BOOKER GLIDING CLUB

WYCOMBE AIR PARK, MARLOW, BUCKS SL7 3DP

INFORMATION SHEET March 2000

 

From the Committee

Don't forget the AGM is to be held on March 18th, please attend if you can. As the soaring season approaches we have completed the planning for the
coming season and beyond. In order to help make the decision-making
processes clearer to everyone a précis of the current forward plan will be
made available in the members' area in the Clubhouse (soon after the AGM).
Feel free to discuss its contents with any committee member.

CLUB GLIDER HIRE: if you wish to use a Club glider for a competition next
year make your application in writing to the committee in the next few
weeks - allocations will be decided in late March.

ADMIN: You will recall that in previous newsletters we have asked that the
logs be better kept and that pilots ensure that their own flights are
correctly logged. At the moment we waste a huge amount of office time
sorting the logs out, it also costs us lost revenue and has safety
implications if flights are not logged in or out. In the most recent
request for help, G noted that if things did not improve we would introduce
an admin fee as an inducement. Sadly, the situation has not improved so, as
from 1st April

A £5 ADMIN FEE WILL BE LEVIED AGAINST ANY FLIGHT WHICH HAS PILOTS NAME/NUMBER, TAKE-OFF OR LANDING TIME NOT LOGGED. NO EXCEPTIONS.

All you need to do is to ensure the log-keeper has your name and number
before you launch and ensure that you are logged down after landing. It is
the latter which is most commonly missed, especially if you land late in
the day. Instructors - please ensure your students are aware of this. This
really should not be a problem.

HANGAR: The new hangar is now completed, although we will obviously be
subject to further disruption when the next one is demolished. There is not
a dividing fence in the new hangar and we wish it to remain that way so
please do not walk through the hangar - access it only through the
Northern doors.

See you at the AGM.

Sunday 24th September – Saturday 14th October 2000

The list for our three weeks at Aboyne opens on 4th March at 08:30. When you book we will need to know.

 

  • Which weeks?
  • Club or private aircraft?
  • Book club accommodation or your own?
  • Pre/post solo
  • You will need a towbar on your car
  • Be prepared to tow a trailer to or from Aboyne
  • You will need to pay £50.00 deposit when you book

 

Places fill up very quickly so don’t delay booking if you fancy a week or two in Royal Deeside this autumn.

You can still put your name on the list for the Long Mynd trip on 18th/19th or 25th/26th March and Shobdon on 1st/2nd April.

DR

 

From the CFI

Members will be pleased to learn that Jed Edyvean has joined us as a full time member of staff. He shares the role of DCFI with Andy Perkins who will be with us throughout the season. What does this mean for the club? Jed is a top quality instructor, ex-CFI of Dunstable, with lots of experience at running gliding clubs, training and supervising instructors and cross country and competition flying. We will now be able to have two professional full rated instructors working every weekend, so it will be easier to get your instructor checks, cross country and field landing training done. Please give him all the support that you’ve given me over the last year.

On the subject of cross country training: there is now a list posted on the cross country notice board for Duo training at the weekend. If you wish to fly the Duo as P2 on a training cross country flight then put your name on the list and I will make sure that I find you a coach to fly with.

Cross country coaches – you know who you are – can also now put your names on the same list for Duo P1 flying and running the morning cross country briefing. We will start morning briefings and formal cross country training in April.

 

We have revised the cadet scheme (again!) to make it work better. The committee have put in a lot of work over the winter to come up with a better way of supervising and training the cadets. If you are interested in what the cadets are doing for us and what they receive in turn then the information is available in the office in the form of the cadet handbook. Please take the time to read it and have any helpful suggestions I’ll be glad to hear them. When you see new young faces around the launch point over the next few months please be friendly to them – this can be an intimidating environment!

The BGA are offering training places in two seaters at the Junior Nationals. Open to any under 25’s with any level of experience, it’s heavily subsidised (ie almost free) and you should go if you fit the bill. Tell me if you are interested and I’ll advise you on how to go about getting a place. Final closing date for applications to reach the BGA office is 30th April and the competition runs from 25th August to 3rd September.

 

From the office

As you are probably aware a stricter control is being kept on the proceeds of the tea bar in the clubhouse and to this end we would request that you do not use your foreign coins to pay for your drinks and snacks as this defeats the object of trying to make the tea bar self-funding. If, however, you have any odd foreigns coins that are weighing you down or taking up space at home, please bring them into the office as we have a collecting box for a local hospice who can change them up and use the proceeds to help the patients.

 

CFI’s final turn

Every year somebody breaks a glider canopy. Every single member of this club knows that you must leave canopies closed and locked. There is no excuse for allowing a canopy to blow shut (or open) and smash! Having said that, I am aware that we all make mistakes, but please try to avoid breaking yet another one. We are all just fed up with it……

It is rapidly approaching silly season. If you have not flown since last year (last century!) then get checked out before you fly solo. It is impossible for us to keep track of everybody on a busy day so this is your responsibility! If you are not current (ie have not flown solo in the last couple of months) then find the supervising instructor and ask if you need a check flight before you fly.

Have a safe season.

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