Web Diary 2006

 

December 2006. The rules governing access to the airfield are changing for all users, including the gliding club. The latest letter from BAE Aerodrome Manager, concerning this and detailing the procedures we must follow are in the Club Management section. This change is to accommodate changing  legislation and ensure that both BAE and the Gliding Club are compliant. Apart from a heart stopping moment (for the webmaster) the future of our Club on the airfield looks good. The Club Management section collates all the documentation that we need to operate as the Lakes GC from Walney Airfield, it also provides an easier way of integrating our documentation with BAE's where it proves necessary.

 

Lakes Gliding Club annual dinner was on Saturday 18th November, it was a great evening. Somehow we managed to fly the day after. The full report including the Chairman's address, who won what and the cabaret can be found on the new Annual Dinners page. Alan Sayers has started work on designing our own Portmoak style hangar.

 

Two new weather sites, they are getting better. The latest one to try for Walney is http://skylinkweather.com/metar/metarmapindex.php?stationid=EGNL&maptype=wind and for those crossing the Pennines try http://www.sherburn-aero-club.org.uk/weather/index.htm

 

September flew by, is the webmaster getting too old or is he away too often? We are now into October and the Golfers and part time pilots are back from Portmoak. No notable flights but fly we did. The only problem apart from weather was that it would have paid to have been current on winch launching before we went. No wave but ridge, thermal and rain in abundance. A few of the older members managed to avoid the online Bingo night. The tug is in need of a new alternator and the IS28 undercarriage is again working, many thanks to Roy Jones for some excellent engineering. Bringing us up to date with the new members we welcome Richard Clark as a junior flying member, Nigel Gregson has rejoined and Simon Hobson and Andy Saunders are on board as flying members. Geoff Bailey-Woods will kindly be carrying on with C of A approvals for us for another year, what a valuable service that is. The Falke engine has been rebuilt and test flown, it sounds very sweet. The LGC now has approval from the BGA to place all the old Sailplane & Gliding magazines in PDF format on our website. They will be behind our members password so that they can be read by all. We now have scanned from 1930 to 1980, to be precise, the young ladies in reception at 23's business have scanned them.

August and we have some competition winners. The webmaster came second in the 100 Chateau competition in France flying the DG800. Dave North, Andy Tebay, Kate Frost and Peter Redshaw won the UK two seater open class competition in the Capstan, they won best wood and they also won the Capstan cup at the Wolds TSC at Pocklington. See the following website for more competition information and pictures at http://www.glider-pilot.co.uk/Wolds%202%20seat%20comp/Wolds%20gliding%20club.htm Kate and Dave have flown in the new BGA Duo-X. Andy and Kate flew the Astir at Pocklington on several days and Pete Seddon took his P4 and managed his first field landing for a long, long time. The tug had a problem with the starter motor which has now been fixed. Kate has achieved her cross country diploma. Have you read Neil Moffatt's excellent article in the latest S&G on the expedition to Carlisle earlier this year? The IS28 still has a problem with it's undercarriage, Roy Jones is striving to fix it. We have two new members, pics to come. The BGA Asst National Coach, Mike Fox, was welcomed to our Club last weekend.

July and we have our latest new member in Chris D'Aeth. The webmasters neighbour form some 45 to 50 years back. Struth, lets hope I spelt the name right. Sayers has soled in his share in the Vega, he is not sure which wing he owns yet. A BBQ was held behind the bus during the flying day Sunday last and was so successful they kept it going into the evening or was it next weekend. A new Duty Rota has been produced by the CFI amid complaints that Messer's  Copley and Burdett should get proper jobs like the rest of us (webmaster excepted) To quote the CFI, "calling it a rota is probably stretching the use of the word to it's limit and a random list of names would be nearer the truth". Alan Simmonds is back having had a bad time with the latter. (for the CFI's benefit---his back). The Club dentist is seen smiling in the Astir, anyone know why? (Apparently he was asked to smile by the photographer)

 

 

May flew by and we are now into June. This is heading for a good year. The IS28B is back in the air, complete with a very comprehensive air test. It now looks like  a modern glass ship. Kate Frost (pic) has achieved Silver height, Shaun Ryan has had his best flight yet in the K6, we have another new member in Martin Cooper, Alan Sayers has joined the Vega syndicate, the Capstan has been away to Aston Down and was joined by Peter Craven (DG800) and John Martindale (ASW28) at Husbands Bosworth. The Capstan won the Hus Bos task week and embarrassed the glass ships, Pete Redshaw also won the Golden Ball award for services to outrageous field landing stories. Rose Saunders has been to Lasham again and soloed down there. Alan Sayers got carried away with his camera and we now have a new batch of pictures featuring Geoff Bailey-Woods and the IS28. Harry Seed, a member in the late 60's has produced a DVD from his 8mm films that captures the club in that period, anyone wanting to see it contact Peter Redshaw. Neil Moffatt is in the lead on the Club Ladder but should now learn how the devious handicapping system works.

 

 

 

April What a good month. Some excellent flying and some notable flights and achievements. Alan Sayers went solo, Neil Moffatt achieved Gold C distance. Plenty of wave, ridge and thermals were to be had with a best height of about 15000ft, a ridge cruise through (yes through) the Lakes by Neil Moffatt hopping from Blackcombe to Wastwater to Scafell to Enerdale to Buttermere to Skiddaw to Helvellyn followed by 12000ft in wave and back to Walney via Blackcombe. There are some superb pictures from these flights, see Photo Album Galleries 7 & 8. We flew on all days of Easter thanks to good weather which makes a change.

 

 

March, several good flying weekends so far with wave, ridge and thermals combined. You've been Tangoed (Pete Whitehead) landed at the top end of the Great Langdale valley in a snow covered field, bet that was exciting. The Astir C of A is complete and the IS28 is rigged and nearing completion. Geoff Bailey-Woods and Dave North are looking forward to the test flight. Dave in particular, in that once again we will have a glider with good spinning characteristics. It is no doubt time that we all did some spin checks. The good weather has brought out the single seaters again. John Martindale is back from South Africa but seems to have spent more time in bed than he did flying. He has lost his beard, if anyone finds it would you please hand it in at the launch point.

 

 

February and we are flying again. Some nice weather assisted the move from Jan to Feb. The K21 now has it's C of A and the tug is working well and starts a lot easier than it did. We have our first new member of the year, Mark Fairhurst. The 2006 gliding holidays are taking shape with the first outing to South Africa by John Martindale. Pete Whitehead is assisting in the organisation of a weeks flying exploring the Crossfell area in April. Aero tows will be from Carlisle airport. Anyone that fancies this should contact Pete as places are limited.

 

 

2006 is with us and the stalwarts can be found in the workshop putting the finishing touches to the IS 28. New instrumentation is being fitted to both cockpits and is currently being rewired. The K21 has been stripped down ready for C of A and the Super Cub has been flown to Yorkshire and back for it's annual inspection ready for the year ahead.

It is pleasing to see that 2005 was a much better year all round. (See latest Statistics) Hours flown in 2005 are significantly up, average flight time hit 41 minutes for the first time, launches in the year improved and the number of flying days achieved was better thanks to alterations to BAE ground facilities being completed. The weather was still not as kind as it could have been, so things can only get even better in 2006. Another point worth remembering is that the data on the graphs is purely from Walney, members clocked up about another 15% more hours and maybe 10% more launches on gliding expeditions to various places.

 

 

 


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