LAA Highlands and Islands Strut

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1 January 2017 Newsletter LAA Highlands and Islands Strut Website: Newsletter Next strut meeting Friday 27 th January 2017 at Highland Aviation, Inverness Airport. This issue:- From the chair Forgotten airfields Hangarage at Knockbain Farm Back to Earth Shempston Pics Easterton Pics Aircraft for sale Fly-in news Membership renewal form FROM THE CHAIR January 2017, by Nigel Campbell Our Club Strut AGM From last issue: To conclude, we also have the pleasure to award Ewan s memorial Cup to the next recipient. Suggest committee to discuss prior to Fridays main meeting and then put to members in attendance their thoughts for a show of hands confirming the next deserving recipient. HIAL Controlled Airspace Update As reported November: The Inverness second-phase consultation on their Class D and Class E+ controlled airspace proposals closed on 6th November. Copies of the individual responses submitted by the LAA, the GAA and the BGA, were received from Paul (Jenkins) on the 8th November and subsequently forwarded on to all our members via on November 11. The latest update from Paul (Jenkins) is that no formal comment has been forthcoming from HIAL so far in response to the above noted submissions. Thanks to Donald Thanks is due once again to Donald for this extremely informative link to an Airprox map which was transmitted to all our members on the 13th January. This web site is a real eyeopener as it clearly depicts, by selecting each year in turn from 2016 back, the reality where one can but ask the question, as there is no justification on safety grounds, what is the real reason that is driving HIAL to seek control over such an immense area of our Highland sky? LAA Highland & Islands Dornoch Fly-in Dates for our annual fly-in at Dornoch have been confirmed as the 29th and 30 July. Sollas Fly-in Dates to be confirmed for what I consider to be one of the best venues for any fly-in with a free beach landing to boot. LANDING CARD AT INVERNESS As advised in our previous issue of our newsletter, further discussions were held on the 28th October. Mr Graeme Bell, the Inverness Airport manager shall no doubt advise, once details are made known, as to whether or not our request can be supported by HIAL. HANGAR RESIDENTS AT DALCROSS It appears the new doors on hangar three have already been completed/commissioned. However, it seems Scottish Water or some other agency has commenced and continue with drainage work. This excavation work continues to block the access to the hangar. Accordingly, it is unknown when Highland Aviation along with the other aircraft, that were relocated to hangar one, shall be able to return to their usual berths. Page 1 of 8

2 From the chair continued HANGAR AIRCRAFT Tri-Kis G-BZDR: New nose leg installation was completed and signed off by LAA inspector. All the paperwork was posted to LAA and is expected to be delivered to Turweston on Tuesday 24 or Wednesday 25 January. The permit inspection work was also concluded and signed off with only the flight test outstanding. Prior to performing the permit flight test, the LAA requires to review the submitted paperwork and approve the new nose leg installation. RV7 G-MACI: As I noted at our November meeting Nigel Reddish commenced the flight-testing on 25th November which he subsequently concluded on the 27th having flown CI for 7 hours. Full Permit signed off by CAA on the 8th and received from LAA on 22nd December in time for Christmas yahoo baby. Extreme weather delayed my long awaited first flight until the 28th December with a further two flights on the 31st. To date a total of 19 flights and 14:25 hours of flight time recorded. Jodel G-AZWF: Fifty Hour inspection ongoing. No doubt update on WF s progress shall be given at our meeting on Friday. Longeze G-BKXO: Arrived from Kinloss to take up residence in hangar 2 on the 25th November in the slot vacated by Longeze G-BMUG. The Rutan designed aircraft are from the late 70s onwards and even to this day look fantastically futuristic as if they came straight out of a Star Wars film set. Burt Rutan who designed the above type is also largely responsible for the Virgin Galactic White Knight Two and associated spacecraft amongst many other interesting designs, Ed Forgotten Airfields I expect many of you may already be familiar with this website. I stumbled across it recently and found the Highlands and Islands section very interesting. Worth a look if you haven t already: Page 2 of 8

3 Hangarage at Knockbain Farm, Dingwall. We now have prices for a new hangar at Knockbain. This is a commercial project to help gather a little income for the airstrip and farm, and the plan is to offer accommodation for up to three aircraft at a rent which ensures a payback on the capital cost within a reasonable period. The arrangement would include hangarage and unlimited (subject to some conditions) use of the airstrip. We are nearly at the point where all the costs are known. There will almost certainly be confirmation that we will be below the threshold for business rates, but we await final figures on the engineering costs to satisfy Building Control and fire/ environmental conditions. Planning Permission is already in place for 18x12 metre steel framed building. The plan is to have one 40-foot set of sliding doors in the centre of the 18 metre South elevation. The airstrip has Planning Permission for all operations excluding night flying and parachuting. We are inviting enquiries from any owners or groups who would be interested in locating to Knockbain Farm. Obviously suitability of aircraft to the nature of our strip is important, as is the need to be part of a convivial group. We already have one firm enquiry and we have agreed to hold this interest until we have firmed up the rental figure. Therefore we have, at this stage, potentially two other spaces for approx. Cub sized aircraft. Preference will be given to LAA tailwheel types. For those who are not familiar with Knockbain, we have 650 metres of grass which is suitable for use for most of the year having had major improvements in There are pronounced gradients from both ends towards the centre and pilots need to be capable of operating safely in an unsupervised environment which needs well developed flying skills and a sensitivity to the local area. The decision whether or not to build this hangar will entirely be dependent on achieving an acceptable return on capital but we very much hope that we will be successful in forming a good grass roots flying group in the best traditions of the LAA - something quite rare in this increasingly regulated world of airport hassle and the closure of small airfields. Contact david@knockbainhouse.co.uk or Landline or Mobile David Lockett, 19th January 2017 Page 3 of 8

