Contents Forthcoming Events Page 1 Lanzarote 2011 Page 1 Aerotow Holidays Page 4 Airfield News Page 5 Forthcoming Events Fife Flying Club Fly-In & Open Day - Saturday 11 th June 2011 Fife Flying Club will be holding its Annual Summer Fly-In & Open Day on Saturday 11 th June 2011. As usual, we will be offering a wide variety of attractions including a barbecue, various stalls in the hangar, displays outside, raffle, etc. We ll be issuing more detailed information nearer the time but for now, please note the date in your club diaries. We look forward to receiving visitors from many clubs, not just from Scotland but south of the border as well! Annual Lanzarote Hang Gliding Trip - 2nd - 9th February 2012 Only 350 days to go! Thurs 3rd Lanzarote 2011 The weather forcast for getting to the airport was worrying, and indeed we had to drive through some nasty snow on the motorway but otherwise it was just windy and wet. We got to the airport but there was no sign of Andy so we phoned him and woke him up in his bed at home! Thankfully he made it to the airport in time. The flight landed early, and after a bite at the Macher snack bar we headed to Mala. It was too windy for Willie, Dave and me but Andy, Al and Henry flew in rough, gusty conditions. In the evening, true to tradition, Big Al had a lovely piece of fish for dinner down at Playa Camada. 1
When Willie found out he d be sharing with Dave, he warned him that he snored, but ironically it was Willie that ended up being kept awake by Dave's snoring. Meanwhile Henry had to reach for his ear plugs and a large dose of Night Nurse to get him through a night with Andy. Looking down at the Mala take-off Looking NE from Mala Fri 4th The winds were lighter on Mala, giving great conditions for everyone. I had a lovely 2hr flight my first on a hangglider since last year s Lanzarote trip. We watched a foreign glider pilot try to top land but just overshoot. Instead of aborting the landing and flying out, he still tried to land and crashed into the side of the hill, resulting in a broken glider. I also saw a paraglider launch and immediately have an accidental chute deployment, causing another crash. You can always rely on these foreigners to provide some great entertainment. Gradually the hanggliders gave way to paragliders as the wind dropped. Proving how upper-class and sophisticated we all are (!), it was time for a few games of croquet in the late afternoon. Sat 5th In the morning we saw a whole fleet of paraglider cars stopped near Henry s villa looking up at Macher, but thankfully the wind was too strong for them. I had a lovely 2hr flight with strong lift and sink. 1100ft/min thermals with equally strong sink was enough to make my hangstrap go completely slack at one point and took me to a shade over 3000ft asl (1500 ato). Back on the hill, it was fun watching the top landings. Many landed short in the vinyard, many overshot and once again another foreign pilot ended up with a broken glider after landing just over the edge. Unfortunately Henry had to fly home in the evening for a big court case back in the UK. (No he wasn t the defendant). That evening we saw 21 paragliders soaring Macher an aerial traffic jam, and about as welcome as midges in Scotland. Sun 6th This was the best day on Macher than anyone can ever remember and nice and windy to keep the Paraplungers at bay. My first flight saw climbs of up to 1750 ft/min. As I flew south east at cloudbase I realized I had a worryingly good view of the airport and its runway! Thankfully it was Sunday and so everything was very quiet. After over 2 hours I attempted to top land, and had my harness unzipped when I hit a huge thermal and took the ride all the way up to 3960 feet asl (2600 ato). After a successful 2 nd attempt to land and a rest, I had another 55 minute flight in slightly mellower conditions. As the wind dropped off and we packed up, the paraplungers arrived for their evening flight having once again missed the epic conditions. They never learn. 2
Mon 7th We had light SE winds so we went to the little known SE launch at Mirador which worked very well. I soared for about an hour before landing on the beach which was getting narrower as the tide came in. This was my first ever landing on this beach and it left a lot to be desired, but thankfully nothing was bent or damaged, and my vario recovered from contact with the sea water. The old landing field is no more as it has been turned into a dirt race track, but there are other options around. Two other gliders flew the site but the rest of the hangglider and paraglider pilots on the island were thankfully nowhere to be seen. Looking down at the Macher take-off Busy times on Macher Tues 8th Similar conditions to the previous day but with a slightly lighter wind meant that we went back to our secret SE Mirador launch which we had all to ourselves this time. It worked well enough to stay up for a thoroughly enjoyable 50 minute flight before another beach landing, which I managed to pull off much more successfully. It s a superb place to land with the warm sunshine and rolling surf, and the SE wind made the beach landing a good option as the wind was blowing right along the sand. Big Al and Dave both went for a swim in the sea. Andy prepares to launch from the secret Mirador SE take-off. Don t tell anyone about it. An idyllic place to land 3
