new Windsock Buckminster Gliding Club, Saltby 001

November 2017 p. 1

Saltby Remembers from Cathy Lawrence

This year November 11th fell on a Saturday, and so our own Remembrance Service was held the next day at the Saltby Memorial. For the small gathering attending the service, it was a fine sunny morning although the cold northerly wind almost cancelled out the effect of the sunshine. The Rev. Gill Potts led the service and the wreaths were laid by Lance, a regular attender at our services, and Mark Woods who laid one for the Polish 1st Parachute Bn. We were all pleased to return to the warm clubhouse especially as John Hayter had made a delicious French Onion Soup which we all appreciated.

Earlier on, John, with Chris and Julie, had secured the Polish flag with the help of a dining fork. One of our forks is missing. The smallish turnout may have been due to an earlier service in September when the supporters of 156 Parachute Bn held a memorial service at Saltby to commemorate their drop at Arnhem (from Saltby).

A substantial number attended including the families of Paras involved and 3 actual Vets from the battle. George made a flyby in the EuroFOX and the BBMF Lancaster made some low passes. A number of locals also attended, and the Rev. Brian McAvoy officiated.

One of the Vets was actually asked if he had been to Saltby before. “Yes once” he said. “In 1945”

Chairman welcomes new CFI

2017 LSUGC students arrive

Remembrance Sunday

…and more…

new Windsock

November 2017 p. 2

The Club welcomes its new CFI from Christopher Morton-Fincham, Chairman

With the unfortunate and untimely resignation of Rance Noon from his position as CFI, it was vital that the Board, without delay, identified a candidate to fill this important position, someone who would carry on much of the important strategic plans and work identified by Rance. Therefore, I am very happy to report that George Rizk, with the blessing of the BGA, has accepted the appointment of CFI, Buckminster Gliding Club, with immediate effect. George needs no introduction, so please join me and the Board in wishing George all the very best as he takes up this new challenge

The Chairman (see picture) then records his actual

conversation with George: CMF: Well George, we know quite a bit about you, but what

about the flying experience?

GR: I started to learn to fly in 1976 at St Cry-L'Ecole, near Paris where I gained my French PPL and pressed on to twins and then IMC rating.

CMF: That's quite a handful in some months!

GR: Yes and over the following years, I collected Italian, Jordanian, and UK Licenses amassing over 1,000 hours power flying. One can say, I got really and truly bitten by the flying Bug.

CMF: So George, when did you start Gliding?

GR: I started Gliding in July 2004 at Saltby, totalling now some 1,000 hours also in Gliders.

CMF: I understand you have been quite busy gaining badges and ratings here.

GR: I have much more to do but to date, I have a Gold and one Diamond together with Aerobatic badges and I am now an Advanced Aerobatic Instructor and Full Cat & FI (C)

CMF: Did I not hear that you also fly Helicopters?

GR: Yes, that's correct, I started flying Helicopters in the 80's and have achieved 700 odd hours, with a night rating flying R22, R44 and Jet Rangers.

CMF: Well thank you George for a most interesting, if potted, conversation.

GR: You’re Welcome.

CMF: And all the very best in your new position as CFI Buckminster Gliding Club. The Editor takes up the story:

I landed out at Saltby in GB2 in June 2014. George was Duty Instructor and I received a magnificent welcome, as well as a tow home to 3000 ft over Cottesmore. So when 4 Counties disbanded at the end of that year there was no doubt where I would go. I think I still may owe the club £3 after George had emptied my wallet, and it’s totally his fault that I’m here.

The Dimona Syndicate plans a flight

new Windsock

November 2017 p. 3

Manager’s Report from Angie

During the month of October we flew over 15 days totalling 175 flights of which 27 were trial flights. We also took delivery of a new tractor and a trailer for our new launch point communication hub. The new trailer is (was) in the workshop being prepared for when we buy the top.

Winch Launch Offer Don’t forget to make use of the 3 for 2. The offer will run from the 1st November 2017 to 28th February 2018.

Fleet News K21 Serviceable Perkoz Serviceable FTH Serviceable FSH Serviceable JNN Serviceable TTUG Serviceable.

