FOOTLAUNCHfebruary
The
romantic newsletter
This is what
has been happening in the last few months: Nick Collins’s knee is now good
enough to fly on; Brian Pilcher has got broardband; everyone who went had a good time at the club
Christmas meal; John Bevan is still in love with his
VR; Dave Jackson Hobbs is threatening to start HGing
again; Jim Clewitt is chasing his Pilot rating;
Richard Pearce and John Kingsley seem to spend most of their time in exotic
locations; The Shails seem to have started a tearoom
for distinguished visitors; Antonio Lauricella
wants to start a video club; Gordon Allison
has one half of a powered HG. That’s all the news. The rest is padding.
Thanks TC
and BH! Safe flying,
Richard.
Next club
meeting; on Wed 14th February at The Pheasant,
SAFETY MATTERS and other stuff Lies, damned lies and
statistics - You are the problem!
Accident
figures for US light aircraft aviation in 2005 show that there were 7.2 serious
accidents and 1.4 fatal accidents for every 100,000 flying hours. Analysis of
these showed 75% of all the accidents, and 83% of the fatal accidents were the
pilots fault. The biggest problems were mishaps during manoeuvring, weather
related incidents and during take-off or landing (which just about covers
everything we do!). The cause of the accident being “the
pilot’s decision to engage in a high risk action”. So as with most
mechanical things the biggest problem is a nut on the control mechanism.
Someone mentioned Fred Locke would stop loose nuts causing accidents – I don’t
know who he is but he must be a good pilot. Maybe he just sticks to the rules!
So before you engage in a high risk manoeuvre i.e. take off, have a quick think
about whether you’re completely happy with everything. If in doubt, sit it out.
More wise words
When two pilots are
converging, the other pilot should give way.
The pilot who is the most shoutey has the right of way.
Altimeters are calibrated to
count down at exactly twice the rate they count up.
The best day is always the one
before or after the forecast one you booked off work.
The chance of hitting sink is
equal to the lack of landing areas.
The time until the best
thermal is inversely proportional to how long it takes to rig your wing.
The chances of staying up are
inversely proportional to how new your kit is. One new piece = zero chance.
This year’s glider has totally
awesome performance and handling, is much better than last years and simply
cannot be improved . . . until next year’s model.
The chance of getting to base is dependant on
whether you forgot your gloves.
There are old pilots, and
there are cold pilots, but there are no old cold pilots. They’re sensible
enough not to bother unless it’s a nice day with temperature into double
figures.
It’s better to be on the ground wishing you were up there than to be on the ground waiting for the ambulance!
It’s all relative
At
our local flying club, we had always noticed that the pilots who flew westward
seemed to be very tired and stressed out when we picked them up. Conversely,
the ones who were picked up far to the east of the airfield were always
cheerful, happy, and younger-looking. We had been blaming this phenomenon on
the terrain and LZ density distributions, but now (thanks to Einstein) we know
the REAL reason.
http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/relativ/airtim.html#c5
Comps and meetings
Airtopia Demo Weekend
As always in the new year
there are new toys coming out and as normal we will be having a demo weekend
mid march.
Wings
from; Ozone, Nova, UP, Airwave and Gin. If you wish to try a particular make or model
or compare some then please contact us..
This is a pre book event
on the 10th 11th March weather permitting or the
following weekend.
I need to know; Name….and
all up flying weight; Current wing and size and experience; Wings that you wish to try; Part exchange
involved or not?
Contact details including mobile number.
Hope to hear from you soon
Regards
Robin www.airtopia.com robin@airtopia.com
Lakes Charity Classic
Entries for the 2007 LCC are now open.
Full details for the event, its organisation and an entry form can be found
under the 'Lakes Charity Classic' link on the CSC website homepage (http://www.cumbriasoaringclub.co.uk)
The LCC has a long
history of attracting pilots from all over the country who join together to
have a good time in a fantastic part of the country and, at the same time,
raise a good amount of money for charity. We hope that this year's event will
be as successful as last year's.
Many thanks, Simon
Raven CSC Contact / Secretary / Membership Sec.
The Kernow Hang
Gliding & Paragliding Associations annual Frostbite Competition is now
scheduled for the weekend 17th/18th February here in sunny
The Saturday evening will be an informal affair in one of the local pubs no
doubt with further inter club competitions taking place. All pilots are
welcome although it should be taken into consideration that if the wind is Northerly
we might be flying at St Agnes Head, which has no bottom landing.
I
have taken on the organising and those up for it should contact me on the
numbers below for further details. Anyone looking for accommodation can
normally find plenty of floor space at various pilots homes or there are plenty
pubs that can provide B&B.
See you there Graham Phipps (Phippsy)
01209842877 07785593559
Cornwall Hang Gliding & Paragliding Services www.flychaps.co.uk
Dear Doreen,
Love is in the air – how perfect for a
February flying newsletter. Are us women wasting our time? Looking at my postbag I would say we
are. Ask
me anything – yes anything!
