Bicester Regionals 2010

The most popular Regionals in the UK (if the number of entrants is anything to go by!) is scheduled for 24th July to 1st August 2010. The entry form is now available online at Bicester Regionals 2010.

Now, you know you want to go there. So to be sure of a place, click the above link and make your entry. Do it, now!

Lots of Solos, Lots of Uni Students

This year we seem to be getting a large number of students solo, many of them on our weekly courses. So far, the total is 21 solos and there is still several weeks of good flying left this year!

And now we have a large influx of new students from Oxford University and Cransfield University, around 45 new ab initios, so with a bit of luck we will have a similar number of new solo pilots in the next 6 - 8 months, weather permitting.

Still going cross-country in September and October!

Late September and early October are not the normal time of the year to be out on cross-country flights.

But...

A couple of weeks ago we had Andy Smith doing 340km+, on the 10th September, for what we thought would be the last long flight of the year. Wrong!

Ken Hartley and Bob King went out and return to the Long Mynd on 20th September while Andrew Reid went to Ely and back on the 26th. More recently Matt Turnbull went to Broadway and back on 3rd October, then his syndicate partner did a shorter o/r immediately after Matt landed, while Gary McKirdy made a flying visit to his Mum for a cup of tea (she lives near Pocklington) then flew back again a few days later (8th Oct.). That same day we had another couple of 200km flights by Dave Watt and Bob King. And on 10th October Ken Hartley did 180km.

And these are only the flights I've been told about - I'm assured that there were others.

Who says global warming brings no benefits.

Meanwhile, Derek Staff is notching up gold and diamond heights every other day at Aboyne.

But that's not all the good news!

George Tvalashvili and Pete Cadle finished their Basic Instructor course yesterday under the tutelage of OJ and await their acceptance flights from the CFI.

What a great week!

This last week Monday 21 to Friday 25 September gave us five days of perfect weather for our eleventh Going for Solo course. We had three pupils all of varying levels of experience and our staff instructors worked their socks off every day. There was a great atmosphere here all week and it was one of the busiest weeks ever with 198 launches over the five days. Two of our Going for Solo pupils achieved their first solos on Friday with the third making very good progress.

We also had two other new members flying with us – the dynamic Parr brothers! Dave Parr was a pupil on the Going for Solo course which ran from 7 to 11 September and he achieved his first solo on 11 September. Dave carried on flying whenever we could fit him in and on 18 September he flew a K13 for 51 minutes, easily qualifying for his first Bronze leg. His second qualifying Bronze flight came on 25 September when he flew the K8 for 47 minutes.

His brother Simon was inspired to learn to glide and joined us on 16 September as a Learn to Glide member and started flying that very day. He went solo on 24 September and then, just to show brother Dave that he could also fly, he was checked for his second solo on 25 September and stayed airborne for an astonishing 45 minutes to qualify for his first Bronze leg!

Our Going for Solo courses have seen a number of first solos this summer and together with our booked intensive days our newer (and a few of our more established) members are making rapid progress. We are extending the commercial side of our operation throughout the winter and we will be offering bookable day intensives on Wednesdays and Fridays at £30 per day booking fee – this guarantees two pupils to one instructor.

TOGS ON TOUR...FINAL POST

Well Friday came and it rained, it eased off long enough to get the Duo packed away before we went over to La Motte to see Jacques for a beer. Saturday morning Pete and Phil set off for the airport leaving us SOGS behind to consider their options. Briefing was not encouraging with a very unsettled forcast, even Dickies bus had stopped entertaining us so we made the decision to de-rig the ASH and planned to leave first thing Sunday.
In true Brit style we kept a stiff upper lip and had a BBQ on Saturday night in the pouring rain followed by much pastis and discussion on potential plans for next year. Although the weather had basically been very poor we still flew and had a good break.
Lots of ideas thrown about including possibly bringing Jacques over to Bicester for a presentation on Alpine flying in the early spring.
The return trip was uneventful and Dickies bus finally came up with the goods.
We hope you have all been mildly entertaind with our postings and invite you all to try to crack the OGS code!!!
over and out

HOGS on tour day7 continued

Well nothing is ever as good as it looks and that was true for the conditions that developed. The Duo made it to the first TP, the Tete de Clappe but options to cross the valley towards Briancon were much reduced because of a low cloud base on the mountains to the east. Meanwhile the ASH was delayed on the airfield as it could not launch with the tailwind that had now set up. The Dou backtracked to La Motte to try to find a way across to the Par Cours, in doing so nearly fell off every mountain around ended up scratching around on the Jouere for a while. By now the ASH was encountering the same problem at the Clappe so the DUO returned towords the Pic De Bure to try to team up for some photography. Both gliders met at the west face of the Pic for some very interesting rock polishing on its west face. followed by some formation flying and pikkies, back to Sisteron put the gliders to bed then beer and arguments over who had actually got further around the task, certainly the Dou had covered the most distance but had been 1 hour longer in the air. Close scrutiny of the loggers decided it was a draw. Pete spent the day sprawled out on his wing covers in the Duos trailer, some sod kept snoring and waking him up though! Good news he should be able to fly tomorrow. Weather permitting!
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HOGS on tour day7

HOGs on tour day7 (Thursday)( except Pete)
Yesterday was a washout but today looks like being the best so far. Dickies bus was collected this morning having had both drive shafts replaced CHING CHING Dickie is now 750 euro poorer, lets hope that we have sorted the power problem too. Sadly Pete has managed to bring a heavy cold with him from the UK and is disappointed not to be able to fly today, but…… One mans disaster is anothers good fortune Phil offered his empty seat to Tel, he thought about it for a microsecond before accepting, silly not to!!!
With 300km set to the north and south gliders made ready, off to the Janus for Café au lait.
To be continued…/
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PS. IF YOU HAVN'T SEEN IT YET CHECK OUT THE EXTREME GLIDING LINK ON THE RIGHT!!!!