ANDY DOES IT AGAIN!

evern The magazine ofBristol and Glos

Gliding ClubkiesAutumn 2007

SANDY Davis came from behind to winthe Targett Western Regionals – again.Then his son Matt, 16, got in on the act.

On the fourth and final day of thecomp Andy overtook Andy Smith(ASW 28) in his Discus 2 (80) to winby 20 points.

He and co-pilot John Tanner had2722 points to Andy Smith’s 2702.Andy flew day one in 802 with co-pilotMatt doing virtually all of the flying,and then solo on day four. John Tannerflew days two and three. Andy Davishad to win the last day by a big marginto beat Andy Smith and did so.

The last day was a 300 that nearlyeveryone got round so they went homehappy after a pretty wet week.

Third was Trevor Stuart (ASW 27b),fourth Nick Wall/Brian Birlison (LS8),fifth Jon Meyer (Std Libelle) and sixthMark Parker (Pik 20).

A day later, on his first solo x/c MattDavis kept up the family tradition bydeclaring a 300 triangle and facedclaim forms for Diamond goal, Golddistance and Silver duration!

Other 300km flights were done that

ANDY Davis recently becameclub vice-chairman as JohnFrench has resigned from thatpost and from the committee.

Phil Lee stepped in as club sec-retary to replace Andy Townsend,who also resigned. Andy is stilldoing the bar.

Martin Talbot has been co-opted on to the committee. IanHey has taken over as club techni-cal officer from John French andis also now deputy tugmaster.Dave Bland remains in charge ofclub glider maintenance.

THERE’S a mine of information at http://bggc.co.uk/

One ofthechanges:Phil LeereplacesAndyTownsendas theHon Sec

day by Hywel Moss, Ed Wright, JimWilson, Geralyn Macfadyen, Phil Lee,but Mike Dixon landed late at AstonDown a bit short. Trevor Stuart did 501of 511 by landing at AD.

Simon Twiss and John McWilliamboth completed 500km flights and CFITim Macfadyen did a 500-plus flightagain.

A day later Rob Thompson did hisfirst 500, in his turbo Discus, on hisfirst real attempt – something he’dwanted since finishing his Gold in2000. Picture: Page 12.

Changes at the top

Andy Davis with co-pilot John Tannerand son Matt, left

EASA Cs of A –early warningAPART from vintage gliders, all UKgliders will require a ‘special’ C of Aafter September to comply with the har-monised European ‘EASA’ requirements.

Put simply, these requirements makeno distinction between the documenta-tion needed for a glider or a Superjumboand impose a huge increase in responsi-bility and workload.

It is therefore essential every ownermakes arrangements for this to be carriedout with a BGA inspector well inadvance, or you will likely find they areall fully booked.

There is also a high level of responsi-bility on the owner who must approachthe transition C of A with much greatercare than has perhaps been previouslynecessary.

As an owner, you must strictly followthe following requirements (as detailedin the ‘EASA Transition Package’ on theBGA website) – failure to do so willresult in the C of A being invalid:Register your glider for a ‘G’ registra-

And sonMatt getsin onthe act…

Turn to page 2

HAVING missed the great floods of 2007 by 24 hours (wewere on the usual trip to Gap) but hearing the disaster storiesplus the Nympsfield news of help required in building anark, I did wonder what we might come back to.

With the Terra Firma Syndicate in mind, I imagined entrieson the observations clip-board of amphibians!

Arriving back in actualsummery weather(halfway through Sid’sTask Week), however, itwas good to find lots ofthe usual seasonal entries.I’m sorry I’ve missed allthose good views of tinyroe fawns but hope to seethe “teenagers” some time.

The glow worm sight-ings are valuable as nonewere noted last year.Although some beeorchids were seen, ourrecords seem to indicatethat it’s only every otheryear that we get lots.Someone has seen toads –a TFS first, I think, andthere was still a function-ing pen and a pound coin by the board.