Dear Doreen,
I met this guy 3 weeks ago we really like each other but every Friday he stops talking to me except when the weather is bad I was out on Friday with my best mate Shaz he said he was upset about the way I was with him before I went out with Shaz even though I don't remember saying anything nasty to upset him and Shaz agrees what should I do?
L8rs, Kelly Molybdenum
Dear Kelly
Rejoice! Now you know that he's the kind of twit who will
take the hump without even telling you why, and then "punish" you by
not speaking. You're well rid of him. People like this sulk,
in other words, they believe they can "make" you do what they want if
they "make" you feel guilty... Either that or he’s what is commonly
known as a ‘Free Flier’. Does he try to watch the weather forecast when this
happens? You were probably talking over the forecast. That would be deemed as
nasty and upsetting.
I hope this helps, Doreen.
Dear Doreen,
I really love this Paraglider guy I met on holiday in
Malvern last June. I cried so much when I left him. He lives in
Yours truly, Amy Hangingbasket
Dear Amy
I wouldn’t get too upset; there really are worse places
to live than
I hope this helps, Doreen.
Dear Doreen,
Down where I live there is a girl that I like. I did a love calculator and it came up 95%. How do I show her that we're made for each other? I told her I’m a hang glider pilot because I thought she’d be impressed but she just laughed. Where did I go wrong?
Cheers, Jake Mechanism
Dear Jake
Oh dear. Oh deary deary me. Love calculator… hang glider…Tell her you meant
paraglider pilot and that you have an ipod, you
dinosaur! You still won’t get anywhere but at least she’ll know what you are
talking about. Thanks for the laugh.
I hope this helps, Doreen.
Dear Doreen,I fly a powered hang glider and I’ve been advised by a club expert to “get friendly with a farmer” in order to secure a flying field. After following this advise I have found that my efforts have invariably led to a visit to the A&E department of my local hospital. After seven such visits my time in the waiting room has allowed me to reflect on my error of judgement. I am pretty sure about where I am going wrong so the only advise I need from you is more in the way of information. Do you by any chance have a list of addresses for women farmers? Yours, Clive Panelling Dear Clive,I think your best bet would be to subscribe to Country Life Magazine or Tatler. Keep your eyes on the Debutants pages and go woo a couple of them. Then you can use their fathers’ estate as your airport or whatever it is you call it!
I hope this helps, Doreen.
News
Hang-gliding plunge father named
A Scottish man who plunged to his death in a hang-glider
accident in
Colin Ross, 50, died instantly when his glider crashed in a national park in the north eastern province of Nakorn Ratchasima, 200 miles north-east of Bangkok, the Foreign Office said.
It is understood Mr Ross is originally from
Daredevil escapes as hang-glider breaks up around him
Queenstown: Glider pilot Chuck Berry escaped death
after his craft disintegrated in mid-air yesterday, sending him plunging 2000ft
(600m) into bushes on
Mr
Moments later there was a “catastrophic structural
failure” and the wings ripped clean off the glider’s cockpit cage. Mr
After about 10 seconds of free-fall, during which time the
wind was roaring around him, he eventually found “the right handle” and
deployed the reserve parachute. It slowed his rate of descent for about five
seconds, before he crash-landed in bushes on the steep
He remained where he crashed for about 30 minutes, still
strapped into the remains of the cockpit with the wreckage of his glider
scattered around him. While he waited for rescuers to arrive, he called the
Queenstown air traffic control tower to report the crash, and received a call
from friend and fellow pilot Dominic Eller.
Only one thing was going through his mind as he plunged
towards the ground, he said: “Save yourself.”
“Panic will never save you. You have just got to keep a
clear head, especially when the ground is rushing up.
“You owe it to yourself to do the best you can, and out of
the corner of my eye I could see the hills behind me so I could gauge how far
away everything was and how much altitude I had left. And time was of the
essence.”
The moment of impact was “great”, Mr
“I thought it was going to be much worse. I was very happy
to walk away, without sustaining any major injuries.”
Mr Berry lay 200m up the Coronet Peak slope, about 1km
from the Flight Park near Arrowtown, feeling elated,
until volunteer firefighters from Arrowtown
reached him on foot. His first words to his rescuers were: “Happy New Year”.
“I was just stoked to be alive, really. There’s nothing
better.”
Apologies to Bryan Hindle who first sent me this about 3 months
ago…
Low
Air Time Malvern Members At Kettle Sings
At the committee it was raised how we
often do not get to see new low airtime members. And consequently they do not
get involved with the Club. A problem that arises because of the 15 hr minimum
limit that applies to Kettle Sings. So just when they could do with some help,
we leave them to their own devices at not a particularly easy site, Castle
Morton.
