WMAC Fun Fly Weekend - 11th & 12th July 2026
Our second WMAC Fun Fly weekend, held in conjunction with the BFFA, was another well supported and enjoyable weekend of flying. The aim was simple: introduce members to FunFly competition using simplified rules to make it accessible to those who had never taken part before, or who had only limited experience.
We welcomed 18 competitors in total, including three visitors from outside the club. Returning faces James Gordon and Tom Beagley joined us again this year, along with John Phillips, who was attending the event for the first time.
The weather provided a few challenges throughout the day, with a brisk wind blowing straight down the runway. Although conditions were a little testing at times, they remained flyable and the relaxed atmosphere meant there was plenty of laughter alongside some friendly competition. Due to the number of entrants and the conditions, we completed four of the planned six rounds on the Saturday.
The day began with Climb and Glide, a nice, straightforward round to get everyone warmed up. Pilots had 15 seconds to climb before shutting the motor off and seeing how long they could remain airborne, with a bonus point available for landing in a designated area on the runway. Flight times ranged from just 40 seconds up to an impressive 5 minutes 52 seconds, showing the variety of flying styles and experience across the field.
Next came Spins and Spots, where pilots again had 15 seconds to climb before cutting the motor and putting their model into a spin. Each completed spin scored one point, with additional bonus points available for landing in one of three designated landing zones worth 10, 5 and 1 point respectively. Scores ranged from four spins up to an impressive 31, with several competitors also picking up valuable landing bonuses.
The third round, ROOP, challenged pilots to complete as many roll-and-loop combinations as possible within one minute. The highest score reached 25 combinations, while the lowest managed five. Most competitors, however, were fairly closely matched, making this one of the most competitive rounds of the day.
The final event was Touch and Go Bang. Pilots had two minutes to complete as many touch and gos as possible within a marked section of the runway. Four balloons, positioned within a set distance of the touch and go box, offered an additional 10 points each if successfully burst. The standout performance recorded an impressive 41 touch and gos while also popping three balloons, no easy feat. At the other end of the scoreboard, three touch-and-gos demonstrated just how challenging this event could be.
After four rounds, the overall results were:
1st: John Phillips
2nd: Tom Beagley
3rd: Steve Morris
Congratulations to all three, although the remaining places were very closely contested.
The day’s flying was followed by a BBQ, plenty of conversation and, later in the evening, the England v Norway match on the television. It had been a long but enjoyable day and, judging by the photos, it seems at least one of us found the day’s activities a little too exhausting and nodded off before the final whistle!
Unfortunately, Sunday brought much stronger and gustier winds, making conditions unsuitable for continuing the competition. Instead, a few members took the opportunity to practise some of the Fun Fly manoeuvres before calling it a weekend.
A big thank you goes to everyone who helped set up, run and pack everything away over the weekend. Events like this only happen because of the time and effort put in by volunteers, and your help is very much appreciated.
If you’re thinking about giving Fun Fly a go next year but don’t have a suitable model, Chris Morris has designed and is selling his own Morris Dancer Fun Fly model. Quite a few club members now own one, and it has proved to be an excellent model for this type of flying. If you’d like to find out more, or are interested in purchasing one, please speak to Chris directly for further details.
Finally, if you’ve never tried Fun Fly before, don’t be put off. The simplified format makes it a great introduction, and we’d love to see even more members taking part next year.