Re-reading early records and comments, I noted one askingwhy there seemed to be so many flowers in one particulararea of the field. There will be quite a few different reasonsfor this from ratio of shade to sun, general orientation, type ofsoil, which varies over the field, etc. However a very impor-tant factor must be our mowing regime – most plants, otherthan grass, don’t grow very well if you cut their heads off!One case in point is the group of harebells, with traffic conesaround them, which are just now, early August, floweringwell just north of the caravan site. This group is growing larg-

er every year and there are (or were last year) a few morearound too. This area, a stony slope with even less topsoilthan most of the field, has quite a specialist variety of plantsand, if left alone, short, wiry grass that needs little or no cut-ting. Mowing here only encourages the grass to grow and

soon crowds out all the“rockery” flowers.

The almost annual TFSguided walk around thefield in May, led again byPaul Reddish, was enjoyedby about 20 members. Itwas windy, which meantmuch wildlife was keepingits head down and alsogave us an excuse for ashort detour through thewoods below the caravans.

I regret to say either Ididn’t keep any notes ofwhat we saw – or I’ve mis-laid them! I do know thatmuch information was notonly imparted by ourleader but also by knowl-edgeable members of theparty. Fred Ballard identi-fied some birdsongs and

calls for us and we disturbed a roe deer just by his caravan.I’ve finally managed to sort out the difference between self-heal and bugle – I think – but will probably have to resort tolooking them up again next year.

There’s plenty to see now and plenty to look forward to –lots of flowers and insect life, including butterflies, probablyalmost until the next Severn Skies is due, plus groups ofbirds preparing to migrate while others arrive for the winter.

A Terra Firma Syndicate page on our website is planned,where we can all post our sightings, including photographs,so look out for that too. NANCY BARRETT

Severn Skies is magazine of the Bristol and GloucestershireGliding Club, Nympsfield, Stonehouse, Glos GL10 3TX

Phone numbers: 01453 860342; 01453860060 (fax). Email:secretary@bggc.co.ukSent free to every British gliding club. Themagazine can be downloaded frombggc.co.uk/?page=about/severnSkies.htmlEditor: Bernard Smyth Tel/fax: 01454 329751; 07813 726245b.smyth@blueyonder.co.ukPrinted by Waterprint, 01342 844255

Welcome to new members

2

Mike Jordy (BGA Vice-Chairman) Full flyingRoger Naylor Full FlyingPhilip Anthony Student Adam Mann Fixed Price to Solo John Richard Morriss Retired flyingDanielle Hancock Student John Pooley StudentMax Firman StudentAnthony Clerici Fixed Price to Solo

A silver washed fritillary by Daphne Malfiggiani

Were there any glowworms in Noah’s ark?

tion with the CAA – this should be done at least 3 months beforeCofA expiry.Apply the ‘G’ registration markings to the glider before the Cof A inspection (a fireproof registration plate is also required inthe cockpit).Make sure all documentation is up to date and available, includ-ing insurance details and a manufacturer’s Flight Manual. If your glider has waterballast capability, you have to fit anOutside Air Temperature gauge – this is included with somemore modern cruise directors. See your inspector for advice. Allaerobatic gliders must also have a ‘G’ meter fitted. Also obtaina lever arch file, box file and several A4 transparent plastic wal-lets (hole punched).

It is possible to ‘anticipate’ the C of A by up to 3 months – thatis it can be completed up to 3 months ahead of the expiry date.

‘Grandfather rights’ on the modification status and instrumentfit will apply up to this renewal. Any subsequent changes willhave to be approved by the glider manufacturer or by anapproved design authority, instead of a BGA inspector – there-fore it is recommended you carry out any possible changesimmediately. Sid

Cs of A: From page 1

SOME of us have been gliding formore than 20 years and still find thethought of cross-country flying scary.That’s why Carol Smith and GillStarling booked on to the Silver to Goldcourses which have been very profes-sionally organised by Trevor Stuart andare available on the BGGC website.Mike Platt also booked as the thirdmember. Michael hasn’t been glidingfor quite so many years but has found itdifficult to make much progress beyondSilver due to a constant battle to reachand retain currency.

We had four days out of five, but theconditions were not easy. GavinWrigley’s relaxed air of confidence andcan-do attitude were a great inspirationand went a long way towards calmingthe nerves.

Carol and I set off following Gavinand Michael in the DG on the first twodays at heights we would never consid-er ourselves – 1800ft above site. Somedays we did not launch till 3pm and stillgot something out of the day.

