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2010 RCM&E British Freestyle Aerobatic Championship

The dates for the 2010 RCM&E British Freestyle Aerobatic Championships (BFAC) has been set for the 11th & 12th of September. The event is being moved to a new site at Sywell Aerodrome near Northampton, allowing more space for the ever growing aircraft being flown. Several International competitors who this year flew at the European Xtream Flying Championship will be taking part, along with the best pilots the UK has to offer.

The Class structure has been brought up to date to match the move towards larger competitively priced petrol powered airframes. A new Sportsman class will replace the old 120 Class, allowing any model with a motor up to 60cc. The Advanced class now has no limitations on engine or airframe size, with the Unlimited Class available to the best of the best.

The move to Sywell has been in the planning for some time and takes the event to a new higher level. The interest from top European Pilots shows the formula we have put together is right and will allow many UK pilots to compete against the best.

We intend to make the event as balanced as possible for the spectator; with the Fixed Manoeuvres allowing them to directly compare each pilot as they fly the same schedule, a freestyle round with no music to allow the pilots complete freedom to "display" their skills without the constraints of the music, the Fixed Music round where the spectators can see how each pilot interprets the same piece of music, and finally the Music Freestyle round where the pilot flies an all out routine to their own choice of music.

We have made the changes to the classes to reflect what is happening at club level. When we took over the BFAC a 1.20 powered model was considered fairly large, but now you go to the average club and you will see at least one 50cc aerobat and quite possibly some 100cc or larger models visiting the site at regular intervals. The availability of low cost high quality motors and models from the Far East has meant these models are now within the reach of the average club pilot. The biggest advantage to these aircraft is the running cost; with a ten minute flight on a 50cc model costing only £0.40, compared to a basic 1.20 powered machine on glow fuel at around £2.50 or more. Over a year the fuel saving alone could cover the cost of a new airframe.

With the big general interest for flying at Sywell we know we will have a large crowd of spectators from all walks of life. In many cases this will be the first time many people will see model aircraft and we hope it will bring more people into the sport. There will be the usual trade stands supporting the event as long with some very interesting scale models and full sized aircraft displays throughout the day. All told this is going to be a weekend to remember with the very best Freestyle Aerobatics shown off in the perfect location.