Members' area

Dear Members

Aerotows

Please go to the link below to indicate if you wish to or are likely to want an aerotow with the Dynamic tug (G-LXAA) between 6 and 12 June.

https://doodle.com/poll/nuu6qdayfnw7bd5q

WInching

The second link below is for winch launches

https://doodle.com/poll/v3wwud422fm5peng

This coming weekend the weather may preclude flying but if you think you will be allowed to winch launch solo then please sign up so we can judge likely demand. Being allowed to launch on the winch is a matter for the instructor’s judgement on your level of experience, knowledge, ”recency” and other factors such as whether you managed to complete satisfactorily a winter refresher flight or flights before the lockdown. Even if you haven’t done a winter refresher flight it may not preclude you from winching solo. It is a good preparation to re-read the BGA’s “Safe winching” booklet as well as other useful guidance from the BGA. Start at
http://www.cotswoldgliding.co.uk/members/winching

Without a course instructor and winch driver on weekdays and certainly at weekends from Saturday 6 June we need volunteers to operate launching, allowing for minimal changes of personnel during a day due to the needs of anti-virus contamination measures. Without the volunteers to operate winching there cannot be any flying other than aerotow and self-launching.

All Operations

But before you can fly you must have read the revised Operations Manual on the Club’s website (go to http://www.cotswoldgliding.co.uk/members/ and click on the ‘documents’ link under ‘information’ section on the left) and have signed (through the link at the top of the members' area page) your acknowledgement of having read it. In addition, the CFI and Safety Officer (and I) require everyone to read the document attached to the email sent out on 4th June to everyone, concerning precautions against Covid-19 for solo winch launching. This is vitally important.

I am working on a more extensive communication to come to you in the next few days.

Safe flying !

David Roberts
Chairman

Booking "Doodle" is now open at

https://doodle.com/poll/zv6it2n6hnudps5y

Ignore the 29,30 and 31 May columns - they were a slip which I cannot find how to delete. Just tick in the columns for 1 to 5 June.
If you want to make any amendments to this after initial booking, to edit your entry hold the cursor on the right side of your name to see the edit icon.
If on the evening before there are fewer than 5 pilots wanting to fly we may have to cancel to avoid our tug pilot driving a round trip of 140 miles. In that event we'll try to let you know that evening.

I have added Saturday and Sunday to the "Doodle" booking page at the link below for W/C 25 May.

Here is a superb picture of the line-up of Ka13s at the annual Ka13 task week at St Crepin in the French Alps.

Please go to

https://doodle.com/poll/aragp96cn64gn77p

if you want to take an aerotow during week Monday 25th to Friday 29th May.

If you wish subsequently to cancel, please log on to the Doodle link and delete your booking
Thanks / DGR

Please goto
https://doodle.com/poll/q83rnv9fnhz9ngsm

if you want to take an aerotow on Saturday 23rd and / or Sunday 24th May

An email has been sent to all members with details of how to book an aerotow for this coming Wednesday
DGR / chairman

Please see the email Saturday evening 16th May about aerotowing on Sunday 17th May. To fly you need to email chairman@cotswoldgliding.co.uk so we can guage demand,

Following Government advice that General Aviation can re-start, a group of us were delighted to get back in the air today. Strict social distancing was observed during rigging and briefing by CFI Simon Lucas, and in compliance with government advice, it was solo flying only. The honours for the first flight from AD in what must be the best part of two months fell to Rob Corbin in his and Simon Buckley's Shark. It was a splendid day to be in the air with some strong climbs to 5,000'. We are very grateful to Jonathan May for bringing his Tug over from Turweston to do the aertows.

The EGU newsletter is worth reading to see what’s happening in other countries as regards gliding (though some info is 4 weeks old).