On the third day we set Edgehill-Enstone but turned Barford St Johninstead of Enstone as I did not refer tothe GPS correctly. Kevin Neave didtease us later when he downloaded theloggers!

Michael got an extremely friendlyreception when he landed out atEdgehill, and then had to navigate theaerotow back as their tug had no GPS!

Despite weak low thermals we did goaway from site on three days and learntto have the confidence to go in moredifficult conditions. In fact Carol and Iboth succeeded in going cross-countryon the Saturday after the course fin-ished in conditions we would not havegone before.

We were pleased with ourselves aswe went to Gaydon Kingham althoughI landed out near Rencombe and Carolhad a technical landout at Edgehill. Itwas fantastic to be able to put all thetraining into practice so soon after thecourse.What the course taught us

Practice flying in gaggles, lead andfollow techniques, gliding at the rightspeed between thermals i.e. best L/D inweak conditions. Flying on consecu-tive days does improve your currency

and skills. We all came away with spe-cific points to work on. Oh, and the log-ger has a different memory of the flightfrom me!

Seriously, studying the logger tracesafter flying was very instructive and isto be encouraged for anyone who wish-es to improve their flying.Positive reasons for the courses tocontinue

o Encourage pre- and post-solo andSilver pilots to keep learning and pro-gressing

o Good utilisation of the kit, launchfacilities and instructor during the week

o Contribution to the running costso Increase confidence flyingo Encourage good habitso Fun

ConclusionWe all thoroughly enjoyed the week

and would recommend it to anyonewho needs to build his or her confi-dence. Thank you to Trevor for his hardwork setting up the website and cours-es and obviously to Gavin for encour-aging us throughout the week

Carol, Gill and Mike

Onward andupwards…THE Advanced Mentor scheme, whichhelps members progress from Silver toGold and onwards, has been runningfor a season.

With some effort from both sides itcan work well. I encourage all menteesto pester your mentor to help you. If

you doubt that training will help you toprogress, ask Simon Foster about hisSilver, Alison Moss about her 300 orRuss Francis about his 500.

Advanced mentees are members whohave a minimum of a cross-countryendorsement and wish to improve theirXC skills. Most have not flown 300.Some are more experienced and havesuitably qualified mentors.The qualifications for being anadvanced mentor are: -1 Have flown 500 and have rea-sonable contest experience, generallyNationals. 2 Cleared to fly the DG 505 (orother glass two-seater) cross-country.3 Have the ability to teach thementee how to improve their cross-country flying and be able to inspirethem to go and fly further and faster.

The mentors and mentees should talkto each other once every two weeks orso from March to September. Theyshould set goals for the mentee and tryto fly together whenever possible,either lead and follow or in the DG 505(or other glass two-seater). Having amentor in no way prevents the menteetaking advice or flying with anyoneelse. his scheme is designed to be inaddition to any presenttraining/help/advice.

Possible goals include: XC flying forits own sake, Silver, 100km diploma,Lasham plate, Rockpolishers,basic/assistant/full instructor ratings,Gold, Diamonds, regionals, Nationals,UK expeditions, foreign expeditions,club Ladder, National Ladder, clubrecords and National records. Tim

3

Metman wantedSO that a better facility can be available midweek, I am looking for someoneto take on providing met forecasts to the website Monday to Thursday (Iwould still do Friday and weekends).

This would suit someone who has half an hour or so to spare early eachmidweek morning and a good understanding of Bronze C meteorology –however I can supply any further tuition required. If interested, contact me on07885 065664 or at sidsmith188@msn.com

SidOn that subject the next two Lasham- organised Advanced Met for Soaring

Pilots courses will be held on October 13/14 and November 10/11. More details, including prices and how to book, are available at

www.lasham.org.uk/learning/met.asp

Feel the fear and do it anyway!

4

FOR SPECIALIST REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCEOffering outstanding workmanship, efficiency and service in:

l All glass, kevlar, wood and metal repairsl Modificationsl Motor glider engine approvall C of A renewals and general maintenancel Weighing, including accurate in flight C of G positioningl Re-finishing in all types of gelcoat and paintl Hard wax polishingl Competition sealingl Instrumentation systemsl BGA and PFA approvedl Canopy perspex replacementl Aircraft recovery

ContactEmail: sailplane@btconnect.com

c/o Bristol and Gloucestershire Gliding Club, Nympsfield. Stonehouse, Glos GL10 3TXOffice 01453 860861; Home 01453 860447; Mobile 07850 769060

www.sailplaneservices.co.uk

We have more than 25 years’ experience of letting residential properties within a 15-mileradius of Stroud which includes Cheltenham andCirencester. Our friendly and experienced staffare here to help you.

