NEWSLETTER
Number 106 November 2003
Chairman’s Contribution........................................................................................................................................................... 2
CFI’s Bits..................................................................................................................................................................................... 3
From the Flying Field................................................................................................................................................................. 4
2004 Annual Dinner and Trophy
Presentation...................................................................................................................... 4
Christmas Dinner and Winter
Catering Arrangements......................................................................................................... 4
Three Days in August............................................................................................................................................................... 5
Aboyne........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Towlines...................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Team Mynd Juniors 2003.......................................................................................................................................................... 8
Your DG Needs You!............................................................................................................................................................... 10
Trailer Tyre Failure................................................................................................................................................................... 11
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Club Details: The The Long Mynd Church Stretton Office Telephone......01588 650206 Office Fax.................01588 650532 Members Telephone..01588
650405 Email……………….office@longmynd.com |
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Chairman’s Contribution
Charles Carter
Without wishing to invite rude comments I think I must be getting old because it does not seem many days since the last newsletter. However here we are nearing the end of another course season and it is an appropriate time to thank our professional team for a well run operation. JS and Dave Crowson have worked very well together and I am delighted to say that Dave will again be John’s number two for the 2004 courses. A big thank you to all the club instructors who willingly stand in and help on the courses, accepting only their lunch and our gratitude as their reward. The winching team have once again provided perfect launches and so thanks to Colin, Peter and Alex for all your hard work. Thanks also to Martin and Lynnette for the efficient way in which they deal with all the problems dumped on their desk.
There are many facets to make the operation work successfully and without good catering and workshop facilities club life would be different so thank you to Jo and Roger for their contributions. Finally the biggest thanks to Rosemary for her unstinting efforts to clean up after us all. Sometimes when we troop in after a wet spell the mess we leave is unbelievable but Rosemary never seems to mind.
Although the season is drawing to a close the winter flying programme kicks off in early November and will be similar to last year. Wednesday and Thursday afternoons and all day Friday with John Stuart in charge and weekends as per the rota. There are good training days and lots of fun flying to be had during the winter so make sure that you are getting your share.
The Knox winch suffered an engine failure in September and the committee following expert advice have decided to fit a new uprated 8.2 litre engine. The reasons were many but for some time now our winches have been labouring on no wind days with the new generation heavier type of two seater gliders (Duo Discus, DG) and we decided that staying ahead of the winching game is something that MGC has in the past and should in the future be doing. Hopefully the Knox will be back on line by the end of October.
Fleet refurbishment this winter includes the K23s being regelled and the K21s being re-instrumented. The CFI’s stated aim is to have all club glider panels identical with the Clever Box vario system as the preferred choice. Glider down time will be kept to a minimum.
You will all have noticed the new tarmac apron to the front and side of the hangar which will make wet days easier to cope with. Since it has been laid we have had very little rain to test the drainage but I do not doubt that things will change.
Mike Whitton’s plans to revamp the bunkhouse block will shortly become reality but accommodation should not be too badly affected because according to the builder only one room at a time is to be tackled. You can always trust a builder!
Sheila Hawkes has sent a nice selection of Ron’s flying books and memorabilia up to the club and I have written and thanked her on your behalf. Ron’s health has deteriorated recently and our thoughts and best wishes are with both Ron and Sheila. Ron for the benefit of newer members was the number one course instructor and glider engineer before John Stuart succeeded him.
Please get in touch with me if you have any suggestions or gripes to make and if there are any thoughts on the 70th anniversary, coming up in August 2004, then let me know.
CFI’s Bits
Neal Clements
Post Solo Training
This has been a black hole in the gliding movement for many years. There is no formal syllabus between solo and basic instructor. To address this most clubs have their own card scheme and the Mynd changed its system under Nick Heriz-Smith to conform to a more ‘usual’ scheme of coloured cards rather than our numbered stage system.
We have been running with the system long enough now to be able to review its suitability and use.
I believe the purposes of the cards were as follows:
1. To
develop the pilot by setting exercises within a broad set of conditions e.g.
2. To remove the need for unnecessary check flights, if you had flown currently then why have a check?
3. To stop people slipping through the training system without having experienced or been signed off on particular exercises. The red card is the most comprehensive because it contains the most training exercises.
4. To enable the number one to set a stage for the day that would be safe for people to fly within.
5. To enable any instructor to see a pilot’s progress and suggest suitable exercises to develop the pilot.
The deficiencies identified to me so far are:
1. It assumes that cross country flying is an extension of Mynd flying. You cannot fly cross country until you are Mynd proficient and you cannot be Mynd proficient unless you are a cross country pilot.
