1 st August 2007

Gliding Summer Camp

We had the first experience of the Gliding School summer camps last week and it raised a number of issues which we will be discussing with the RAF shortly. The headlines are that the school expects to operate as per the process at the weekends where Devonair aviators are expected to take off and depart and that circuits need to be requested in advance of take off with no right to expect to be able to do them. In practise and with attendance at the morning briefings it is clear that circuit work can be accommodated. It would appear that the summer camp follows the PPL ab initio flying course lesson plans and the first 2 – 3 flyable days are all upper air work so circuits are no problem. The next 2 –3 flyable days are circuit bashing to achieve first solo and this is when circuits will only be possible at lunch time or evening meal time. We may need to fine tune the flying order book to clarify all of this.

Flying Order Book

Having mentioned this above, we have been waiting for a while to get the RAF feedback on the FOB which Barry Conway has produced. As soon as this is finalised we will distribute it to all together with a laminated set of circuit maps

Image Project

The mixed weather conditions this month have shown us a new side of LR. When the rains fell the week before last we discovered the sensitivity of the local area to flash flooding. Bourton on the Water was under water by the Friday afternoon, the dip by the traffic lights at the south end of the Stow hill was impassable, the river had flooded both sides of the bridge at Burford making that impassable and the river Windrush had flooded the road by the Fox in at Little Barrington but that was just passable in my Lexus saloon early evening. The problem came at the Fox overnight when the dry stone walls were washed into the road needing a JCB the next morning.

At that and the airfield was flyable as soon as the rain stopped. The ground drained very very quickly so the airfield hardly felt any pain from the floods. Many of the grass airfields in the area are still waterlogged and unusable 2 weeks on.

Jobs completed this last month include:

Most large holes on the roadway from the gate have been filled or will be by this weekend

Grass cutting in most of the extended area of our demise has made it look so much tidier

The Haymakers have said they don’t want our grass so we are cutting the whole demise this week

Taxiways repeatedly cut and edges graded

Ken has completed the restoration of the road roller and has started rolling the taxiways

Downpour flooded the toilet block. Repairs will take place as soon as the timber dries

MoD contractor will be painting new runway centrelines. The new numbers must wait till next year’s budget!!

Arrivals & Departures

The Kitfox and Eurostar which both used to reside at Kemble with David Young visited from Redlands to check out the accommodation. Move planned in September

Steve Evans will be leaving us later this month for Air Atlantique Classic Flight - Coventry

Fuel

We ran out of fuel during the month. Exxon have relocated their aviation fuel business centre from Budapest to Belgium since we last ordered a delivery and we seemed to have dropped thru the crack.

Summer Events

The summer Bar Be Que will take place on Saturday 1 st September Please come along and bring your family for a relaxing afternoon, a few fun games, food, beer from the cask etc. We will be inviting past residents and friends from Kemble days and hope that we can persuade a few more to join us ‘up on the hill at LR’

Reminders

Please ensure that you book in and out on the form provided on the notice board. Put this in last month and the month before but still a few people forgetting that it is a legal ( CAA ) requirement.

Flying at the weekend means you must remember to contact the VGS for clearance before you taxi away from the hangar. Their mobile in the Control Caravan is 07786504892

Regards Martin, Martin, Colin, Steve and Ken