Wed 9th The forecast was for a Southerly wind increasing in strength, so we went back to Macher for the last day. We launched early before the wind got too strong, finding beautiful smooth air and plenty of lift. The only problem was staying out of the clouds which were only around 5-700ft above take off. I landed after 48 minutes as cloudbase had descended to about 200 ft ato and my into-wind groundspeed was down to 3mph. Big Al had a shot of Willie's Discus, launching in strong winds, and when he top landed he came down absolutely vertically. Al was then offered a flight on a high performance Lightspeed which the owner had strangely decided to leave rigged on the hill overnight from the day before. This time Al bottom landed as the wind continued to increase. Once again it was a great holiday with lots of excellent, varied and incident-free (for us, if not for others) flying. Thanks as ever to Andy for arranging it, and to Henry for letting us stay in his wonderful villa. Bookings are now being taken for 2012! Aerotow Holidays in France Marcus Dalgetty and Stewart Bond are proud to announce the start of a new aerotow project based in the Haute Alpes region of southern France. "Aerotow Unlimited" will offer you the opportunity to be aerotowed on an unlimited basis. The operation would be "Wallaby Ranch" style with a single aerotow ticket valid for the duration of your stay. The Haute Alpes region offers magnificent flying with excellent cross country potential. It is particularly suitable for low airtime pilots wishing to spread their wings and learn the art of cross country flying. The area has a Mediterranean influenced climate with wide open valleys and an abundance of large outlanding fields next to roads. Airfield facilities including Bar/Restaurant and pool are available complete with country walks and complimentary bicycles making this a great family event. Flights can be available from two sites, Aspres Sur Buech and Gap Tallard with Aspres as the home airfield and place of stay. Accommodation is on-site Aspres and comprises bungalow style cabins with facilities nestled away in trees at the base of one of the best flying sites in the area. In addition the following services will also be available: Tandem hang gliding tuition for the purpose of gaining your CP aerotow rating Aerotow environment rating for CP/P rated pilots Guiding service Retrieve service Mountain/hill conversions Smooth air evening flights available with the facility of landing back at your cabin! Microlight training/air Experience flights to UK NPPL Glider and equipment transport to and from the UK (Northampton) and pick up from Marseille Airport included in package cost. The first dates available are 4th and 11th June 2011 with other dates to be announced dependant on interest. A maximum of 7 places are available per trip. Cost inclusive of equipment transport to and from the UK, airport pick-up, unlimited aerotow ticket and accommodation is 895 or 650 without equipment transport and airport pickup. For further information contact Marcus Dalgetty (info@pegasusfrance.com) or Stewart Bond (info@flylight.co.uk) 4
Airfield News From Sue Thank you to everyone who turned up the weekend of the 15th and 16th January to help tidy and clean the hangar: Richard, Robert, John, Thomas, Dave, Alan, Gordon, Scott and Tracie. It was a great turnout, and despite the inclement weather we managed sausages on the BBQ both days and had the log burner going. We appreciate everyone's help. The winter gave us some fantastic flying with frozen runways and blue skies, for those who didn't mind braving the cold. Here's Robert and Willie on one such day. Once on the runway, his camouflage was perfect and his microlight was almost invisible! However, now February is here, we are entering the time when careful consideration must be given as to whether or not to use the runway. Please think carefully and inspect the runway before flying. It could just be too wet, and too soft. Even with the Perfo, if you taxi or fly from the runway when it is soft and wet, you will leave deep grooves and damage the runway. And then, you'll be asked to fix it...which is a fairly onerous task! So, please be patient - even though you may arrive on a nice sunny day to fly, you need to be prepared at this time of the year (for the next month or so), that you may not be able to fly until the runway either dries out, or freezes. Hangarage rates this year start from April the 1st, through to 31st March 2012, and will now be available to pay by monthly direct debit on the 1st of each month, or by a one off payment by the 1st April as before. The monthly rate for a rigged flexwing microlight in the 'new' hangar is up just 4 a month from 82 to 86 a month, and all other rates follow a similar pattern. The Club membership remains the same. Although the grass cutter is away having work done to it, we are hoping we can cover it. Here follows the list of fees for 2011/2012. 5
SCOTTISH AIRSPORTS CLUB Easter Poldar Farm, Thornhill, Stirling FK8 3QT MEMBERSHIP AND FEES: 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012 Airsports Club membership - 80 a year covers use of airfield and facilities and free landings, but not hangarage for one year. Airsports Club Associate yearly member - 20 open to anyone interested in the activities of the sports club (non-flying) Airfield daily member - 10 a day covers use of the airfield and facilities (but not hangarage)for a single day use for non- Airsports Club members. It is a daily fee for anyone who wishes to drive in and rig their hang glider, microlight, FLPA,paraglider, or paramotor. Single landing fee - 5 applies all to non-members (PPR is necessary) Overnight parking - 5 Hangarage yearly rates Flexwing are a fixed price per microlight New Hangar Old Hangar Rigged flexwing microlight 1032 (86/mth) 840 (70/mth) De rigged flexwiing 516 (43/mth) 420 (35/mth) Fixed Wing rigged and de-rigged are worked out are worked out individually on size as they vary so much Hang glider wing in bag 80 FLPA 80 All microlights must be on sturdy and easily moveable trolleys. No trailers All those who wish to fly from and use the Thornhill Airfield Facilities must be members of the. For any hangarage or membership queries, please contact Sue Ellcome on 01786 870262 or ellcome@yahoo.co.uk, Easter Poldar Farm, Thornhill, Stirling, FK8 3QT www.scottishairsports.co.uk 6