2. A 5 minute circuit every 6 weeks enables a pilot to claim currency and only be checked on an annual check flight.
3. Setting a colour card for the day does not give the number one confidence that capable pilots can fly, there is no such thing as a red card day, there are however strong wind days, easterlies, westerly and bungey days.
I would like to develop the existing system to overcome these problems and also to make it fulfil requirements from pilots themselves. To this end I propose a flying sub committee taken from flying members who are from post solo to blue card and instructor. If you feel you could help then please send me an email. I would envisage holding a meeting before the instructors meeting so that they can review the progress being made.
Christmas Flying
Once again we are fortunate in having a volunteer in Andy Holmes to organise flying over the Christmas break, please offer your help, it needs the full crew of ground handlers and instructors as well as launch facilities.
Slabs on the Mynd
Despite rumours it is not intended to continue the wonderful tarmac apron over the whole of the Mynd. The slabs that you have seen being repainted are in fact part of the runway marker project that has been going on for many years. The latest ones to be re painted form a runway from the landing T on the east side landing short west and from them go to parallel line of slabs to the west. The other slabs that have been painted white are blocks of four slabs together that form an aiming point/threshold over the gully for training pilots.
Bronze Paper
The winter is an excellent opportunity to get your Bronze paper out of the way and to help you do this Paul Shuttleworth and other instructors will be holding a series of Bronze lectures which will culminate in your passing the exam. Please can you email Paul on Paul@aqualec.co.uk or see him or me at the club to express your interest by 23rd November. They may be held “off hill” during the tricky parts of the winter so you will be guaranteed a lecture come what may.
E-Mail: N.Clements@talis.com
From the Flying Field
Sarah and Richard Platt
Welcome to new members John Vellagrech, Martin Cowburn, Helen Johnson, Gordon Magregor, David Bray and to Roy Witton who has rejoined after a gap of 20 years.
Congratulations to soloists Tim Burchill and Martin Cowburn, and to Nick Bucknall on completing his Bronze and cross-country endorsement. September was mostly just hot and sunny although the 4th enabled Rod Hawley, Julian Fack and our treasurer to notch up some more decent cross country flights. Despite the heat at the end of September, Walter showed everyone else how it should be done in the spot-landing competition, and Paul Shuttleworth and Jonny Roberts took the DG to Sleap and beyond while we were all doing circuits. Ian Mac and Jonny also flew to Nympsfield and Bidford, nearly making it back to the Mynd.
October began with the course bungeying to the east. This was followed by some wave days ranging from average to excellent, with Thursday 9th allowing Neil Backes in JEP to reach over 14,000 feet, JS in FWQ to reach 11,000 feet and Simon Adlard to fly 200 km to Builth Wells and Chirk in his Nimbus. John Garrett from Talgarth had perhaps the best course of the year as he was the only one on it for most of the week. He was also with JS when he achieved his goal of flying to Talgarth and back at ten thousand feet in easterly wave.
In mid October as the weather has got a bit colder and the Ozee suits have begun to appear, we have hosted 6 pupils from Idsall school who are flying on a 3 month scheme organised between MGC, Roger Skelhorn of the school and the Faulkes Flying Foundation.
2004 Annual Dinner and Trophy Presentation
Sarah Platt and Lynnette Causer
After many meals all in the name of research this is now
booked for
There will be a three course meal with coffee, as well as a disco with music ranging from the 50s to the present, so there should be something for everyone. The price will be in the region of £20 to £23, to be confirmed in a couple of weeks once we’ve finalised the menu choices. Start time will also be confirmed in the next newsletter. We hope there will be a bus available depending on how many people will use it. Accommodation can be booked at the hotel (telephone 01694 722244 or email info@longmynd.co.uk), but make sure you book well in advance as they are booking up fairly quickly.
Please ask us if you have any questions, or if you want details of other accommodation, contact Sarah.
Christmas Dinner and Winter Catering Arrangements
Jo Beadman
Christmas Dinner will be on Saturday 13th.December,
starting at
During the winter we will be open as normal on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition we’ll be open for lunch on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, weather permitting.
Three Days in August
Julian Fack
I had been watching Weatherjack’s website for a suitable day for a 500 km, but by mid August it seemed as if 2003, in spite of the superb summer, would be another year which slipped by without a Diamond, since the days were already getting so much shorter.
Suddenly a slot looked likely and Thursday August 14th seemed to hold promise. I arrived early, rigged the Discus, and waited for the day to start. Things were slow to start; eventually, after lunch, Paul Stanley in the Duo and I in the Discus decided to try Nympsfield, Bidford and return, 236 km.