Landlords – Free valuations and a fully comprehensive, efficient service to suit yourrequirements at competitive rates.

Tenants – Web-site updated daily, flexible out-of-hours viewing appointments available and 24-houremergency number.

Tel: 01454 75359450A London Road,

Stroud,Gloucestershire

GL5 2ADEmail: info@cotswold-lettings.co.uk

www.cotswold-lettings.co.uk

5

FRIDAY 6 July was certainly aNympsfield ridge day with a 257-degree 17kt wind. There were also bro-ken thermals up to about 2,000ft (QFE)under predominantly grey clouds readyto shed a few showers. And there was aforecast of possible wave, which mightfurther complicate matters on the ridge.

The XC enthusiasts were alreadyworking their way up and down theCotswold edge to Bath well before Iwas rigged. Previously I had had onlyone P2 trip ridge ride to Bath well overthree years ago in 970 so I wasn’t plan-ning to head that way on my own justyet, although Trevor’s proposed leadand follow for tomorrow had made meconsider joining him then.

Before rigging both Don Puttock andMartin Talbot had given me a fewwords of encouragement to head overto the Wotton bowl and try my luck.“Try to set off with 1,400ft fromNympsfield and have at least 800ft inorder to get back to our west ridge.”

I winch launched to 1,400ft in 748and headed out to our west ridge. Icould see someone thermalling wayover towards the motorway so after afew beats headed out west. Didn’t findany lift so came back and sat on theridge at about 800ft for a while, duringwhich time I noticed Rob Hanks andAndy Townsend launch in 802 andimmediately head straight off to Wottonbowl and presumably Bath Racecourse.

After a while I caught a rough ther-mal and worked up to the ragged greycloud base at 2,100ft over Nympsfieldvillage. At that height it was now veryeasy to get over to Wotton for a look-see. There was good lift there, whichgave me a chance to survey the areafrom around 1,200ft. A little later I saw802 appear from the south well belowme and made radio contact. They hadalready been to Bath and were planningto do it again; Andy asked, “Do youwant to follow us?”Pause for serious thought…

They offered to thermal up and joinme from my higher vantage point, andstart from there. I decided to go for it.Soon after they reached me theyradioed, “we’re off”.

Keeping well astern of 802 we lostheight steadily but found some useful

thermal surges en route. Visibility was-n’t brilliant and I was a bit concernedthat I might lose sight of the leader.However, no problems at all as weapproached the M4, although we weredefinitely low enough now for Andy tosuggest a thermal top-up to 7-800ftbefore crossing over. 802 gained heightmore quickly than I and promptly setoff south again. Worryingly I soon lostsight of it completely. With no morethan 700ft and hoping that the next partof the ridge would keep me going Idecided to follow. In pundit terms Iwasn’t low but I felt a lot more com-fortable after finding a thermal south ofthe motorway, before exploring thisnew bit of ridge. Eventually I caught upwith 802 thermalling above me, southof the racecourse. I had made Bath!Crossing M4 a breeze

A few more words with Andy andafter getting up to about 1,000ft wewere heading back north. Crossing theM4 was a breeze, but I definitely need-ed the ridge as we headed past the railtunnel east of Chipping Sodbury. Justbefore Hawkesbury we hit the rain. Iheard some radio discussion with oth-ers flying ahead of us. It sounded likewe had a large shower ahead (NOT areference to the other pilots). Rob andAndy decided to head back south andwait for conditions to improve. Itseemed like a good idea to do the same.

I was already quite a bit lower than802 and getting anxious for the ridge,or a thermal, or anything, to start gener-ating some useful lift. At 200ft QFE Istarted taking a serious interest in thelocal fields; fortunately there was agood choice of landable options.

However, I wasn’t giving up just yet,and both gliders were now beating upand down a workable bit of ridge andscraping reassuring height. After nearly20 minutes, and it felt a lot, lot longer,I picked up a usable thermal andworked my way back to 1,100ft, gettingblown downwind of the ridge for mytrouble. Anyway, we had both foundheight and were soon heading northagain as the shower had passed.

