So one of our female members has been getting involved with the "women glide" movement. They seem like a motivated bunch being lead by some world class female pilots.
Anyway she has taken to the bloggosphere to keep a diary of her flying activities so you can catch up with what she's been up to here.
http://gliderpilotdiary.blogspot.co.uk/
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Monday, 14 January 2013
January flying
So, our recent young solo pilots Alistar Emson (15) and Callum Lavender (14) have enjoyed some gready publicity, with Callum and his dad making it as far as the BBC national news sofa. They have also enjoyed some good flying and both boys have successfully converted to the K8.
The weather this winter has been shocking and with a mild SW flow the rainfall has been well above average. Thats where our airfield really comes into its own, we have a stream running underneath it which drains the 300+ acres beautifully, so while all the other clubs around us are shut down we are still flying in between the rain filled low pressure systems.
Our courses for 2013 are now posted, we also have the 18m nats this year as well as our very own regionals on which we flew 8 out of 9 days last year, actually one of the best weeks weatherwise throughout the entire year.
We will also be running the cadet scheme again this year, we have spaces for up to four youngsters aged 15-17 to come and learn to fly with us while being subsidised by the club, all you need is a good attitude, a desire to learn to fly and the willingness to give up some time and help around the club.
Roll on spring...
The weather this winter has been shocking and with a mild SW flow the rainfall has been well above average. Thats where our airfield really comes into its own, we have a stream running underneath it which drains the 300+ acres beautifully, so while all the other clubs around us are shut down we are still flying in between the rain filled low pressure systems.
Our courses for 2013 are now posted, we also have the 18m nats this year as well as our very own regionals on which we flew 8 out of 9 days last year, actually one of the best weeks weatherwise throughout the entire year.
We will also be running the cadet scheme again this year, we have spaces for up to four youngsters aged 15-17 to come and learn to fly with us while being subsidised by the club, all you need is a good attitude, a desire to learn to fly and the willingness to give up some time and help around the club.
Roll on spring...
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
Seeing in the new year
Over Christmas all was a little quiet around the club, as new years day drew closer and closer it seem like we may not achieve another traditional start to the year by flying on new years day. The weather looked good and after a couple of rounds of email and facebook plugging we had enough people to do some flying.
Kicking off around 10am we got out the K21 and K8 along with the tug and winch. While people were dusting of the cobwebs in the K8 Nigel Henry, an ab-initio who joined us last year, was having some check rides in the K21. After a couple of check flights he was cleared for solo and BGC gained its first new solo pilot of 2013.
a couple of us took a 5 grand aerotow in the K21 for some aerobatic fun and the video of the days events can be seen on my you tube page - http://www.youtube.com/user/lhitchins?feature=mhee
We managed around 20 winch launches, 1 5k aerotow and a first solo...not a bad way to kick off the year
Happy new year to you all.
Kicking off around 10am we got out the K21 and K8 along with the tug and winch. While people were dusting of the cobwebs in the K8 Nigel Henry, an ab-initio who joined us last year, was having some check rides in the K21. After a couple of check flights he was cleared for solo and BGC gained its first new solo pilot of 2013.
a couple of us took a 5 grand aerotow in the K21 for some aerobatic fun and the video of the days events can be seen on my you tube page - http://www.youtube.com/user/lhitchins?feature=mhee
We managed around 20 winch launches, 1 5k aerotow and a first solo...not a bad way to kick off the year
Happy new year to you all.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Passenger to pilot windrushers style
As I sit here writing this post one eye is on my mailbox waiting for my official instructor rating number thingy to arrive. After spending this past glorious Sunday get put through the ringer by our CFI he sees fit to allow me to carryout basic instruction...
Alan Smith carried out my prep work, from motor glider flights for learning patter to 3000' aero tows to carry out stalling and spinning exercises. He signed me off as good to go so I must of held it together.