Paul started first, and I got launched at
The next day Jack promised similar or better conditions, so
I arrived early again and this time it did look as if a 500 might be on. Iain Evans declared a 750 which encouraged
me, so I declared Bury St Edmunds via Bidford and Edgehill. I had
worked out that I should aim to get going by
By now cloudbase was around 5000 feet, a bit higher than the day before, conditions got very good, and I gradually (too gradually) speeded up, but by the time I passed the M1 it looked as if I might be running late. East of the motorway it was booming, and I finally managed to cover the ground at speed, arriving at Bury just 8 minutes behind schedule, in spite of having started late.
Now I needed to maintain a good speed, but I dropped to 2000
feet near
The return to Bidford was good, taking less than 2 hours from the turn, but beyond it was high cloud, and more or less total cut off. I thought of landing at Bidford for an aerotow retrieve, since my engine was neatly stowed in a box in the blue van, but I pushed on hoping to make Shobdon. With some weak thermals under the high cover and a reasonable one near Malvern I made it on to final glide for Shobdon.
At
The next day, Saturday, was the start of Task Week, and
again the forecast was good. Nick set a 308 km triangle,
I had a low point of 2000 feet QNH near
The good weather did not continue, but I shall long remember last August when the weather allowed us to fly a 200, 500 and a 300 from the Mynd on three consecutive days.
Aboyne
David Rance
I know when I have had a good wave flight from the Mynd, because when I land my feet are cold. And they haven’t been cold often enough this
year. “How about a week in the wave in
I flew from Aboyne for a couple of weeks in the mid eighties, flying the universities’ Bocian, a huge creaking metal beast with a fantastic view, but only once had a sniff of wave. The tug took me there and released me at some great altitude and even greater expense. Off tow, the wave required me to turn left, so of course, I turned right. I found the wave alright. Well, the bit that goes down. It remains the only time I have ever beaten the tug launching me back onto the ground. Later I met an instructor called Helicopter John. I presumed this was because he flew helicopters for Bristow’s but after having had a successful wave flight in a Puchaz climbing to 9000 feet, I made the somewhat inadvisable enquiry “does this spin?” Does it ever! This way. That way. See what happens if I do this. Try that. I don’t think we actually spun tail first. Finally back at circuit height and feeling distinctly iffy, I got to wondering if he did get his name flying helicopters.
Nine hours dragging the trailer up the motorway was made acceptable by anticipation and a good weather forecast. Relative to many trailers, mine is pretty small, very stable and can happily be dragged along at 65 mph. Julian assures me this is way above VNE. Imagine my surprise when I was overtaken by a Duo Discus turbo (not in itself difficult but this one was actually still in its trailer) doing at least another 10 mph. It was bouncing and swaying around so much I was quite sure that it was destined for the ditch. Later, I made some enquiries and found it belonged to a friend who had just sold his share. Smart move me thinks.
The first day was a wave day. High Excitement. Arrive.
Briefing.
Rig. DI. Flat
Day two started bright and early with a new tube. Julian put the wheel back on and curiously didn’t have any bits left over which still puzzles me. The brakes are hydraulic and he suggested that maybe unbolting the brake pipe from the calliper hadn’t been such a bright idea. I was a little hurt by this as thought it was pretty clever, having briefly considered cutting the brake pipe to get the wheel off. Bolted back together, we tried to bleed the brakes. Well actually the resident engineer, Alan, tried to bleed them. For about an hour. Or two. Then Julian tried. And then when they were both completely defeated they let me try. The considered opinion was that the master cylinder was shagged. This is a Scottish term meaning looks perfectly OK but actually broken. I tried threatening it with a large hammer but it did no good. Who needs a wheel brake anyway?
A little research showed the master cylinder is actually the
hydraulic brake master cylinder that you would find on the handlebars of an
Italian motor bike. Oh, great. No problem to get one of those in the wilds
of
My wife, Vicky was flying up from
Day three was an away day.
Sky full of wave. The boys were soon gone. I paced up and down and jumped out in front
of every white van that dared to approach the airfield. The guys in the club office soon got fed up
with me ‘just checking’ to see if anything had arrived whilst I was looking
elsewhere. By mid day,
nothing. I phoned the carriers.
“Oh no, we can’t do next day carriage up there, it’s far too
remote”. In my most calm and persuasive
voice I assured them that they were incorrect and really should try to get it
to us today. I explained we had an
aircraft stuck on the ground and a team of engineers waiting to fit the part
they were carrying. It arrived at
The rest of the trip played out much like any successful gliding trip that you might want to write about. Day four I scraped up to 21,000 feet, day five 24,500 feet (and still climbing) and day six two flights of 13,000 feet and a beautiful, scratch away climb to 8,000 feet in the early evening. Fantastic flying but seriously cold feet. So cold they hurt. Now, the chap in the bike shop was telling me about electrically heated socks...
