mind to have a go at sometime, but lack of imagination as to a suitable task is a limiting factor! 
A2
A2
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Topic: Ecclesiastes Chapter 3, V 1-8 - To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven etc. With one place as the topic of each line, as it relates to life, history and folklore of Wales and the Borders. That gave us an approximately figure of eight course around Wales, with about 40 turning points.
Yes, thinking of a topic is the second hardest part, writing it up being the hardest. Compared to those, the flying is easy, though fairly tiring - and expensive!
Addictive too - we're already planning next year's entry.
[ 24 December 2001: Message edited by: Whirlybird ]</p>
Yes, thinking of a topic is the second hardest part, writing it up being the hardest. Compared to those, the flying is easy, though fairly tiring - and expensive!
Addictive too - we're already planning next year's entry.
[ 24 December 2001: Message edited by: Whirlybird ]</p>
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 185
Likes: 3
Well Whirly, you've cracked the dawn-to-dusk, so now try the three-day dusk-to-dawn.
A couple of years ago we set off in a C150 from Lincolnshire at 2230, flew to Cardiff, refuelled, flew out and landed at Eaglescott at first light (0400). After a day-time diversion to Perranporth and the Scillies we returned to Lands End, flying out from there at the beginning of official night on Midsummer's Day. Landed at Liverpool at 0130, set off at 0310 and landed at ... guess where! Carlisle at 0430, at first light (no lighting available at that hour!). Finding we were locked in (the airfield, not the Cessna) we squeezed into sleeping bags and slept in the C150 for 3 hours.
When management turned up they let us pitch tent in the area behind the restaurant. We slept all day, flew to Perth in the evening, set off from there at 0100, and landed back in Lincs at first light.
Timing was pretty critical since not many places had lighting available except the internationals, some of which were horrendously expensive for night-time refuelling (extra £35 at Cardiff, and £100 at Newcastle!)
A couple of years ago we set off in a C150 from Lincolnshire at 2230, flew to Cardiff, refuelled, flew out and landed at Eaglescott at first light (0400). After a day-time diversion to Perranporth and the Scillies we returned to Lands End, flying out from there at the beginning of official night on Midsummer's Day. Landed at Liverpool at 0130, set off at 0310 and landed at ... guess where! Carlisle at 0430, at first light (no lighting available at that hour!). Finding we were locked in (the airfield, not the Cessna) we squeezed into sleeping bags and slept in the C150 for 3 hours.
When management turned up they let us pitch tent in the area behind the restaurant. We slept all day, flew to Perth in the evening, set off from there at 0100, and landed back in Lincs at first light.
Timing was pretty critical since not many places had lighting available except the internationals, some of which were horrendously expensive for night-time refuelling (extra £35 at Cardiff, and £100 at Newcastle!)
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: NW UK
WhirlyBird - Congratulations on winning!
Have you got details of your Dawn to Dusk entry on a website or somewhere? I'd love to see exactly what you did... sounds like fun!
AB
[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: AeroBatfink ]</p>
Have you got details of your Dawn to Dusk entry on a website or somewhere? I'd love to see exactly what you did... sounds like fun!
AB
[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: AeroBatfink ]</p>
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Aerobatfink,
I haven't got a website - I'm only just about computer literate enough to post to PPRuNe - but I'm working on an article about it for "Pilot".
Delta Wun Wun,
Thanks, but no <img src="frown.gif" border="0"> . Need experience to get job, and job to get experience. I'm gonna go to the US or Oz and get some more hours and do an instructors course, so maybe next year. Meanwhile I'm back working to earn money to do all this.
I haven't got a website - I'm only just about computer literate enough to post to PPRuNe - but I'm working on an article about it for "Pilot".
Delta Wun Wun,
Thanks, but no <img src="frown.gif" border="0"> . Need experience to get job, and job to get experience. I'm gonna go to the US or Oz and get some more hours and do an instructors course, so maybe next year. Meanwhile I'm back working to earn money to do all this.
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
LownNSlow,
I'm not sure if she'd want her name posted here; e-mail me if you want to know.
We haven't won it twice; we're not that good! Not yet anyway, but we're planning next year's entry already, so you never know... In 2000 we got the Bonney Trophy (best all ladies entry), but we only came 5th overall. It was our first attempt, so we were extremely happy with that at the time.
