The Conker Bonk
The club’s first-ever Conker Bonk contest took place on Sunday 27th of September, bringing an autumn twist to our traditional Easter egg drop. After this year’s Easter event was cancelled, Mark N suggested reviving the competition with a pumpkin or conker theme, So the Conker Bonk was born. Six pilots, Mike, Mark, Kevin W, Richard K, Stuart, and Kev R, braved the gusty late September winds arriving early to try and beat the forecast rain. Richard J kept proceedings on track, recorded the scores and headed into the field with the tape measure. The contest opened with a high drop and a low drop. With the rain holding off, competitors completed a third round featuring another high drop followed by a spot landing.
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Gusty conditions tested every pilot, while technical problems with some egg-release systems added an extra challenge. Richards rotating-cup system, which had performed so well at last years easter Sunday egg drop, failed on all three drops, leaving his egg dangling before it landed well away from the target. Mark’s system, however, worked flawlessly. He judged his release points superbly in the blustery weather and completed an excellent performance with the nearest spot landing. Mike mounted a comeback with a strong third drop, but even a perfect spot landing would not have been enough to secure victory. The day belonged to Mark, who became our first Conker Bonk Champion. Congratulations, Mark!
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Many competitors took the easy option and reused the familiar flour filled plastic eggs from our Easter event. Richard went a step further, using a real eggshell filled with flour and sealed with wax. A few entrants also made flour-filled papier-mâché conkers, although these were in the minority.