Hi everyone, this is the regular Thursday posting to let you know what is coming up in the near future.
This week.
The things we do for LUV
Your Chair and Roger Andrews spent a day at the CAA in Gatwick with the end result of a full set of paperwork so she is ready to go. Lets hope we get as much wonderful flying out of her as we did EVV.
CFI
Unfortunately our CFI is going to be indisposed for an unknown period. Simon Adlard has very kindly agreed to be the interim CFI so please address all CFI related issues to him.
Len Dent
Many members will have fond memories of Len. He was dedicated to the Club and flying at the Mynd. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of the RAF and aircraft types from the earliest to the modern. He recently saw the Battle of Britain film and found a number of technical flaws in the aircraft used in the film. Show him an elevator or an engine part and he would identify where it belonged within seconds. As they often say in cases like this, he will be missed, and it is true.
Paul Fowler has written the short obituary below:-
Len joined the Club in the early 1970s, when he worked for Bulmers Cider in Hereford after a career in the RAF. He was a full category instructor for over 25 years, Club secretary and DCFI when he assisted running the courses one season with Jack Minshall. He then moved to Loughton to teach having gained a degree from Sunderland. He owned a share in a number of gliders including the PIK20D 688 and used to share the journey up from Loughton with the late Roland Bailey to fly at weekends. Len sold his share in the PIK when he moved to live in Gateshead following his retirement. He then joined the Northumbria Gliding Club and purchased a share in a K7 along with two other pensioners, whose combined age even then was over 200. After a few years they took the K7 to Milfield to fly at the Borders Gliding Club and this led to annual Mynd expeditions to fly there, which still continue to be made. Len also purchased a share in a Sport Vega, which he sold a couple of years ago, and he was flying Club gliders until a few weeks ago. In between this extensive gliding activity, Len made a number of trips to glide at Minden in Nevada with Roland and to France at Chauvigny with the PIK syndicate.
Your team this weekend is:
Saturday: Mike Witton, Walter Baumann, Geoff Dailey, Dave d’Arcy
Sunday: Neal Clements, Matthew Cook, Geoff Dailey, Mark Wakem
A plea from the Marketing division
We are looking for good quality in-flight videos to use on our social media pages and website (with your permission) Can be 10seconds or 10mins, doesn’t matter. 20-30seconds is ideal. Also if you take any good quality photos around the club that you’re willing to share, we’d be really grateful. It could be airborne, at the launch point, around the hangar or even inside the clubhouse. We want to showcase the club and need loads of images and videos to do so. You can send your images to marketing@midlandgliding.club or email me for a Dropbox link to upload them to. By submitting them you give MGC permission to use the content for marketing purposes (credited to you wherever possible). I would also like to get some printed up onto canvases around the clubhouse to brighten it up and give it a fresh look. We may also use them for a 2019 calendar.
Look forward to seeing your submissions and thank you in advance!
Forthcoming events
Trailer Hitches
The South trailer park has been re wired and we will be expanding the electricity for de humidifiers to the North trailer park. I will provide more information once the kit is installed.
Christmas dinner 9 December
Peter Turner has once again “volunteered” to run the raffle, however we need prizes. Words of encouragement from Peter :-
“Dear members it’s that time of year when we ask you to be generous again and come up with some prizes for the Xmas lunch raffle. You have been so generous in the past which helps to bolster the social fund to provide the cash for some of those extras that the club budget might not be able to support.”
Can I suggest you bring your prizes along to the members evening.
Winter talks
Denise has worked out a superb schedule for this winter’s lectures. They all start at 18:00 and if we have a speaker then we do ask for a small donation on the night to cover their expenses. Book the date, have a few flights, enjoy the talk then have a superb evening meal.
Members evening
November 25 will be the members evening when the committee will present our strategy for the next 5 years and invite your input and approval. We will present the strategy, the critical issues then a short presentation on the finances, the marketing and membership followed by the fleet. Please be aware there will be audience participation! I am expecting quite a lot of members to turn out so I suggest you call the kitchen on Friday and let them know you will be wanting to eat on the Saturday.
January 13 – National Trust. All of your questions answered (who does own the horses?) and the trust’s plans for the future development of the Mynd.
February 24 – Julian has very kindly offered to talk about Euro Glide with us. More details closer to the time but I can assure you it is absolutely brilliant and will inspire you.
March 10 – Hugh Browning the BGA safety wizard.
March Expedition 2018.
We have the opportunity to go to Llanbedr next year for the week commencing 10th March 2018, with the prices the same as last year, £20 per aircraft and £12 per person per day. This is a huge airfield with massive runways and access to Snowdon and the Welsh mountains, but it is quite expensive, we have to pay a one off fee in advance and there is no refund if the weather is bad.
The alternative is to go to Lleweni Park in Denbigh. This has a single narrow runway, it costs a £40 deposit plus £17 per day that you are there, and has a Skylaunch winch and a huge ridge and is a good wave site. We would probably also have access to a tug. It is more difficult to fly from, more difficult to get into Snowdonia but cheaper.
Please email mail@mikegreenwood.co.uk if you want to go on the expedition, and your preference of where to go. If not enough people want to go to Llanbedr we will go to Lleweni Park.
Shobdon events
I am delighted to be able to publish Shobdon’s winter events as well as our own. See below:-
The next evening will be on Wednesday 29th November, with two topics:
Choosing a glider and how syndicates work’ – by Rose and Iain. Advice for members looking to buy their first private glider, covering suitable gliders to choose and effective ways to organise a syndicate.
Venue: Bateman Arms in Shobdon village.
Timings: 7 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.