Hi everyone, this is the regular Thursday posting to let you know what is coming up in the near future and give you highlights of the last week.
Last week:
New members
I am delighted to say that Richard Bennett has rejoined, some of you may remember Richard who, as well as being a consummate cross country pilot, was also the treasurer for many years.
Staff matters
Unfortunately Dave Crowson has had to have an operation on his knee which will incapacitate him for the next 6 weeks. Whilst wishing him a speedy recovery we definitely don’t want him to return before he is fit. We will publish the arrangements for cover as soon as we know, in the meantime please can all instructors who could offer their services on a Thursday or Friday let Steve Male, myself or the office know.
Retrieve winch to skylaunch and clutch failure
One of our retrieve winches is being serviced by Skylaunch and the other had another clutch failure. Marc is investigating what is going on here but as I have blogged before it is really helpful if you ensure that when retrieving you have the clutch lever very firmly pushed against the stop.
Weekend outlook:
Your team this weekend is : Mark Sanders, Steve Lewis, Peter Orchard, Alasdair Lewis, Charles Carter, Stephen Alexander, John O’Reilly.
Forthcoming events:
Winter lectures
We now have 3 booked during February and March. We have Hugh Browning the driving force on the safety initiatives, Mike Groves of Skylaunch and the National Trust. Please do make an effort to attend, it’s a great night and the trick is to fly in the day, have the talk then a really good supper.
11 Feb National trust
Patrick Evans. Patrick is from the National Trust and will give a light hearted talk on The Long Mynd.
4 March Hugh Browning
This is essential for all glider pilots, believe me Hugh knows everything about every club in the country and will not only inspire you but make you a safer and better pilot.
11 March Mike Groves from Skylaunch. This will be a fascinating talk about winches and winching.
Juniors
We will be hosting the BGA Juniors Winter expedition on the 1st weekend of Feb.
The Club will be running a course for junior members over the Easter holidays from 10 to 13 April with a dedicated instructor and glider. Junior members may attend for just one day or more. Any members interested should book a place through the office
Llanbedr Expedition
Mike Greenwood has booked the week of 11th March in Llanbedr taking the K21 again. Please contact the office to book a slot.
20 March get checked week
Steve Male is running this popular week, it’s a great opportunity to come along and make sure you are ready for the soaring season which I guarantee is going to be brilliant this year. Don’t forget as Andy Holmes told me “April is when all the records are set” so you will be ready for the great weather. We have circulated the details separately. Contact the office if you haven’t yet received them
AGM
8 April 17:00. Please put this into your diary. We intend a slightly different format this year with the AGM, followed by presentations on the options for going forward. We have had a couple of good years but we face stormy times ahead. We must strengthen our position now while we can and your input and feedback are essential.
Aim higher course
18 -19 March.
We are up to 12 attendees but there are still places available. Please put this date in your diary, and book in with the office now. We are so privileged to have Kevin Atkinson to do this course for us. He will cover:
How the sky works
How to work the sky
Going further and faster
Self-teaching skill drills and self-tasking
And will be the best preparation you could think of before the cross country season starts in earnest. This is proving very attractive to visitors from far and wide so I do encourage Mynd members to book up while you can.
June the 3rd 4th and 5th. Aim Higher practical
I am absolutely delighted to tell you that Kevin has agreed to provide a “practical” aim higher course on the above dates. This means we get the best of both worlds, the theory then followed by the practical after we have all had a chance to practice. We are really privileged to be able to offer this combination this year so get your bookings in to the office as soon as you can. We are already getting applications and I think this will be a popular one.
Thinking of summer
Mac is organising the “longest day, open day” recruitment drive on the 24th of June. In addition we want to increase the activity and the interest for members. Years ago we used to run a “dawn to dusk” day and we are going to combine the two. It is fantastic fun, we run in shifts and do “shedloads” of launches (or words to that effect). Please drop me an email at the address below if you would like to help out for a shift, everyone is welcome and I guarantee you will have a great day.