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:
Instructor meeting
We had a good, well attended instructor meeting last Saturday. The CFI will be communicating separately but a couple of highlights are worth mentioning. Incident reporting still needs improving. You can report an incident in any way imaginable, piece of paper under the office door, phone call to any instructor, complete the forms in the office. We really don’t mind how you do it but we really really want to know. Just a reminder, an incident is something that didn’t happen that should have done or the reverse.
We will be improving the signalling and retrieve winch launch procedures. This is a change for us so we have set up an implementation team to get this in place.
MT shed
We are at the end of final glide. Nigel Lassetter is getting the completion certificate and the plumbing has been completed. Unlike a competition final glide I recommend we don’t pull up and go round again.
Ground radios
The Vitara is now back in service and Peter Orchard has completed all the other vehicles except the bus and Romeo 1. The club house will be the last to be installed then we will have a complete, modern ground system.
Club Secretary
After more than 7 years of dedicated service Clive Crocker has resigned from the committee. We all owe Clive a huge debt of thanks for the work he has put in over this period. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes and Clive has helped the club move forward. This leads to a vacancy for the role. Ideally the club needs a Secretary, it is nowhere near as onerous as in the old days. The requirements are:- be able to authorize on line payments, help record actions and decisions at committee meetings and ensure that the mandatory tasks (eg insurance renewal) are reminded to the committee when due. Each monthly meeting only takes 1.5 hours and gives you the opportunity to help steer your club. This committee is extremely effective yet the meetings are not onerous at all. Please give it some thought and let me know.
Weekend outlook:
Your team this weekend is Neal Clements, Matthew Cook, Ed Jones, Mike Greenwood, Walter Baumann, Glyn Macarthur.
Forthcoming events:
Calendars
The club calendars are ready so please order now from the office. They make a stunning present and of course get people interested in gliding and more specifically our club.
Christmas dinner
Christmas Raffle
As well a wonderful meal and a stocked bar to drink our way through we have some fantastic raffle prizes that have been kindly donated:-
– for those trainees and early solo pilots we have we have 3 tickets for X country fights in a Duo Discus.
– for those who have yet to buy a present for their wives/partners/girlfriends we have a boxed ladies wristwatch.
– for those who love a glass of the amber nectar we have a bottle of 8 year old Dailuane malt whisky one of only 391 bottles.
– been shopping yet? We have a Christmas box just for you
– for the go faster amongst us we have some genuine Ferrari accessories.
– for those members on the go we have a nice laptop available.
– would you like a photograph of your house from the air, live in a 50 mile radius of the club. Bring a camera and this can be arranged.
Lots of fantastic prizes so bring your wallet!!!!!!!!
As per previous emails the weather looks to be warmish and the dinner will be going ahead. Don’t forget Dawn Hartland will be available to take orders for the fantastic Yule rings.
New Year’s Eve
This is usually a chance to get together at the club on New Years Eve to celebrate the incoming year with good friends. Do let the kitchen or office know if you are coming, as there is usually a mass order for takeaway food on that night.
Winter lectures
We now have 4 booked during February and March. We have Pete Harvey the BGA chair, Hugh Browning the driving force on the safety initiatives, Mike Groves of Skylaunch and the National Trust. We have also had an offer of another interesting talk from a member. 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.
14 Jan Pete Harvey
Below is the extract from the BGA web site. We are extremely privileged to have Peter as our guest speaker. This is an interesting time for our sport and as well as entertaining us on how to do it he is a fount of knowledge on all things that affect our sport.
PETE HARVEY – CHAIRMAN
Pete flies from Bicester and York and is a British Team member. After success in international hang-gliding, he won the European Open Class Gliding Championship in 2005, 2007 and 2009 – an unprecedented achievement. He has a Nimbus 4 glider and a small share in a Robin 400.
11 Feb National trust
4 March Hugh Browning
11 March Mike Groves
Juniors
We will be hosting the Juniors Winter expedition on the 1st weekend of Feb.
Aim higher course
18 -19 March. 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.
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.