I'm not sure if she'd want her name posted here; e-mail me if you want to know.
We haven't won it twice; we're not that good! Not yet anyway, but we're planning next year's entry already, so you never know... In 2000 we got the Bonney Trophy (best all ladies entry), but we only came 5th overall. It was our first attempt, so we were extremely happy with that at the time.
Safety First!
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 516
Likes: 0
From: New Zealand
Well done Whirlybird! Sounds like it was heaps of fun.
Is the Dawn to Dusk a sort of navigation air race competition, points derived from accuracy of ETA's, solving clues on the way sort of thing?
Kermie
Is the Dawn to Dusk a sort of navigation air race competition, points derived from accuracy of ETA's, solving clues on the way sort of thing?
Kermie
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
Kermie,
The objective, to quote from the blurb, is "to encourage the most interesting employment of a flying machine within the limits of competent airmanship and to demonstrate the capabilities of pilot and machine in a day's flying, during the hours between dawn and dusk, in terms of furthering some original and praiseworthy objective". It has to be done between certain dates, you pick your own theme, and there is a complicated scoring system awarding marks for originality, research, airmanship, planned/achieved ratio of distance and airborne time, presentation of log, etc etc etc etc. There are various trophies apart from the actual winners - one each for helicopters, microlights, and balloons, a novices trophy, a ladies trophy, and a long distance medal.
The flying is a bit of a marathon, but do-able. In this country finding a whole day of flyable weather means a lot of people enter but never manage to finish; it's a minimum of eight hours flying, though judges'discretion comes into this; last year we gave up after seven hours due to the early arrival of a warm front, but our entry still qualified - and won a trophy. By far the hardest part is thinking of a new and original theme. And the most time consuming thing is writing up the log and report.
All in all the whole thing takes a lot of planning, work, time, and money. Both times we've vowed afterwards that we won't do it again. But it's very addictive - especially if you win.
The objective, to quote from the blurb, is "to encourage the most interesting employment of a flying machine within the limits of competent airmanship and to demonstrate the capabilities of pilot and machine in a day's flying, during the hours between dawn and dusk, in terms of furthering some original and praiseworthy objective". It has to be done between certain dates, you pick your own theme, and there is a complicated scoring system awarding marks for originality, research, airmanship, planned/achieved ratio of distance and airborne time, presentation of log, etc etc etc etc. There are various trophies apart from the actual winners - one each for helicopters, microlights, and balloons, a novices trophy, a ladies trophy, and a long distance medal.
The flying is a bit of a marathon, but do-able. In this country finding a whole day of flyable weather means a lot of people enter but never manage to finish; it's a minimum of eight hours flying, though judges'discretion comes into this; last year we gave up after seven hours due to the early arrival of a warm front, but our entry still qualified - and won a trophy. By far the hardest part is thinking of a new and original theme. And the most time consuming thing is writing up the log and report.
All in all the whole thing takes a lot of planning, work, time, and money. Both times we've vowed afterwards that we won't do it again. But it's very addictive - especially if you win.
Thread Starter
The Original Whirly
Joined: Feb 1999
Aviation Qualifications: CPL
Posts: 4,327
Likes: 2
From: Belper, Derbyshire, UK
That's true Kermie, and that's what one of the judges said when I was discussing it with him after this year's awards presentation. But the competition has been going for around 40 years, so all the obvious themes have been done. But yes, it's always possible to come up with something new. And it's really a lot of fun trying; gives your flying a whole new dimension. that's probably why we like it so much, and why a lot of people enter year after year.
Incidentally it can be done anywhere in the world, and often is, if you're interested.
Incidentally it can be done anywhere in the world, and often is, if you're interested.
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 101
Likes: 0
From: NW UK
Please let us all know when you get that article for Pilot Mag sorted out, Whirlybird! Do you know if there is information anywhere about previous years' entries? Your article seems to have got me curious... and I have a feeling this curiosity may turn out to be expensive!!!
<img src="wink.gif" border="0">
Incidentally, if anyone's interested, I've found the
<a href="http://www.automatic-button.com/d2d/" target="_blank">Dawn to Dusk</a> website.
<img src="wink.gif" border="0">
Incidentally, if anyone's interested, I've found the
<a href="http://www.automatic-button.com/d2d/" target="_blank">Dawn to Dusk</a> website.