South of England Show - Ardingly Friday10th June 2022

Today, both Rob S and I attended the South of England Show held at Ardingly, West Sussex. Not only were we representing the BMFA but also Slope Soaring Sussex. When I arrived at the stand, I found Rob unpacking BMFA documentation and items to give away and other items to sell including basic gliders.

BMFA members attending today also included Stuart Willis (Chair BMFA SE Area) and Marc Perry, chair of the Concord Club near Dartford. Several models were brought along for demonstration purposes that included a Mk9 Scale Spitfire, SAS Wildthing, Dream flight Alula, Mini Q glider, balsa-built Riot, an electric glider and a drone.

Although footfall was low early morning it improved as the day progressed. There was some interest shown in the flight simulator by the younger element of the crowd and several ex-flyers came to the stand to reminisce about their flying history. During the afternoon interest picked up as the footfall increased. Several BMFA and club leaflets were handed out during the day to potential members.

In summary, a very good day but the weekend might be much better as more younger adults will be attending the show. Both Rob and I managed to get sunburnt, and we enjoyed eating out that included a bacon roll for breakfast followed by an Angus cheeseburger for lunch while watching the show jumping in the main arena. I must admit probably not the healthiest of diets.