A comfortable combination of ther-mal and ridge lift took us back toWotton without problems. A quickcheck with Andy confirmed 700ftshould be enough to get back to the“home” ridge. 802 had already set off,but I wanted to try for a bit more heightbefore I went. A couple of beats aroundthe bowl didn’t benefit me significantlyso at 600ft I decided to head back andrely on our ridge to help me, should Iarrive a bit low.

Well I did and it did. Arriving at lessthan 200ft at Uley Bury I tracked theridge, which was working all the wayback round to Coaley peak. I thought,“up to 700ft for a circuit then back fora well-earned cuppa”. It took longerthan I expected to gain much height andit was unexpectedly turbulent in places.After a lot more beats I found that 500ftwas about all I could achieve so decid-ed to call it a day anyway. The down-wind leg proved surprisingly sink-free,but I turned in early for a comfortabletouchdown by the clubhouse.

Wow – made it there AND back onthe first attempt! Well chuffed.

Thanks Rob and Andy for your guid-ance (and to Rob Thompson for his ear-lier mentoring on low-level ridge flying).

Going for it… Bob Page describes his first solo rundown the ridge to Bath racecourse

Task week a winnerFRED Ballard was the overall B classwinner in Sid’s Task Week in Augustand Chris Edwards won the A class.

On day 3, there were at least fourGold Distances/Diamond goals, includ-ing Simon Foster, who only completedhis Silver on the Monday! Other GoldDistances/Diamond goals were: GillStarling (logger failure), Fred Ballard(logger failure), Graham Bowser, PhilLee and Francis Parkinson.

On day 6 Kevin Neave also finally

claimed a Gold Distance/Diamond goalon the day he celebrated 20 years atNympsfield.

A superb evening meal by Guiseppewas enjoyed, as was the barrel of beerprovided by Kev and Carol.

Film plannedTWO recent members, Simon Millerand Mary Addison, are consideringmaking a pilot film about the club’sactivities, for a possible future project.

6

By popular demand, it’s at The Bear of Rodborough Hotel againwww.cotswold-inns-hotels.co.uk/bear

Starts at 7pm for 7.30 and finishes at 12-30

Tickets Only £30 a head. Maximum number is 80

Excellent accommodation £65 per double room, £37-50 per single.(Max rooms available are 20 and they need to be booked by November with adeposit of £10). Dogs are allowed to stay in the rooms but the office needs to

know if you are bringing them so I can let the hotel know.

Fantastic menu, see below; Same great band, Against the Grain

Just let the office know what you would like to eat, who you wouldlike to sit with and give them a cheque for the tickets (and depositfor the room if you are staying). I look forwards to seeing you all

there again. Any questions do speak to me directly

Many thanks Gill Starling (Glider 100)

