FOOTLAUNCH
Who said no news is good news? Not much to fill
this month’s pages.
CLUB STUFF
Next club meeting; on
Wed 11th May at 8:00pm in The Plume: Slide show by Richard Sheppard
- No specific theme but it will feature flying!
We
have a new club Logo. Anonymous entries were judged by members at the
last committee meeting and after much debate it was decided to go with the
following design from Nick Collins. Nick wins a week’s supply of dead batteries
and a large tub of Worstingfall’s Honing Poultice. Well done Nick!
SAFETY MATTERS and other stuff The North Devon Club recently sent out this info regarding the situation at Woolacombe
We had a letter from the National Trust
following that lovely day 10 days ago, when 13 hang-glider cars were parked at
Woolacombe T/O. (and only two HG pilots flew)
Please would you explain the following to members:
1. We must keep the National Trust licence rules.
2. Only one car (yes ONE) is permitted to park at T/O
3. This is permitted for HG fliers only.
Not PG pilots with a HG on the roof rack! If it's on the rack -take it back to
the road.
4. If you are the second car, drop off your gear and drive back to the road as
soon as possible.
5.If you arrive at the same time as another HG pilot please share roof-racks if
practical -minimise track wear for the farmer's benefit (He gains nothing from
the One car rule, but the Nat Trust must be obeyed).
5. If two cars are already parked -do not be the third.
6. If there are five cars parked - do not be the sixth etc.
(Does this make sense? Hopefully two or three cars may be ignored –but not 13!
)
We also ask pilots to rig close by the walls to the right (North), or rear
(East), and for PG pilots to mushroom their gliders when not flying and keep them
by the rear wall. This will leave the entire field clear for take-off and
landing, with normal courtesy and care being taken.
Kind regards –Chris
NEWS
Sad news: Well known Canadian pilot Chris Muller died on 22nd April. Seems he flew into the ground at high speed whilst trying to ‘grab a bag’ at the goal field during the US Nationals. Story here: http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=ccec10b2-58e7-4eb1-b830-68f6c2cd12b0
DEFRA put the boot in: Could 28 day rule jeopardise our sites? Story here:
Injured youself? Tell the doctors it was by playing football: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0504/S00017.htm
LINKSIf you are find yourself a little bored at work or it’s blowing a gale outside, have a look at this. Despite its simplicity it is a very good glider sim. http://www.danb.dircon.co.uk/hg/hg.htm Historical Pictures 
Not really a historical picture – it was taken last month over Hay Bluff. I just thought it was interesting to see Phil Huddleston’s flying set up. His harness is a 20+ year old Cruise that was popular for a while before everyone got those ugly Pods. It wouldn’t look out of place on a modern wing. The Glider is a Solar Wings Ace and goes very well!
The picture on the left shows a Soarcerer (I think) PG being launched from Ager in 1986. It had just one central opening on the underside of the wing. Needed a crew of half a dozen to launch it. The group (don’t know who they were) had 2 with them and only flew them straight down in the late afternoons when it had smoothed out a bit – can’t say I blame them!
FLYING DIARY Nothing added since February…
COMPETITIONS
Go4it
2005
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 Kms as a
check. Flights will be scored to nearest 100m.
6. Defined flights (BHPA rules) Coordinates for turn points
in addition. Double 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 (previously 3
miles).
All distances in Km
Name |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
Total |
|
Bryan
Hindle |
40.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
40.4 |
|
Rob
Davies |
20.4 |
8.7 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
29.1 |
|
Tim
Crow |
26.6 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
26.6 |
HUMOUR SECTION
Subject:
Letters to the editor
Could the Home
Secretary explain to me how biometric checks on iris patterns and fingerprints
are going to help keep tabs on muslim cleric Abu Hamsa.
Les Barnsley,
Barnsley
'One pound a week
will supply water for an entire village in Tanzania', says Oxfam. So how come
United Utilities charge me twenty pounds a month for my three bedroom semi? The
fleecing b@st@rds.
Tracey Cusick,
Cumbria
How come rap
artist Dr. Dre can use the 'N' word on his multi-million selling albums and win
a MOBO award, yet when I used it at my son's football match I was asked to
leave the park? Once again, it's one law for the rich and another for the poor.
Reg Ashcroft,
Bradford
So HMV consider
Andy Williams and Dean Martin to be "easy listening" do they? Try
telling that to my mate Andy. He's been deaf for 20 years.
Tim
It's uncanny how
some of these old sayings are true. 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder', said
my wife as she waved goodbye to me on the way to spend a month with her mother.
Since then I have grown quite fond of my next door neighbour. I actually gave
her one on the living room carpet this morning.
Christopher
Hampshire, Bristol
The recent
suicide of Harold Shipman has thrown up some interesting questions. For a
start, does Shipman killing himself take his official tally up to 216, or does
it count as an own goal? Where does this final score place our national champ
in the world league table?
Magnus, Sheffield
I was shocked to
hear Home Secretary David Blunkett say that Britain's prison population has
been ballooning for the past ten years. My God, has the world gone mad? Those
people are there to be punished, not to be given 'thrill of a lifetime'
experiences that most law abiding citizens can only dream of.
Mrs Close,
Headingley
The government
says that there are nearly 50,000 people with HIV in Britain, a third of whom
do not even know that they have it. Is it just me, or is it a bit harsh that
the government know and haven't told the poor sods?
John Campbell,
e-mail
Never mind
ventriloquists like Keith Harris and Roger DeCourcey. What about Professor
Stephen Hawking? I saw him on telly blathering on about galaxies for hours and
I never saw his lips move once. Genius.
Mike Woods, e-mail
With reference to
that series "Manhunt" where ex-Special Forces soldiers try to hunt
down Andy McNab. Why don't the producers include a couple of Iraqis in the
hunting team? They found the tw@t quickly enough the last time he played hide
and seek with them.
Shuggie, Email
It's all very
well Meg Ryan getting her kit off for her new film, but why wasn't she doing it
twenty years ago before her puppies hit the pan?
Alan Pick,
Kingston-upon-Toast
I would like to
thank Darren of Chelsea for not coming to Australia with Jenny. She is a great
sh@g. Thanks again.
Baz, Bondi
Hats off to the
witty burglars who stole my entire CD collection with the exception of
"There is Nothing Left to Lose" by the Foo Fighters. I hope that when
sentencing, the judge takes into account their splendid sense of humour.
Chris Scaife,
Jesmond
Hats off to the
American police. They arrive at Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch to arrest him
a mere six months after he admits climbing into bed with young boys on
worldwide TV. Perhaps they should get some faster cars.
T Barnham, London
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