COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COMBAT AND COMPETITION
forecast was not encouraging. It might well be necessary to set a task
on the final day, in marginal conditions, with everyone landing out.
The ingredients of a first class scoring nightmare. And we had just
five days left.
Tim Newport-Peace ran our internal communications and public
address. He could spot problems a mile away and sort them out in next
to no time. A most effective troubleshooter - so I pointed him at the
scorers.
"Tim! We must get cracking on a fall back plan - even if it means
manual processing with pocket calculators."
And Tim produced an instant team of three - one of whom
rejoiced, in the nickname of 'Sally the Slide Rule'. They used a
programmable calculator worked through the first three tasks and
within twenty four hours, aided by a convenient non contest day, they
had produced a set of accurate, up to date, results.
The scoring, with Tim at the helm, was back under control. Just as
well the way things turned out.
We had reason enough to be concerned about the Duke's
programme. Coming by helicopter, direct from carriage driving at
Windsor, it was tight, to say the least. Security was a major headache
too. Equerry, police, and detectives had descended on Lasham two
weeks earlier and laid down the most stringent requirements. Caravans,
cars, the glider in which he was due to fly, competitors and public
alike, nothing was spared. So different from his visit in 1963.
Then, on the day itself, we did have a task for the Open Class and
the conditions were so difficult that none of them got back. The
nightmare had started!
When the Duke arrived I presented the contest heads of department
and made a mistake - saying of David Carrow that he was Chairman
of Lasham during HRH's previous visit. "Oh really," said the Duke and
moved on.
Poor David - I felt awful. Tim Finneron, his equerry, said that he
hated to have people presented to him in this way.
Then Tony Mattin, presenting a group of Lasham notables, made
a similar faux pas with Wally Kahn and we were both in the doghouse
with our colleagues.
At the first opportune moment Chris Day and I made for the
scorer's office ready to collect the results. Tim and his little team were
still flat out on their final checks. Next door we could hear the EGA
Chairman, who was holding the fort with the Duke, welcoming him
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