MMeennuuFrench Onion Soup with Parmesan Croutons

Smoked Chicken & Wild Mushroom Terrine, Apple Compote & Mieux Mustard DressingHome Cured Gravadlax and Horseradish Salad

~~~~~Rump of Lamb Bourgignon with Truffle Jus

Honey Glazed Gressingham Duck, with Braised Red Cabbage & Red Wine Jus

Open Lasagne of Wild Mushrooms and Baby Spinach with Truffle Foam~~~~~

All the above served with seasonal vegetables~~~~~

Caramelised Lemon & Orange Tart, Blackcurrant SorbetChocolate Bread & Butter Pudding, Raisin Syrup, Clotted Cream

Iced Granny Smith Parfait with Stem Ginger Syrup~~~~~

Coffee & Mints

BGGC AnnualDinner-DanceFebruary 23 2008

7

July 30-August 3WHAT a great week! A superb courseweek for all concerned.

After the downpours, at last a goodflying week – the club was fullof “sickies” on Monday andTuesday – local productivitymust slump when the sun popsout after a grim weather spell.

There were three of us on thecourse (Richard Grey, DavidJesty and myself) with Gavin asglorious leader. So…Monday: A bad start for me …I was set to follow Gavin and David’slead on a fantastic glorious day but I“lost” my purse between Sainburys andBGGC (I suspect a bad person helpedme to lose it). I was too flustered to fly.Gavin landed out after failing to scrapeinto AST – obviously in sympathy formy loss. In the morning I had a coupleof spot landing practices in case ofshort fields. The second was better thanthe first. I had definitely got into theNympsfield diving-in habit.Tuesday: I was in the lead glider(FYV) with Gavin … a beautiful day(nearly as good as the previous, I’mtold). Gavin piloted us out to UpperHeyford – the start was very hard work,getting through an inversion at 2500ft.David did really well to follow us.Gavin then handed over to me and Isniffed, scratched and soared our wayhome under instruction via ChippingNorton (CHN) – great fun.

This year’s technique of Gavin flyingthe first leg is excellent on a number ofcounts – for example it enables P2s tosoak up some tips; to study the localgeography (ahh… there’s the UtterlyButterly crew!) and (hardest of all) relax.

Don’t turn in rubbish.Don’t pull up in anticipation (wait for

it … clouds make promises that theydon’t keep). Use the pantsometer aswell as the variometer. What’s apantsometer? Fly by the seat of yourpants – the main communication chan-nel between vertically moving air andpilot.

But do anticipate the sink when leav-ing thermal.

The zen of thermalling. You reallyhave to be there for this one.

LOOK OUT, don’t hit other gliders(it’s rude apparently).

Keep making progress – better to belosing a bit of height moving forwards

than stationary digging your owngrave.

Apparently bobbing the nose whilethermalling is considered poor practice

– fancy that!Hunting turns – you know that much-

needed lift is here somewhereabouts.Come out, come out wherever you are.

Abandon a turn if you missed the lift.Just because you started doesn’t meanyou have to finish – move on – get overit! BTW I recently looked at a pundit’sIGC file using SeeYou – 25% turns left,25% right, 50% mixed – compare tomy usual 90% right, 10% left.

Do some simple sums (just take-aways – no divides or anything) to seeif you can get home. It’s very nice tosee NYM from a distance at a comfort-able glide angle – I wonder if our CFIcan remember what that looks like!

Loads of other stuff ... hey – do acourse yourself!Wednesday: Gavin and Richard in theK-21, David in the Grob 102. I had ashort flight in the Grob – got away offthe winch after some hard work – ther-mal got better and better but I had topop the brakes and bring the gliderback after 20 mins. Felt like leaving ahalf cuppa – I’m still missing it. Slunkaround the airfield – talking, launching,ferrying – you know the drill.

Richard let the wind whistle through’his cobwebs and David had a crackingday – Enstone and back – SilverDistance and also 100k with goodspeed.Thursday: Day off for me. I don’t havethe stamina for this relentless fresh air.Anyway the forecast was correct – itrained. David made the best of a shortspell in the evening – converting to theLS4 – excellent!Friday: My big day “grin”. Nasty low cloudbase – after winching Ileft NYM at 1800ft on track to Enstonefor my Silver distance. Plenty of liftabout further out but a small operatingheight band to play with. It was weirdleaving home so low but the thermals

were close together and if I didn’t gofor it now I would have to try anothertime after a failure – I thought thatwould be hard.

There were loads of landoutoptions – the fields are beingharvested – I thought even Icould land in one of thesemonster stubble fields.Comforted by that thought Ispent the rest of the time look-ing up not down – the groundwas too bloody close for that!

