AWA F3B Open Glider Competition – 27/28 February 2026

Thursday Preparation

Preparation began on Thursday, with field mowing, maintenance and course setup ahead of the event. Early morning rain, lightning and thunder delayed field work for several hours, but once the weather passed the field team got back to it.

Rossco completed the mowing, John Cadlolo handled the edging, and the remaining maintenance tasks were finished before the course and winches were set up. The forecast suggested changing wind directions over the two competition days, so course setup required a bit of planning and flexibility.

Special thanks to Rossco and John for their help on Thursday, as well as Mark Turley for his patience while setup was still underway during late Thursday flying.

Friday – Round 1

Friday began with competitors arriving early to lay down winches and final equipment, with the first group launching at 8:45am.

Conditions were light and awkward early, with a downwind component making launch height difficult to achieve. Despite that, there were some excellent efforts in duration, including strong flights and some very accurate landings.

Christopher Oborne impressed in the opening duration round, working low-level lift patiently and pushing hard against more experienced pilots. Chris Barrenger also flew well, securing a strong duration result with a near-perfect landing.

In another group, Rossco, Gavin and Stuart (the event organiser) all battled through mixed air and difficult conditions. A hard-fought 10-minute duration task, combined with a well-judged landing, showed just how much patience and persistence mattered in the light conditions.

The final duration group saw Simon Watts and Adam Alexander closely matched, with only a couple of points separating them after landing.

Distance

Distance followed, with close battles across the groups. Simon Watts won the first group with 13 laps over Chris Barrenger’s 12 and Glenn Stallard’s 10.

John Cadlolo stood out in the next group, achieving an excellent 24 laps on debut — the highest lap count recorded across the two days. It was a terrific result and one of the highlights of the event.

Adam Alexander also impressed in distance, showing clever preparation and very competitive task management to edge Rossco in one of the groups – 20 laps to 19.

Speed

Speed wrapped up Round 1 before lunch. With limited recent practice and modest launch heights, the task was a little rusty for many pilots. Even so, there were some solid runs, including the only sub-20-second time on Friday — a 19.23-second run that topped the task.

After that came a welcome sausage sizzle lunch prepared by Ted Khinsoe. With the heat building, the decision was made to stop after one full round for the day and spend the afternoon practicing speed and repositioning winches for cooler conditions on Saturday.

At the end of Day 1, Simon Watts held the lead, followed by Chris Barrenger and Rossco, with the rest of the field still very much in contention.

Saturday – Round 2 and Beyond

Saturday brought a much windier forecast and a larger field, with Grant Andrews, Don Woodward and Marko Biedermann joining the competition to lift the numbers to 12.

Duration

The first Saturday duration task again produced some excellent flying. Don Woodward posted a 10:00 flight with a strong landing, while Christopher Oborne continued to impress by pushing experienced duration specialists and securing another standout result.

In another group, Rossco took the task in difficult air by combining a shorter flight with a much better landing score. It was a classic reminder that in F3B, the landing can be just as important as time in the air.

The final group saw a tactical shift into wave lift, which paid off early, only for Simon Watts to once again read the air brilliantly and steal the group win. It was one of the more memorable moments of the day.

Distance

Round 2 distance was run with extra helpers on bases, allowing the competitors to focus fully on flying. Christopher again flew very well, pushing hard against more established pilots and showing how quickly he is progressing in the class.

John Cadlolo again delivered a strong distance performance, while Don Woodward revelled in the stronger wind and made full use of it with his ballast choice and flying style.

Speed

Round 2 speed produced some serious pace. Don opened with an 18.58-second run, Gavin responded with an 18.22, and Rossco broke into sub-20 territory with a 19.12.

The fastest run of that round, however, was Stuart with a 17.02-second flight that took full advantage of a better launch and cleaner course management.

Lunch on Saturday featured roast pork and gravy rolls with apple sauce, plus a coleslaw prepared by Beryl Maddren. Carla also surprised Rossco with a birthday cake, which added a nice moment to the weekend.

A special mention was made for Christopher Oborne, who ended Round 2 sitting in fourth place overall out of 12 competitors — a superb effort for a young pilot still building experience in F3B competition.

Final Rounds and Result

After lunch, the competition moved into back-to-back speed. Gavin Tilson laid down the fastest speed of the entire event with an excellent 16.41-second run. Close behind was Stuart with a 16.50, followed by Christopher Oborne with a superb 18.74 — his first official sub-20-second F3B competition run.

That was one of the real highlights of the weekend and a great reward for the effort being put in by Christopher and Team Oborne.

Round 3 distance followed, with Rossco taking a strong group win with 16 laps (highest of the round), while another group saw 14 laps prove enough for top points after line breaks and difficult starts affected others.

By the end of Round 3 distance the wind was pushing the limit, and after a vote the remaining duration task was abandoned. It was the right call given the conditions.

When the points were totalled, first place overall went to the event organiser – Stuart Hamilton, with Simon Watts second and Rossco taking third place overall.

A Great Early-Season Competition

It was a strong start to the competition year and great to see both experienced pilots and newer competitors enjoying the weekend. The event offered exactly what F3B should — a reason to keep practicing launches, duration, distance and speed, while enjoying the challenge and camaraderie that come with competition.

The event also highlighted the importance of all the people behind the scenes: field preparation, base help, timing, launch support, catering and general organisation all contributed to making the weekend a success.

The 2026 AWA F3B Open at KAMS was a terrific competition, a great social weekend, and another reminder of how rewarding this discipline can be for everyone involved.