The course was to be run over two days and consisted of 3 pupils, a full cat to help out (Ian Pattingale) and our regional examiner (David williams) we would be doing a mix of flying and classroom work to help us work around what is sure to be dodgy October weather. Day one was bright and sunny an boy was it windy 40kts + at 2000' the first flight went off on a stalling and spinning flight and quickly got into a scrape back from downwind...eek no time for a circuit. The flights for me went ok, a repeat of the prep flights really I did, being a tight bast**d manage to fit all of the exercises into a single Aerotow with Ian, his head was spinning by the time we landed... As the next day was forecast to be pants we did all the flying in the first day and spent the second in the class room going over the theory of basic instructing. David happily signed off my paperwork and I then had to wait a few weeks to get a Sunday where I could go and do my check flights with our CFI, pulling the bung on an aerotow at 200' was the highlight of my check rides.
ooo the mail has just popped in, I am now able to carry out basic instruction!!!
Thursday, 4 October 2012
Passenger to pilot windrushers style - autum 2012
The club is beginning to wind down our summer operation and we will soon be down to flying Wed, Thur and Fri, as well as the weekends.
For me its been a very busy soaring season, trying to cram a lot of flying in to the few good days my family, job and good weather have allowed. Needless to say progress has been made, I attained my Bronze and silver this year, competed in my first regional competition and although I finished stone cold last it was a really good learning curve. Up until the start of the comp the longest flight I had done was my 50k for silver and day one was straight in with a 250km task....yes that curve was steep. I pushed myself, abandoned a few, got round a few and landed out all while being looked after by a cracking bunch of club members. It's a testament to the clubs instructional attitude and camaraderie that comes with looking after the next generation of soaring pilots that not once did I feel out of my depth. someone was always on hand to come fetch me from a field, give helpful advice when the conditions were not perfect or indeed just towing out to the grid.
As the year winds down I am now working on my BI rating, having done all the prep the actual course is taking place in October so by the time I next right I should have my basic instructors rating...fingers crossed.
So whats the plan for next year?
Mainly to pass on my enthusiasm for gliding to the blogg's coming in off the street. So often do we here the visitors asking the same stereotypical questions about "going up and floating down" or "what do you do when the wind stops" that the process of educating and enlightening them to the prospects of engine less flight and their reaction afterwards is something I am looking forward to being a part of.
Oh and my 300 and 500km badges next year too....
For me its been a very busy soaring season, trying to cram a lot of flying in to the few good days my family, job and good weather have allowed. Needless to say progress has been made, I attained my Bronze and silver this year, competed in my first regional competition and although I finished stone cold last it was a really good learning curve. Up until the start of the comp the longest flight I had done was my 50k for silver and day one was straight in with a 250km task....yes that curve was steep. I pushed myself, abandoned a few, got round a few and landed out all while being looked after by a cracking bunch of club members. It's a testament to the clubs instructional attitude and camaraderie that comes with looking after the next generation of soaring pilots that not once did I feel out of my depth. someone was always on hand to come fetch me from a field, give helpful advice when the conditions were not perfect or indeed just towing out to the grid.
As the year winds down I am now working on my BI rating, having done all the prep the actual course is taking place in October so by the time I next right I should have my basic instructors rating...fingers crossed.
So whats the plan for next year?
Mainly to pass on my enthusiasm for gliding to the blogg's coming in off the street. So often do we here the visitors asking the same stereotypical questions about "going up and floating down" or "what do you do when the wind stops" that the process of educating and enlightening them to the prospects of engine less flight and their reaction afterwards is something I am looking forward to being a part of.
Oh and my 300 and 500km badges next year too....
Saturday, 28 July 2012
Regionals 2012 update
So my comp week is finished, I bailed on a short task on Thursday after getting very low and taking an hour to get back to a sensible height. There was just not enough day left to make progress.
Friday we were set a 2:45 AAT Bicester, Broadway, Charlbury, stony stratford, bicester. The first leg was very slow going out to broadway as conditions were improving all the time. I was averaging 40kph so opted to turn early, which I thought, after getting stuck at charlbury for 30mins was a good idea. The run for then on was fantastic, the sky was booming and looking at my trace I can see one period where for 20secs I was climbing at 13.5kts. So I ended up getting back very early which cost me and I really should have pushed much further into the first sector, but hey ho.