I reached nearly 3000ft(QFE NYM) by about halfway there.Got a bit stuck just after Little Ris –good stuff was towards Brize zone (ofcourse) – I think I could have used it ifI had had my Garmax moving map setup properly. Frustrating to be scratch-ing near to a pair of small but worth it,black-bummed, fluffy clouds – I swearthey were the best I saw all day.

At 10km out from ENS I calculated500ft remaining for the circuit – I was-n’t comfortable but at least I was in. Ofcourse that cruelly started to getchewed into as I approached – thatshould not happen with a tailwind, Ithought. Just before arriving I tuckedinto a very sweet thermal and took acomfortable height margin. AboveEnstone I let out a whoop of joy beforeGavin’s drilling clicked in, a closeinspection of the landing strip, a FUSTcheck and a sweet landing.

Enstone (Oxfordshire Sport Flying)is a lovely, friendly place – PLEASEcall in for a tea if you are passing. I didmy x/c endorsement at there – it wasvery nice to meet my instructor (Mike)again. The guys there put my gliderback to the start of the strip and weremore than happy to help launch it. Allthere are ex- or closet glider pilots andmost of the planes there seemed to bemotor gliders. Gavin and Tony arrivedshortly in the tug – Gavin kindly flewEKF back home while I just managedto squeeze my grin into the back of thetug. I’m allowed out on my own now –how grown-up is that!?

A glorious week – many thanks, toGaia (earth goddess) for the wonderfulweather, Gavin for his calm, supportiveand informative instruction and goodcompany, Trevor for tireless coursearranging and all those who chuckled atmy over-excitement at achieving thismilestone.

Glorious weekfor diplomas!

By Julia Dawson

8

TYRES AT LOW PRICES

ll FROM MINI TO FERRARI

ll MASSIVE STOCK

ll GOOD SERVICE AS STA NDARD

ll COMPUTERISED BALANCING ll LASER ALIGNMENTll HIGH PERFORMANCE LOW

PROFILE TYRE SPECIALISTS

TEL 01453 767747 OR 752186UNIT 5 & 6 WALLBRIDGE INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, STROUD

BRAKES

STEERING

FLEETCARS

WELCOMESERVICING

BATTERIES

SUSPENSION

Established by prominent figures in British gliding, Joint Aviation is the leading, independent sailplane insuranceagency in Europe.

Joint Aviation has in-depth knowledge of gliding and gliding insurance as well as providing the personal contact that ensures every sailplane client receives thesame high standards of services and competitive prices.

0044 (0)142088664 for general enquiries

0044 (0)7802 708670 Terry Joint mobile0044 (0)1420 542003 Facsimile

email: office@jointaviation.co.uk

Joint Aviation Services Limited6 Old Aylesfield BuildingsFroyle Road, Shalden, AltonHants GU34 4BY

www.joint.co.uk

Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Services Authority

Severn Valley Sailplanes Passage RoadArlingham Gloucestershire

TEL 01452 741 463 www.svsp.co.uk

Agents for Mountain High Oxygen Systems.Full installation service available

PDA mounting systems

Cabling service

Installationand fault rectification

Completepanel installations

Shop via our catalogueor on line at:

9

MORALLY, I was the keeper ofthe high ground, having sold twoshares in G-BPHR after my returnfrom Australia on the understand-ing that one day I might set off forSouth Africa. Still, both Johnswere magnanimous in being out-manoeuvred – I had always known thatthe Moth and I would be heading southagain at some stage.

The key of course is to state your inten-tions so far into the future that no reason-able person can be bothered to say ‘no’,whether it be for time off work, orabsence from domestic or social duties.And this deviousness is well rewarded.

Flying a Tiger Moth in a straight line isjust such fun! The whole process is sototally absorbing; the planning, the main-tenance, the politics of the countries youpass through and the beauty of the terrain.It is deeply relaxing psychologicallybecause you concentrate so completelyon non-mundane activities.

And it goes on for days on end!“The human soul needs nourishment,”

my wonderful Irish farming neighbour(now deceased, bless him) frequently toldme as he made his pint of Guinness lastan impossibly long time until another waseventually offered, “and don’t forget,

Norman, the graveyard is full of indis-pensable people! The aim of life,” hewould often continue, “was to die withlots of memories but little money.”

The leaving of Brindisi in the south ofItaly was delayed for 48 hours whilst alanding slot was agreed for Corfu. Yes,they are that busy with tourists in thesummer. Thence an uneventful couple oflegs in ethereal mistiness to Crete viaMilos, thus avoiding the big Americanbase at Charnia, and on across theMediterranean to Alexandria. The TigerMoth was on form.

Blessed with individually delightfulpeople, ferrying or private flying inEgypt is, shall we say, challenging! It isbreathtakingly expensive with a bureau-cracy the consistency of treacle. Thistime I was compounding my woes byhaving to bring Mogas in through thegates, there being no Avgas. Day Onewas a negotiating failure. I was planningto fly to Asyut on the Nile but avoiding

