Hi All Glider Pilots

Gliding Safely Seminar

 Saturday 24 April, 10am to 12noon, Clubhouse.

Reminder notice of our Gliding Safely seminar for all of our glider pilots.  This is mandatory for all current QGP Glider pilots. 

 This seminar is for you!

Also come for Jan Mace’s famous morning tea beforehand and free lunch after the seminar. 

Fly safely,

Bob Gray - CFI

All Glider Pilots

Gliding Safely Seminar – Saturday 24 April, 10am to 12noon, Clubhouse.

There is increasing concern within the Club and throughout our sport about the number of accidents and poor safety record involving gliders.  One way of raising awareness of safety issues and improving glider pilot’s ability to deal with the risks that we face each time we fly is to provide safety training and ongoing safety discussion among our pilot group.

The Club Instructors Panel and Committee have organised a Gliding Safely seminar for all of our glider pilots.  As for our last Start of Season Briefing, we feel that this message is serious enough to be considered mandatory for all current QGP Glider pilots.  One of the recognised problems we have is more experienced pilots with a lack of ongoing training and monitoring by peers. It is very easy to become a complacent pilot with infrequent flying and virtually no checking of your competence to deal with things such as an unexpected landout.  This seminar is for you!

I know that holding this seminar on one day only and expected ALL of our pilots to be available is optimistic, but please make the effort as the message is for YOUR benefit, and attendance will be recognised as ongoing training.

As further encouragement Jan Mace is putting on a free morning tea beforehand and free lunch following the seminar.  Worth attending just for that!

All this is hoped to improve your safe enjoyment of the sport rather than be a hassle and imposition.  We’ve held safety sessions at each of our last two Start of Season Briefings, the last one was mandatory and we had 100% attendance of QGP pilots.  It is intended to continue these with another mandatory must attend session at the next briefing in September 2010.  There is also a series of CAA AvKiwi Safety Seminars which I encourage you all to get along to one– the next one is in Hamilton at 7.00pm  on 31 May CTC Aviation Training Room.  See CAA website for other dates and locations.

Fly safely,

Bob Gray - CFI

Easter is upon us! We're flying Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday and it looks like the weather isn't going to be too bad at all.

A few members from Auckland Gliding club are visiting Matamata this weekend with their ASK 21 and a Club Astir.

Aero towing, instructors and club flying will be available all weekend. Public flights and trial flights will be available all weekend.

The Auckland winch will be available, so if you want to get your winch rating, this weekend would be a great time to do it.

So pack your gliding gear, tent, and maybe even golf clubs (for before flying that is) and we'll see you out there.

Some of those special gliding eggs

Well done to the Airshow crew, the whole day went as smooth as silk. Also thanks to all those from the club who came to help out.

More pics are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/timbromhead/sets/72157623513053615/

This Saturday is the Matamata Airshow & Carnival. Note there is an entry fee of $10/car or $5 per person.

There will be heaps on display including:

• Sky Diving
• Tiger Moths
• Model Aircraft
• War birds
• Glider Trial flights

Gates open at 9am.

The gliding club will be taking trial flights between 9am to about 12:30. We'll be doing a double tow at 11am. The main displays will be happening between 1-4pm. 

We'll have the caravan and/or a display outside the club house and we'll be aiming to promote the club, do some trial flights, sell vouchers and promote our courses.

More details can be found on the official website:

http://matamata-airshow.co.nz/

The National Gliding Competition in Taupo has finally had it's first day of flying, after several days of rain and drizzle.

Keep track of the results and tasks at soaring spot:
http://www.soaringspot.com/nznat2010/

And also see the official contest directors blog for a summary:
http://www.taupo2010.blogspot.com/

From Piako we have Ian, Bill, Edouard, Alan and Tim flying. Thanks to Phil for coming to help out today.

On 13.3.2010 we will have an airshow and carnival on our airfield. Naturally the gliding club will be there boots and all. The format of the event is trial flights from us and other participants (helicopters, microlights, gyros, …) for a period before and after the demonstrations themselves, demonstration flying during the middle of the day, and culturaland other events on the airfield all day.

Have a look at
http://matamata-airshow.co.nz/

for more details. Helpers will be needed for the following: Organizing of the event itself setting up in the morning, tidy up at night, somebody to help at the gate, .. Promoting gliding and the gliding club Glider flights – trial flights and flying during the show

A limited number of spots are available for helpers – Steve Care will be organizing the flying side of things, Anna Doerr will organize the other bits. If you wish to help, please let us know ASAP as we have to organize passes. Without a pass, cost is $10 per car. anna.doerr@xnet.co.nz  CAA has approved this event and its format.

Anna

One of our trial flights took some video during a flight at Raglan - it's been split into several short videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC7Pxid3QoA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPOqn2ijne8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huITDmsBgWg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YyFq_bzSHo

We've also posted some more photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/piakoglidingclub/sets/72157623245045590/

Thanks to Raglan local Cheryl Reynolds for the camera work.