The Winter Lectures season is upon us and the first is next Thursday. Accordingly it is more than time the program was published. Please find below the provisional list as some are yet to be confirmed. However the first few are locked down. Updates will be published ASAP.

As ever the regular spot is Thursdays at 7.30 pm  in the clubhouse, bar open from 7. So, see you next Thursday!

Colin Smithers

Winter Lectures Co-ordinator

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23^rd Jan    David Tew           Tephigrams: What they can tell us

David will be giving us a thorough and detailed look at Tephigrams,  how they are generated, what the lines mean, their basic interpretation and what they can be used to predict about the flying day ahead. Bring a notepad, pencil and some Ibuprofen, as this is packed full and fast moving.

6^th Feb      Katie Isaacs       121.5 MHz – “Pan-Pan!” – What happens next?

NATS’ Katie Isaacs will be giving us a briefing on the ears and systems behind the Distress and Diversion cell at Swanwick military. Importantly she will try to take the mystique out of practising on the service, for the day you really need it….

20^th Feb    TBD

5^th Mar      Sharing the airspace around RAF Lakenheath

USAF operational staff from Lakenheath Approach will describe what they get up to and what we need to be aware of. Previous visits have shown that this can be a mutual opportunity. Essential viewing if you fly close to the places they do. And that’s most of us, by the way.

19^th Mar    TBD

2^nd Apr      Now We Are Solo (provisional date)

A panel of middle experienced CGC pilots will take us on their journeys from bronze via silver and through the uncharted and challenging waters to finding themselves as established and more importantly self-assured pilots, cross country or otherwise. Secretly, there will be plenty of you presently on that same journey.

Dear All,

Below are the dates for the 2020 round of Annual Refresher Courses.

• February Dates:
  • Sun 2^nd, Sun 9^th, Sun 16^th & Sun 23^rd
• March Dates:
  • Sun 1st, Sun 8^th, Sun 15^th, Sun 22^nd & Sun 29^th
• April Dates:
  • Sun 5^th

The courses will have one instructor for every two students with a maximum of four course members and two instructors each day. The course content will be confirmed nearer the time but will include the mandatory Stalls and Spins / Winch Launch Failures plus other fun flying, interspersed with talks and discussions on interesting flying topics – Come ready with some topics of your own!

Annual Refreshers (or the more formal Annual Check)  are mandatory for Solo Pilots.

Please contact Joanne, in the office to book your Annual Refresher course.

Alternately you can arrange an Annual Check via the Two Seater booking system (Both midweek and on weekend days when Refresher Courses are not active), however remember that the Perkoz or Puchacz will be required for the Stalling / Spinning elements of the check.

Also bear in mind that the Refresher Courses will allow time for briefings & discussions on topics that the flying committee believe are key to maintaining and improving flight safety, whilst these may not necessarily be covered when instructors are performing their ‘normal’ weekend duties. Of course, you could always attend the Refresher briefings if the weather is inclement or the Refresher Course fully booked and then carry out the required flying on another day.

As a reminder, Basic Instructors and those members exercising a Passenger Rating should fly their Annual Checks / Refresher with a Fully Rated Instructor.

Dates of the Refresher courses where at least one full cat is available are:

• February Dates:
  • Sun 16^th, Sun 23^rd
• March Dates:
  • Sun 22^nd
• April Dates:
  • Sun 5^th

Regards,

Colin Cownden

CFI

It is coming up to Inter Club League time, and we are putting together our teams for this years’ competitions.

The Inter-Club League is a friendly competition among small number of nearby clubs (in our case: Gransden, The Gliding Centre – Husbands Bosworth and London Gliding Club – Dunstable). It is distributed over several weekends during the summer.

For those who have not flown in competitions before, this is an excellent, low-stress introduction!  You get weather and NOTAM briefings and different tasks are set for each of the three classes.  You can winch or aerotow, and fly the task whenever you choose.  It’s much easier than planning your own X-country!

The dates for 2020 are as follows:

Each club fields a team on each day – but the team does not have to consist of the same people on every day. The host club provides the necessary facilities including weather forecasting, task-setting, and scoring.

The pilot classes are defined as follows:-

Novice

Any pilot who, by 1st April of the League year:

• has not entered more than one Regional competition (Junior Championship excepted)
• has not flown a UK 300k as P1 other than in the current or previous year
• has not flown a UK 500k as P1

Novices may only fly a club class glider and must not carry water ballast.

Intermediate

Any pilot who by 1st April of the League year:

• has not flown a UK 750k
• has not achieved a top 50% position in any Nationals in the last ten years

Pundit

Anyone can be a pundit. If desired, a pilot may fly in a higher class, e.g. a pilot qualifying for Intermediate status may be entered as his club’s Pundit.

For more information contact Chris Lewis