Towlines
Chris Harris
Welcome to John Roberts, who has completed his Pawnee
initial training and is therefore a fully fledged paid
up member of the tugging team! Golf
Charlie is now serviceable again after a small problem with the fuel shut off
cock. We were originally advised that a
new valve was available from the
Team Mynd Juniors
2003
Mike Witton
The Team
John Roberts PZ LS4(w)
Andy Holmes 493 Discus
Ian MacArthur JZB DG505
Warwick Nuttall, Mike Witton and others flew P2
Friday
Spending booming days towing glider trailers around the country is always frustrating but at least the weather was looking promising for the week as the Team Mynd convoy set off for the 2003 Junior Nationals. Several hours later, having arrived at Nympsfield, trailers were parked, gliders and tents were rigged, cans of Stella were opened and we hit the bar for the inaugural drinking session.
Saturday
Up early to grid, the usual first comp day chaos ensued as over 50 pilots jostled for position. Next came the briefing which was along much the same lines!
After the sponsors opened the competition and tried to sell
us watches more expensive than our gliders, Tim McFadyen
set a 313 km task to Kettering, Goring and back to Nympsfield. Back to the grid to tank up
with water ballast before first launch at
Sunday
After launching the grid into initially good but steadily deteriorating weather we watched as the start zone was filled with large groups of circling gliders, slowly and inexorably sinking downwards. As the gaggles emptied from the bottom upwards, the airfield rapidly filled! A rebrief was called, but the day was finally scrubbed after a few hours of grid squatting.
Monday
Finally my first flying day!
A 3.5 hour assigned area task was set, with the first area defined as a
150 km sector, out from Deddington in the direction
of
Today I was to be flying P2 with Ian in JZB and I was raring to go and determined to learn as much as possible. My first lesson was that low wind days are not fun when you’re trying to drag a watered up DG into the air behind an underpowered tug. Harvesting leaves from the trees on the boundary is perhaps not the best use for winglets!
Despite promising conditions down the first leg, the day
soon became completely spread out with embedded cumulus. Deciding to abandon the first sector at Podington, we set off for
Because the day was not a classic racing day by any means, the decisions required throughout the flight were not always straightforward and I was able to take a very active role as P2. In this way I think I was able to help Ian to some degree and as a result I learnt quite a lot.
Andy came in 10th and John was 17th.
Tuesday
My turn to crew again today and yet another fruitless attempt to get a site check. Andy, Ian and John went round Didcot, Kingsclere and Sandhill Farm and came 20th,11th and 17th respectively.
Wednesday
Today was my turn in another Faulkes
DG505 with Henry Freeborn, an instructor from Lee on
Finally launching at
Round the turning point and a good cloud street downtrack provided an almost turnless run down the second leg.
The turnpoint at Evesham proved to be a different matter entirely. Free of cumulus but completely bathed in sunlight, a good climb was both needed and expected. Changing into survival mode, with field picked and water dumped, it took over half an hour of scratching to escape from Evesham. Finally setting off for home, we found ourselves marking climbs for several other gliders that had been stuck with us over Evesham. The cores were quite tight and we watched as one glider at the bottom of the gaggle proceeded to do enormous shallow turns and eventually thermalled down into a stubble field!
Marginally on glide, with an unreliable L-nav and very variable air, the last leg was hard work for both of us, with Henry squeezing height from every drop of lift and me doing mental final glide calculations every few minutes. Crossing the finish line was a relief even if we did only finish in 39th place. Ian, Andy and John came 13th, 15th and 16th respectively.
Thursday
With today’s P2 seriously hung over, it’s my turn with Henry again. A completely blue day and another assigned area task starting with an 80 km wedge out from Great Malvern followed by a 10 km circle around Winchcombe and another 80 km wedge out from Moreton in Marsh.
Launching into the busiest piece of sky I’d ever been in, most of the grid formed into 2 or 3 massive gaggles. Setting off down track it was a relief not only to be clear of such congested air, but also to find that strong climbs were to be found. As the conditions were strong, we decided to go as far into the first area as possible. Racing straight up the southern edge, we found the Mynd directly on track. Crossing the south end at 5000 feet QNH we bounced somebody thermalling in HKP before turning back for the next sector. Good climbs allowed a high cruising speed over the next two legs as we kept pace with several LS8s.
Gambling on Moreton in Marsh providing a good climb, we came in low, clipped the corner of the final area and drifted downtrack in a 5 knot thermal. Dolphining between haze caps got us onto final glide and we stormed home for tea and medals in 12th place, having thoroughly exorcised yesterday’s ghosts!
John came 9th, Andy came 24th and Ian came 31st.