Two days to go and it looks as though we will get a full nine days flying which is fantastic. I have learned a massive amount about competition flying and cross country in general, lest I forget that up to the start of the comp I had done one XC flight which happened to be my silver distance. I found that if I had had a landout or two under my belt before I would have made it round on the first saturday where instead I bottled it after getting low.
But probably the most important thing that I learned is that despite all the advice given, and there was tons of it, when flying a lower performance glider on blue days leave near the back and on Cu days go early. Also when you have as little experience as I did find someone with a similar spec machine that is doing well and fly with them to find out why they do so well!
Finally big thanks to Tony Cleworth for lending me tie down kit, being on stand by to retrieve and an all round good guy. Thanks also to the mitchels and BAM's crew for looking after me and Ian harris + 2 scouts for pulling me out of a field at silverstone.
Friday we were set a 2:45 AAT Bicester, Broadway, Charlbury, stony stratford, bicester. The first leg was very slow going out to broadway as conditions were improving all the time. I was averaging 40kph so opted to turn early, which I thought, after getting stuck at charlbury for 30mins was a good idea. The run for then on was fantastic, the sky was booming and looking at my trace I can see one period where for 20secs I was climbing at 13.5kts. So I ended up getting back very early which cost me and I really should have pushed much further into the first sector, but hey ho.
Two days to go and it looks as though we will get a full nine days flying which is fantastic. I have learned a massive amount about competition flying and cross country in general, lest I forget that up to the start of the comp I had done one XC flight which happened to be my silver distance. I found that if I had had a landout or two under my belt before I would have made it round on the first saturday where instead I bottled it after getting low.
But probably the most important thing that I learned is that despite all the advice given, and there was tons of it, when flying a lower performance glider on blue days leave near the back and on Cu days go early. Also when you have as little experience as I did find someone with a similar spec machine that is doing well and fly with them to find out why they do so well!
Finally big thanks to Tony Cleworth for lending me tie down kit, being on stand by to retrieve and an all round good guy. Thanks also to the mitchels and BAM's crew for looking after me and Ian harris + 2 scouts for pulling me out of a field at silverstone.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Regionals 2012 day 5
Five contest days in a row now.
Today started out Blue and according to Mel the met man it was going to stay that way although by the time briefing was complete and we were on the grid there were Cu out to the west. Slowly as we lead up to the sniffers being sent the Cu were starting to pop in all quadrants. By the time sports were launching ahead of the opens base was 3k+ with 2-3kt climbs.
The task for the sports was a run north to corby, then Bozeat, down to bourten on the water up to stony stratford and home for 265km. The opens did a modified version of 305km
I started with W20 (strats) ST (steve tape) and KFE ?? and had a good run towards the first turn point, with my Astir not being able to keep up in the long cruises I had to stop to top up before the turnpoint. I was joined by GAM (Cris Emson and George T) and stuck with them from corby to bourton on the water.
Elated to make it round 294km handicapped especially as some big names landed out so thanks to Cris and george in GAM for dragging my arse round.
Today started out Blue and according to Mel the met man it was going to stay that way although by the time briefing was complete and we were on the grid there were Cu out to the west. Slowly as we lead up to the sniffers being sent the Cu were starting to pop in all quadrants. By the time sports were launching ahead of the opens base was 3k+ with 2-3kt climbs.
The task for the sports was a run north to corby, then Bozeat, down to bourten on the water up to stony stratford and home for 265km. The opens did a modified version of 305km
I started with W20 (strats) ST (steve tape) and KFE ?? and had a good run towards the first turn point, with my Astir not being able to keep up in the long cruises I had to stop to top up before the turnpoint. I was joined by GAM (Cris Emson and George T) and stuck with them from corby to bourton on the water.
Elated to make it round 294km handicapped especially as some big names landed out so thanks to Cris and george in GAM for dragging my arse round.
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