So we have decided that on selected
days, under certain conditions, they can fly from KS. Apart from a couple of
reasons; spine back and houses underneath, a much better site. It has a much
better take off, a reasonable top to bottom, and huge bottom landing.
How will the days be selected? Well this
will pretty much be up to you. If you want to fly, even mid week, give me a
call.
01684 572723
But I will also flag up days that I
think will be good on the mail list.
If you need any more information, or are
not sure about something, give me a call.
Conditions:
1 A Malvern club coach
must be on site.
2 You must be a full
member.
3 You should have some
airtime achieved recently, say 5 or 6 hrs
4 You should have a
working 2 meter radio.
5 A reasonably
modern glider, good glide angle, with speed system.
6 And on the day you
must report to the coach before flying.
See you there, Bryan.
Oiyitsmytubesobuggeroff
(Editor’s selections from Youtube –
Send in your own favourites)
Remember in the November issue (Yes, I know it was a long time ago) the story of the grounded low flying Kiwi John Smith? Here’s the video of the event that grounded him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhE-dEcWM2A
And this is flying related.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ie3Myg0c6U
As is this. “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufuws8odkNQ
This is pretty much removed from flying. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzqumbhfxRo
Go4IT
OLD NEWS. READ THIS AND
In order to encourage more entries into the ‘Go for it’ League it was decided that on entering (free entry) a flight for the league the pilot will automatically enter a raffle for a £50 cash prize.
Pilots will get a Raffle ticket for each entry into the League, but the maximum number of tickets to be held by any one person is to be THREE.
The Raffle will be drawn at the Christmas Meal.
Entries to Tim Crow to be in within one month of the flight.
Rules
1.
UK flights only.
2. No infringement of airspace.
3. Must have Pilot rating or be under instruction from one on
the day.
4. Flights between 01/12/04 to 30/11/05.
5. Co-ordinates for T/O and landing required plus distance
from point to point in Km as a
check. Flights will be scored to nearest
100m.
6. Defined flights (BHPA rules, see below) Coordinates for
turn points in addition. Bonus
distance awarded provided 60% of flight
outside ridge lift.
7. Stone’s throw award for smallest flight submitted (or
known about) provided
distance 5km or greater.
Go4IT Flight Types
Open Distance (score =
distance)
Open Distance flights do not have any turnpoints.
Open distance flights will score the straight-line distance from the start
point to the end point.
Dog-Leg (DL) score =
distance
Dog-Leg flights are open distance flights with a single turnpoint. The turnpoint does not
need to be declared beforehand. The turnpoint is
permitted when pilots are forced to make a substantial change in direction.
Out and Return (OR)
score = distance x 2 when the majority of the flight is out of ridge lift.
Out and Return flights commence at a start point, go round a
single turnpoint, and return to the original start
point. The coordinates of the start point and finish point are therefore
identical. The start/finish point may be different to the actual launch/landing
points but the flight distance is only measured from the start, to the turnpoint and back.
FAI Triangle (T) score
= distance x 3 when the majority of the flight is out of ridge lift.
An FAI Triangle is one which satisfies the FAI’s
28% Rule (shortest side must be greater than, or equal to, 28% of the distance
flown). To fly a triangle you must round three turnpoints,
and return to the original start point. The coordinates of the start point and
goal are therefore identical and for declared triangles and local records, must
be one of the turnpoints. The start/goal point may be
different to the actual launch/landing points.
Special Rule to
encourage pilots to attempt triangle flights
Note that for non-declared triangles, using GPS verification, you
can fly a loop and you will be scored the best triangle which can be fitted
inside it. Your track log points must cross to complete the loop. This means
you don’t have to start and finish at a turnpoint but
may start midway along a leg. This is to encourage pilots to try triangle
flights.
Flat Triangle (FT)
score = distance x 2
A Flat Triangle is a triangular flight as above, except that it
does not conform to the FAI 28% rule. Completed Flat Triangle flights score the
distance multiplied by 2 when the majority of the flight is out of ridge lift.
Failed Triangle (score
= distance)
A Failed Triangle is an attempt at a triangular flight in which
the pilot fails to make it back to the start point. Failed Triangles score the
total distance from the start, around up to two turnpoints
and back towards the finish point.
ADVERTS
|
|
If you are interested in trying new
wings please call…
For map and
directions please go to WWW.AIRTOPIA.COM
Second hand canopies
All canopies are serviced prior to sale, lines and sail and stitching are all checked. Prices reflect the age of design and the amount of life we believe is left in the wing. .
UP Trango
2 M demo 85-105kg £1,150:00 ex
Up trango 1 M
85-105kg £500:00
Ozone Vulcan
M 80-100kg £500:00
Gradient Bliss
L 95-120kg £750:00
Gradient Topas L
85-110kg £300:00 mint!
Airwave Sport 1 S 65-85kg £500:00 VGC
Call Robin tel 01453 827202
Mobile
07973 844449