The third series of the Reason To Fly competition began as usual with a vote for the first subject. The choice was between White Lines, Landscapes without Buildings or Mazes. The subjects for the poll were randomly selected from a list of suggestions supplied by the members and a link to the automated randomizer provided for those who were interested.
The competition proper started on Sunday October 3rd with Landscapes without Buildings the winner amongst the 35 people who voted.
Although the competition is run for the benefit of the members, with subjects chosen by them and winning images selected by a poll of the members there was a problem. Shell shock had set in during the interminable seven-week slog of the GADC 4th Birthday Challenge and Treasure Hunt.
The Challenge contestants had spent much of their time searching out esoteric and bizarre combinations of objects according to a comprehensive but barely comprehensible set of rules enforced with draconian efficiency by a humourless and unyielding panel of judges.Rather than the carefree days of the McMac era the RTF was expected to be ruled in the same joyless manner.
On several occasions the bewildered contestants had to be reassured that, if their image showed a tiny building in the distance, it was neither cause for immediate expulsion nor would any horrendous penalty be exacted. The message that the competition was to be judged by the members, that if an image failed to live up to expectation they need not vote for it and that all the Challenges Committee were doing was providing a basic framework of rules and a space to play in was treated with deep suspicion.
The wary competitors, having spent the summer suffering an iron fist in an iron glove were suddenly and totally unexpectedly offered no fist at all.
Could they adapt to this new freedom?
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Landscapes without Buildings proved deceptively hard. The United Kingdom is heavily populated, it is difficult to find a view that doesnât show evidence of current human habitation. Our three winners managed it though:
John Carroll (@Drumsagard ) submitted the image of Loch Faskally to narrowly beat @Acedrone into second place. Jason posted a picture of the medieval ridge and furrow ploughing pattern in fields near Clipston, Northamptonshire:
In contrast to Jasonâs early morning mist Richard Gibbs (@RichGBiscuit) treated us to a sunset at Haresfield in Gloucestershire, near to his home
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The second competition in the Autumn 2021 series of RTF was on the subject of Lights. British weather prevailed as October moved toward Halloween, nonetheless the subject generated 25 entries. It also began the discussion about the multiple entries rule; keep it simple with one image per entrant only or allow two separate and different images to illustrate the same subject?
One result was this plea from @clinkadink
If we only want the one entered, do we just let you know which one? If this is the case, then please enter #39 thanks
Chris obviously chose the right one of his many images as it came first:
@gimbalflight decided to dip his toe in the water to see whether he might enjoy the RTF and entered a 360 pano of his home town, Basingstoke. Just as well Andy did because his feature filled pictureof the local leisure park took a worthy second place:
Another contestant with multiple entries (but whittled down to just one for judging) was @kvetner with this great shot of Manchester City Centre which came in a close third:
The new subject for the next in the series was revealed an hour before this competition closed. Cityscape. If it wasnât for that pesky rule about pictures must be taken within the competionâs currency they could have gotten away with many of this fortnights entries being used for the next! 
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âSeason of mists and mellow fruitfulness âŚâ
To Autumn, John Keats - 1795-1821
Or , 200 years after the poetâs demise - season of loud parties, indiscriminate fireworks, terrified pets, children soliciting sweets from strangers, Christmas pseudo cheer and desperate people plunging further in debt in order tp fund an unachieved time of merriment and goodwill to all âŚ
At least in the tastefully decorated halls of the RTF competitions people seemed to enjoying themselves. Although the gathering for the October 31st to November 13th CITYSCAPES challenge was slightly smaller than usual the quality of the images and the level of banter were fully up to scratch. The relaxed atmosphere was no doubt due to the absence one of the organisers, a notorious and sadistic brute who had taken great pleasure in devising tortuous rules and challenges for the Birthday Treasure Hunt who, it was believed had gone on a Bilbo Baggins in Spearmint Rhino experience at Warner Studios in Leavesden.
So peace reigned and some excellent pictures were made when the weather permitted flight. However there can only be one winner and, voted for by his peers, @kvetner claimed top spot with his view of Manchesterâs Deansgate Square.
Skill played its part in the presentation of this image, luck allowed its entry. Submitted just minutes before the end of the competition our brute, returned from the fleshpots of Hertfordshire, had known the area well as a stripling youth and allowed its entry out of pure sentiment for that lost time of innocence. (However, late entries on a Saturday night tend to anger those who have to set up and code the poll, as a gesture to them early entry is requested).
@CarlSN - Carl Nock - came second with a shot of the Cathedral and surrounding buildings in his home city of Gloucester:
and John Carroll - @Drumsagard - took a worthy third with his fine shot of Stirling with the Wallace Monument lit green for COP26 - not lighting it at all would be more energy efficient but wouldnât allow the chance of such a colourful picture!
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