Hello everyone. It’s Thursday again already. Last weekend was fairly unremarkable except that on Sunday a significant convergence set up out west over the Welsh hills which appeared to run along most of the length of the country. Chris Gill from Lleweni Parc did over 300k in it. He reported 8kt average climbs to above 8000′ asl. We do often see convergences out there, varying in distance from us, but often reachable with a bit of perseverance or an engine. If you want to know how a convergence works keep an eye on RASP or SkySight, which both forecast them well, and book an hour in the motorglider. Once there you can turn the engine down and experience the excitement of it all. This weekend a recurance is unlikely though there may be some wave on Saturday.
Your duty teams this weekend are:
Saturday: Neal Clements (No 1), Matthew Cook (Intro/No 3), Dave D’Arcy (TLs), Simon Adlard (winch), Liz Adlard (LD)
Sunday: Nigel Lasseter (No 1), Dave D’Arcy (TLs), Simon Adlard (winch), Mark Wakeham (LD)
Rockpolishers Inter-Club League
This weekend was supposed to be the first of the Rockpolishers events to be held at Nympsfield but the weather has other ideas and the weekend has been scrubbed and rescheduled for 13/14 July (formerly the Talgarth round but they have pulled out). Our team consists of Mark Williams and Geoff Dailey as Novices, myself, Dave D’Arcy and Julian Fack as Intermediates and Rob Hanks, Mark Sanders, Dominic Haughton, Paul Shuttleworth and Dave Crowson as Pundits. Details of the competition organisation is available from our
website. If you’d like to know more, would like to crew or take part in the future please contact the team captain, Mark Sanders.
Cross Country Development Week
MGC’s cross-country Development Week will take place from 7-12 May. It will provide potential and early cross country pilots with a structured training opportunity to refresh their cross country skills prior to the main period of the cross country flying season. Expect to hone your abilities in the following areas:
Ground School
Interpreting the weatherChecking NOTAMS
Choosing a Task and the requirements of the “Badge” flights
Marking up maps and entering Tasks into PDA’s
Flight Logging
Thermalling techniques
Speed to fly and routing considerations
Field Selection and Field Landing
Final Glides
Post flight analysis Entering your flight on the BGA/Club ladderThe Motor Glider will be available all week for:-
Field Landing Instruction and checks.
Testing for Bronze/XCE Navigation Exercises.
Testing for XCE Cloud flying training.
Testing for BGA Cloud flying endorsement
Aerotow training
Training and check/revalidation flights available out of Shobdon, if required
Advanced Handling Techniques
Thermalling
Routing and speed to fly
Field Landing
Cross Country tasks set on suitable days
Fly P2 in a club two-seater, or maybe in one of the privately owned two-seaters, generously offered by their owners
Fly as P1 in one of the club single seaters, (or your own glider, if you have one!)If you are interested in, or intrigued by the thought of, flying what seem like unimaginable distances in an aircraft that has no apparent means of propulsion, then you are a member of the target group!
To book your place contact the office on 01588 650205 or email to
office@midlandgliding.clubCourse No 2 Starts Next Week
Course No 1 didn’t quite get of to the start we hoped for because of the weather so I’m hoping the next course will fair better. If you want to fly as a private mowner during the course weeks remember that the course always gets priority but we will try and launch others as soon as they are ready and as soon as possible.
Keeping the Club Tidy
Nigel Holmes organised a trailer hitch tidy event on bank holiday Monday. Several people took part and I would like to thank all of them. Keeping the site tidy and presentable is a vital part of our ‘kerb appeal’ for prospective, new and established members. They gathered stuff that was half buried and bits of metal and odds and sods that didn’t look as if they had been used for a long time. If people are missing stuff they had wanted to keep, it was likely put next to the skip. If you still want it, it will be there for collection until the skip is ready to be emptied again.
Camping Area
I received a heads up from a member last weekend that some people are allowing their dogs to foul in the camping area. I’d like to remind all members that the club has a policy relating to dogs on site, which says:
No dogs are allowed in the Clubhouse except guide dogs; no dogs are allowed on the airfield when it is active; dogs in all other places must not be a nuisance, annoyance or danger; and the owner and/or keeper of a dog is responsible for it.
I am asking that all members remember that people do sit and lie on the ground in the camping area, children play in it and we all expect it to be kept clean and hygenic. If you have a dog on site walk it elsewhere, not in the campsite and especially pick up after it and dispose of its feaces properly.
Have a great weekend.
Happy landings
Jon Hall
Chairman
