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:
Field state
It’s been raining. Last week I started building an ARC (geddit?) and it was pointed out the field is now effectively a bowl of porridge, especially at the South end. We must be extremely careful, damage caused by vehicles going off track will be extremely difficult to repair. I am hopeful that next weeks promised dry spell will help, but please, until further notice, make sure you treat the field as “delicate”.
MT shed photo
After huge effort we now have a fabulous workshop, I thought the photo below sums it up. We couldn’t imagine doing this a few years ago.
Juniors
I think the note from Steve Pozerskis sums up the weekend pretty well:-
“Dear all
A quick note to say thank you for welcoming the Juniors to the Long Mynd again.
The amazing views, the friendly members, cosy bar and great food makes for a fantastic weekend. We really do appreciate you putting up with us! We hope that the added bar takings/flight numbers provide some comfort!
This year we had everyone from pre-solo to the Junior World and Bronze Medal Champions and the UK 18m National Champion. All had a great time and got something from the weekend. 113 launches in one day was a record for us!
We hope to be back next year!
Thanks again
The Junior Development Team”
Over 100 launches and nothing but favourable comments from our members as well.
Weekend outlook:
Your team this weekend is : Neal Clements, Matthew Cook, David Brown, Dave d’Arcy, Chris Alldis, Guy Hartland, Stephen Alexander.
Snow is a concern for this weekend, currently I think it will be more in the East, however I will blog tomorrow if I feel that there is a danger to the hill. Otherwise it will definitely be chilly so thermals will be in order!!
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
The work of Volunteer Rangers on the Long Mynd.
Join Patrick the National Trust Area Ranger for the Long Mynd for an informative but jovial look at the important hard work that the dedicated Volunteer Rangers carry out to protect this designated landscape for all to enjoy. The talk will highlight the vital conservation management that is carried out to ensure this Site of Special Scientific Interest within the Shropshire Hills AONB is protected.
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 our winches and winching.
Juniors over Easter
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. We have about 5 already.
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 15 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.