The New blades have now been fitted

BUFR Serviceable KK Refurbishment

Work on KK has temporarily ground to a halt whilst registration decals are obtained

Winch Serviceable Yellow Tractor Serviceable Bread Van (Blue Truck) Serviceable New Blue & White Tractor Serviceable

People News Congratulations to George Rizk on his new appointment as CFI

A Very big Thank You to Jim Airey and his wife for taking the Perkoz to Poland to be repaired.

Thank you to Mike Claxton who continues to clean the porta loos on the runways.

Thanks again to all those members who come out on a regular basis and help. It does not go unnoticed and is very much appreciated.

Welcome to: Naomi Clark NPPL member Amelia Allwood Junior member Martin Horrod NPPL member Ryan Kershaw Full member.

Dates for your Diary Saturday 2nd December: AGM time to be advised. Saturday 17th March & Sunday 18th March 2018: C Module Instructors Course Sunday 11th June & Saturday 16th June 2018: D Module Instructors Course Friday 20th July to 22nd July 2018 Saltby Open Aerobatic Competition. (The Nationals are lost to HusBos for next year – Ed)

from the Editor:

new Windsock is brought to you courtesy of BGC Safety. Angie’s input will continue to be the major news item and there’s inspiration from other newsletters. I may not be able to do a full issue every month but I’ll try to get you something each time with news, current affairs and forthcoming events. Please excuse typos, predictive spelling and lesdyxia. So please, let me have anything that you think should be in print. I’ll be asking all the specialists (eg aeros, cross country, maintenance, ground school, safety and so on) to contribute. I need your thoughts, articles, pictures and letters, even classified ads, so please just send them in. The safety@buckminstergc.co.uk address will do nicely for now. If it works, I’ll publish letters as they come in. It’s your newsletter, but there may be safety bits included (for example time to give the Flying Order Book another read. And sign). The format was tricky. Some wanted a periodical and other an e-bulletin. By using MS Word to start off with I hope we have satisfied both. This is intended to print out 2-sided if required, or simply read on-line. Luxuries like an index will come in time. I hope. All best wishes, Alan Afterthought: There’s also a new windsock (25 end).

new Windsock

November 2017 p. 4

Welcome back Loughborough from Lucy Wooton, chair LSUGC

After a successful summer, we had high hopes for the new academic year. Summer achievements included first solos for Nick and Emma during our summer visit to Shenington, as well as Richard completing his Cross Country Endorsement and Lucy, her Silver Badge. The university club has started to mature from what it was a couple of years ago and it is great that we now have plenty of experienced people around to teach the Freshers and an experienced Committee.

We decided the best way to get the Freshers integrated quickly would be through a formal ‘Induction Weekend.’ This involved a welcome meal and Introductory Talk the evening before the Freshers were due to fly and a cosy overnight stay in the club static caravans! The plan came to fruition from 14-15th October, during which 25 students went flying. It was a great success, both in terms of the amount of flying and how quickly the Freshers learnt how to help out on the airfield. Everyone had at least one motorglider and one pure glider flight each!

Subsequent weekends have carried on in a similar vein and we would like to thank all the Buckminster members that have helped and supported us. The LSUGC membership currently stands at 52 and most of them have already flown, despite us only being half way through our first term of the year! Our Astir is still undergoing some deep maintenance, having required a lot more work than we had hoped, as well as the installation of a new, 8.33kHz radio. We hope it will be back at Saltby in the next couple of weeks with a new-look instrument panel! We have also had successful social events back in Loughborough, including a pizza night and Laser Quest. We are looking forward to many more achievements over the course of the year, as well as a week-long training week.

and Welcome back Guy Roberts Guy runs the Club web site and is currently designing a new on-line flying records system. He’s been away from gliding while family considerations ruled and just did his first solo in 5 years, launched by George. Not easy at a certain age. An athlete’s career is over at 34.

“One of life’s pleasures is the way I still get just as excited about flying as I did when I was little.” Read Guy’s (not untypical) story on the next page. And let him know what you want from the web site.

new Windsock

November 2017 p. 5

Guy’s Story from Guy Roberts

“This was harder than I thought” I've got two log books going back to 1986. They remind me of lots of places and people, with gliding running throughout as the common thread. As a 21 year old student I somehow found out that it was possible to go on a week-long gliding course at Duxford. This was news to me, as I had thought that pilots were from another planet and that learning to fly was expensive and mysterious. So I worked in a hotel kitchen during the holidays, for £2.12 an hour, and saved up £150 for ten aerotows. We soared near Cambridge and I was hooked to the sound of the vario.

