Hi everyone
Well, Task Week is well under way and glad to see quite a few pilots taking part, though it would be good to see more. We have had three good flying days so far, yesterday being very good indeed. It started out a bit iffy but, as the afternoon went on, became a strong racing day with some of the bigger wing gliders completing a 250k task at speeds in excess of 90kph. Today was scrubbed due to an encroaching front and lots of top cover cutting off the early thermals and bringing a stream of showery weather from the south west. Thursday is not looking great at present but Friday has some promise of a task with light, mostly southerly winds. The end of Task Week Party will be on Sunday night with live musical entertainment and a great spread from the kitchen. If you want to attend please let Helen know by ringing her directly, or the office, so she knows how many to cater for.
Your duty teams at the weekend are:
As it is still Task Week over the weekend there will be no pre-booked club instructional training flights but if there are instructors around able and willing you may be able to get a flight. Steve Male is No 1 Saturday and Sunday and Roger Andrews on Monday with Stephen Alexander driving the winch. Charles Carter will be doing trial lesson flights on Saturday and Denise Hughes on Sunday.
Club Newsletter
The summer edition of the club newsletter was published at the end of July this year but a few people are telling me that they didn’t receive it. This may be because our mailing list is not up to date or you have changed your email address without telling the office. If you did not receive the summer edition in your inbox please first check your spam and junk folders then let me know at chairman@midlandgliding.club. I will be sending the same version out again shortly, hopefully to pick up those that missed it last time, so please let me know as soon as you can.
Membership Cards
I have been asked by our CFI to remind you that we will firmly be implementing the membership card system from 1st September this year. You should have been given a membership card and a plastic case when you renewed your membership in April, but if you didn’t get one, or you pay by direct debit, or have lost the one you were given, do get in touch with the office and ask for a new one. The cards not only show that you are a paid up member but also confirm that you have a valid medical with an expiration date, both of which are a legal requirement for you to fly from our site. You may be asked by an instructor or the launch director to show your membership card at the launch point. Without it you may be denied the right to fly until you can. I know this sounds bureaucratic but as a club we cannot afford to have an accident where the person involved is not a member or doesn’t have a medical, as either of these will invalidate the insurance, or send a young person on a first solo flight without a medical declaration having been signed by a parent.
Next week
is course week 10, run by Dave Crowson and Neal Clements.
Happy landings
Jon Hall
Chairman