4 I recently came across this passage in a book called Wings of War, edited by F A Walbank and published in the winter of 1942, that I found on my father s bookshelf. It illustrates that the essence of flying is very little changed in all this time. Paul Horth Back to Earth Like a gull coming to rest, the aeroplane glides down, gently springs along the grass, then taxies around, jerking bumpily towards its resting place. The airscrew blades turn visibly as they rotate more slowly and finally jerk to a stop. From the cockpit, with surprising agility, the pilot, with his helmet and oxygen-mask cast aside, climbs down to the sun scorched earth. As all men when they arrive from the skies, he appears a little remote from this planet. His eyes, like the eyes of a sailor that have long scanned the skyline, and by doing so have acquired the very blueness of distance itself, still seem focussed on vast dimensions. This pilot has become a particle of the great kingdom of the skies. He has attained the sense of freedom of a bird. This has been achieved by his complete mastery of his aircraft and the element in which it flies. He knows just what his machine will do, how far it will carry him. Confident of finding his way through a trackless dessert, he knows how to safeguard himself from surprise and danger. It is a sultry day down here on earth, but our pilot has been refreshed and cleansed in the mountain freshness of the skies. He has just triumphed over time and space; defied gravity; and soared into the blue empyrean has attained a means of expression that gives him an elasticity denied to all of us bound to the ground. With this new element at his disposal, he has attained exquisite sensations of power and purity. Climbing higher and higher, and then shooting up over backwards, he has flashed like a silver fish, in an inverted dive, even higher. He has aspired suddenly into a world of blinding whiteness, a fairy-like `transformation scene of cream and froth reality, of incredibly silver sun and snowy cloud mountains, everywhere an eerie whiteness where no other living thing exists. Sitting on top of the sky he enjoyed the escape from earth until suddenly he decided to dive down through the cumulus and from the cockpit watch the slow-moving world below. It seemed strange that such troubles should be fermenting down there. These troubles suddenly seem as childish to him as the world itself looked childish. The neat and efficient toy world belonged to a child s nursery. He watched the insect-like shadow of his aircraft gliding smoothly over the patchwork squares of fawn and green fields and the squares spotted with rows of corn stooks. His shadow coursed over the orderliness of the walled-in gardens, their secrets of washing pathetically revealed on the drying lines. It hurled over haystacks and the miniature church with its steeple smaller than a pepper pot. He flew over the avenues of trees, and the counterpanes of trees and the stationary arabesques of small rivers. The turquoise sea was marbled with silver veins and had bruises of darker green. Close to the shore where the languorous ripples made an edging of fine lace, the birds were lazily weaving and dipping, a handful of drifting confetti. He had acquired the ecstasy that only a pilot knows. Now ambling along towards the hangars, his harness thrown over his shoulders, he smiles the smile that conveys more sentiment than a whole host of words. That smile that implies, perhaps, that the sky is blue, that men and birds can fly, that fellows are well met.... A touch of that evaporating ecstasy is still on him as he walks to the hangars before joining the others for tea. Cecil Beaton Winged Squadrons

5 Shempston Photos Thanks to Rick Philips for sending these photos (taken by Martin Knight) of the Shempston Pietenpol Flying Group machine operating the other day off the remains of the snow. Rick writes: We have had a very successful 'flying start' to the year, having achieved about 10 hours flying from Easterton to date. By comparison, last year we did not manage to get any flying in January at all, due to the weather and waterlogged ground conditions. Page 5 of 8

6 Easterton Pics Courtesy of Iain Bright (thanks Iain). Easterton visit to Knockbain Misty Loch Ness Pietenpol from Falke Page 6 of 8

7 Aircraft for Sale Rans S6ESA Coyote group A Tail Dragger First flight 1992, TT Airframe 467hours, TT Engine 835 hrs, Rotax 912 UL 80 HP, 800x6 tyres, Full swivel tailwheel (Matco), Tennessee wooden prop with epoxy leading edges, Fuel tank in fuselage(40 litres), uses 12/13 litres/hour, Max AUW 450kgs, Always hangared, Reliable, Permit expires 12/12/17. 14, phone Alister Fun Runabout Experimental Design Fred series 2 First flight 1998, Stored 2005 to 2016, TT airframe 52 hours, TT engine vw hours, Cylinder heads reconditioned by John Maher, Lucas mags with boost for start, Chris Lodge propellor with brass leading edge, Tail skid, No brakes, suitable for grass, 500x5 tyres, Wings foldable Approx 240lbs payload,800lbs MAUW 3, phone Alister on Fly-In News Glenforsa 45 th Mull Fly-in, 27 th and 28 th May. Lamb Holm 23 rd, 24 th and 25 th June, all day Barbie, party on Saturday night. Sollas To be confirmed. Dornoch 29 th and 30 th July. If you know of any fly-ins coming up in 2017, or are planning a fly-in or any other type of aviation related event, please let us know at laahighlandstrutnews@outlook.com and we will do our best to spread the word. Page 7 of 8

8 Highland Strut membership renewal for 2016/2017: Treasurer s Address:- Billy Grant, Craigellachie, Laundry Lane, TAIN, IV19 1ED September 2016 With this the September issue of the newsletter, we come again to membership renewal, which we have once again been able to maintain to the paltry level of only 5:00 for the year October to October. To maintain your membership, please complete and return this form with payment to the treasurer at the address shown above. Cheques should be made payable to The Highland Strut. Alternatively, come along to the next meeting and see Billy in person, but please complete the details below which will form the basis of our membership list. Name: LAA BMA Address: BGA LAA Membership No.: address: Telephone: Postcode: Mobile: Page 8 of 8