In 1990 I had about 20 more aerotows and an old soldier called Lou Glover sent me solo in a Bocian. It was a calm August evening at Husbands Bosworth and I thought, well if he thinks I can do it, then I can. Years later I read Lou's obituary and found out that he'd driven Sherman tanks around Normandy, bothered by Germans. To have survived that, he must have been good at weighing up risks, and lucky too. I went home that night wearing a stupid smile that my girlfriend, now my wife, recognised straight away.

Work got in the way, until in 1997 I ended up president of Nottingham University Gliding Club, attached to Four Counties at RAF Syerston. My log book shows hundreds of winch launches in winter and summer, culminating in Bronze and a memorable Silver Height claim, straight off the wire into a 6kt August thermal, above the winch. (Got lightly bollocked for that).

I got my cross country endorsement at Syerston, and five hours, but lack of moral fibre, currency and who knows what prevented me from pointing across country on a 50km. A couple of weeks at the Long Mynd were great fun, learning how to fly on a busy ridge and to avoid sheep on the runway.

Four Counties were an extremely active and skilled bunch of cross country pilots and bar keepers, but as a civilian, I enjoyed the atmosphere at Buckminster Gliding Club, so I joined in about 2000.

Then reader, I bit the apple and I married my Eve. She produced our three children in quick succession over the next four years. While the kids were very small, it did not make much difference, but I've enjoyed being a dad and so something had to give. For the next ten years or so I became intermittently current at gliding, mostly with Normal Revell during the week.

Our children are teenagers now, and happily I am not cool enough to hang around with them. During 2017 I've had a lot of help from Mike Sheehan and the week day regulars, who are mostly called John and Richard.

It’s taken a bit longer to go solo than I expected, but most days spent at Saltby are a pleasure, whether it’s hearing the sky larks, walking the bounds with our dog or learning from the pundits.

There has been more emphasis this time around on reacting quickly and accurately to sudden upsets like wing drops. Instructors have always taught the importance of regaining flying attitude after a cable break, but there is nothing like having it happen to ram home the need to (almost) automatically carry out the correct recovery. And thank you George for the practical demonstration of a rope break on aerotow; still thinking about that.

As I get older, I need to guard against 'doing nothing' when something urgent suddenly develops! Perhaps an understatement.

My aim for next year should be to finish my Silver badge with a 50km flight, but then that's been my aim since about 1999, so we’ll see. I'd like to fill up the next pages of this tattered log book with adventures at other sites, and hopefully that 50km. But even if I don't, it’s a special pleasure just to soar over the Vale of Belvoir, to feel that bump in the air that hints at lift, and to nail it, soar up, then set off on a local bimble.

I know that a lot of people volunteer a lot of their time to keep the club running; thank you each one. (I’ve been wrapped up as chair of a swimming club, but hope that will taper off)

Good soaring to everyone at Saltby.

new Windsock

November 2017 p. 6

Runway Repairs from the Editor

The runways are almost as old as me, so I have a good idea how they feel. Really though, for runways never designed to last beyond wartime use they’ve done pretty well, but increasingly in need of some TLC.

So you’ve seen the drums in the hangar perhaps. Actually it’s Polyester Resin, or Polyester Resin Manhole Bedding Mortar to give it its full name. It’s untrue that they fell off a lorry. They were carefully unloaded for us by our neighbouring farmer and good friend James Hazard. In fact they are time-expired and brought to us by Rance, all 200 drums of it, almost enough to fill in all the runway holes. As we go to Press, and after some experiment by Chris Prideaux and Keith Ford, a team started the repairs today. It’s fantastic news and many thanks to all who have given their time and expertise.

In the next Issue:

It’s horrible stuff though so please be very careful to use it i.a.w the Safety Sheet. More next month when the project has gone a little further.

Lunak air to air filming still under wraps.

Who’s been filing Saltby flight plans?