Bronze briefings start on Saturday 4 January

If you are working towards your Bronze, need to revise, want to learn how to give briefings, or just fancy a chat about an interesting topic, come along to the clubhouse at 10am on Saturday for the next few weeks. Here's the programme:

4 Jan  - Navigation - Steve Williams

11 Jan - Principles of Flight - Symeon Economou

18 Jan - Human Factors - William Parker

25 Jan - Meteorology - Jane Moore

8 Feb - Flight Planning and Performance - Bob Smith

22 Feb - Radio Telephony - Ashley Birkbeck

1 March - Aircraft General Knowledge, Airframes and Systems - Duncan Sharp

8 March - Air Law and ATC Procedures - Wayne Aspland

15 March - Operational  Procedures - Mike Gatfield

December sunshine

What a fantastic weekend after (or possibly between) gales, and plenty of people turned out to make the most of the conditions - sunshine and nil wind - ideal for trial lessons, training or just having fun. Let's hope it's nice on New Year's Day, with the airfield closed we might get to fly off the hard runway for a change.

Here are a couple of pics from today, not brilliant as I'd forgotten my proper camera, but you get the general idea.

 

Hambleden Valley

 

View towards Wycombe Air Park

 

This should cheer you up for Christmas:- http://missionhimalaya.com/blog/

Festive newsletter - out now!

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The alternative to shopping

Some really nice weather this weekend, and plenty of people out making the most of the sunshine. The scattered low cloud made for lovely views, here are Glyn and Steve's pics from their tour in the Falke.

Sunday provided more of the same, though it got a bit chilly as the wind strength increased, and the day ended with a sky on fire, the pic below doesn't really do it justice. Red sky at night.......must check the forecast for tomorrow.

Meanwhile at the NEC......

The Sales and Marketing Team had a weekend in Birmingham at the Flying Show, along with the BGA and teams from four other clubs - HusBos, Aston Down, Camphill and Buckminster. There was a steady stream of visitors to the gliding section, mostly people who were pilots already, so we suggested ways they could enhance their existing skills, for example by coming along for a day of spinning - after all, just because their aircraft's flight manuals say they shouldn't spin, it doesn't mean they won't. There was also interest in practising field selection and landing, and some of them were tempted plain straightforward gliding as a change from engines.

 

Waiting for the show to open



Many thanks to Chris Collett (who drove up on Friday to set the stand up and then came back again on Sat and Sun), Hugh MacDonald and Hedda Coture for giving up their time to promote gliding and the Club.

The new face of British Gliding



Saturday .. and the sun shone - for some

While a few noble members were away at NEC promoting Gliding and the club, some reasonable weather back home brought out many club members, course folks and Graham’s aerobatic “team” to the launchpoint to get airborne.  Great to see lots of activity on a cool winter Saturday.

Sport England Lottery funding for Booker Gliding Club

We are delighted to announce that Sport England has approved our application for a grant of £9,892 to fit Flarm collision warning units to our tugs and 2-seater gliders.

We operate at a busy airfield located at a ‘pinch point’ between controlled airspace sectors, with large amounts of transit traffic squeezed together. Fitting Flarm in club gliders and tugs will improve flight safety - as an addition to look out! - for local flying and in the circuit. The tug units will also be able to detect the transponders used by powered aircraft.


Flarm can also be used tactically in competitions and on cross-country flights, so it is ideal for training students in cross-country flying using lead and follow.

We are committed to minimising risk and so we are grateful to Sport England for enabling us to make this improvement to flight safety and enhance our cross-country training.

You still have to keep a good look out!!

Progress in the Skunkworks

Deep in a secret location the vintage group ably led by Graham Saw are working on a Fauvel AV-36 with the intention of getting it back to full flying order.

When the glider is restored, it should be flying regular displays at Shuttleworth alongside other vintage gliders and aeroplanes.

Many of you may remember when Graham last had one of these flying at Booker a few years ago before it went to France.

Fauvel Dreirudereindecker?

As is always the case, Graham is looking for ways to improve the flying characteristics and stability and took advantage of a Focker Eindeker rudder (as if two aren't enough) to see what he could do although the commonly held view is that his efforts might be better spent building the rest of the fuselage and giving it a tailplane !

Can't wait to see it flying.

Just for those who aren't sure what a Fauvel AV-36 should look like

The view from the trailer park

Waving over Booker this evening - if the hills were a bit bigger it might almost be Scotland..........

Evening wave