Cairo VOR, one of thebusiest in Africa.Becoming technical for amoment, your locally filedflight plan (remember theword ‘locally’) does notpermit any routing other

than in or under Airways. No going‘direct to’ a point if you like. If I was toavoid Cairo, the only Airways option wasto fly back out to sea again for 50 miles,turn left, fly parallel to the coast and re-cross to terra firma over El Alamein. Andall of this at a minimum altitude of8,500ft. I returned to the hotel licking mywounds, facing the real possibility that Imight have to come home. Thank youanonymous helicopter ferry pilot. Thesolution was cunning but legal. The fol-lowing day I accepted the onerous condi-tions, filed VFR and set off out to seaagain telling the regional controllers (notthe local tower recipients of the flightplan) that a cruising altitude of 8,500ftwould not be consistent with VMC rulesfor the moment and, by the way, could Ialso go direct to a route shortening point.No problems! In fact the airwaves werealive with aircraft making such requests.I thus felt a little smug on my arrival in

The Dusty Road to Durban – Part 2In our previous issue, John Baxter described how he and“our” Norman Parry had flown Tiger Moth G-BPHRfrom Reading to Brindisi, Italy, before her conversioninto a single-seater in which Norman was to continue toDurban, South Africa. Norman takes up the story…

Continued on page 10

10

Asyut, but of course the true credit forbeating the system, which incidentallywas to work for the whole of Egypt, wasdue to the professionalism and courtesyof the sector controllers. I might havelearnt how to overcome stringent flightplanning rules, but high airport chargeswere unavoidable. One wag commentat-ed that the weight of dollars spentallowed him to carry more fuel.

Asyut was a remarkable oasis of greenwhich I longed to explore that eveningbut the security police insisted I remain inmy grim hotel. Whether this was for mysafety or whether I was considered thethreat, I was never to discover. My staywas to become protracted, however, asthat night a water pipe leaked in my bed-room, silently soaking all my maps,charts and manuals, necessitating a fur-ther day carefully drying these lifelines.And so to Aswan. My handling agentquickly announced that his cousin had ahotel and a room had been booked. Ipolitely declined having been there anddone that! I insisted on being dropped offat the New Cataract Hotel built in theshadow of surely one of the world’s greathotels, the Old Cataract. The New is goodbut the Old can only be dreamed of. Iused to sneak off there for my eveningTurkish coffee after dinner watching theDhows on the Nile in the cool breeze. Iwas to consume a few Turkish coffees asI awaited my clearance into Sudan.

It was now mid October and the initialapplication had been made in July byMike Grey of White Rose Aviation. I hadtold Mike that I would not commit myselfto Egypt without this clearance but weboth had been constantly assured that itwas all but done and dusted – and wewere believing sorts of guys, I guess!Five days later I was still waiting; NubianMuseum visited and appreciated; moneyspent in the Souk and many a fine mealconsumed; Mike now apoplectic withSudan; me about to admit defeat and onceagain turn for home! Then a clearancewith a number as long as your arm camethrough, indicating just what a tortuousbirth it had undergone.

It was about a week after my arrival inAswan then that I was at the airport atdawn for what was always going to be thelongest and potentially most risky flightof the trip, 540 miles to Khartoum.Khartoum was the only permitted desig-nated point of entry for me into Sudan butit was at the very limit of my range, evenif I flew in a straight line which meantpassing over the Nubian Desert. The saferalternative would be to declare Khartoum

as my destination, but actually plan toland short by some 200 miles at my firstalternate at Merowe, having followed theNile down past Dongola. The inevitablehassle, which would ensue from landingat a non-designated point of entry, mightturn out to be a small price to pay.Anyway, I decided not to decide on therouting until I was in the air and over AbuSimbel.

A lumbering take-off with 60 gallons ofEgypt’s finest petrol (if it is good enoughfor a Merc it’s good enough for a TigerMoth) and a frustrating diversion due toATC followed, but manna from heaven, atailwind! And, yes sir, in about five hoursI should be cruising at 8,500ft!

In the certain knowledge that Mothsone and a half-hours into the cruise neversuffer engine problems with a persisting10-knot tail wind, the straight-lineapproach was the inevitable decision.While I missed the meandering beauty ofthe world’s longest river, the NubianDesert was equally fascinating in itsghastly isolation and harshness. Theclock and fuel gauges continued in myfavour, making Khartoum achievable as Iintersected the Nile at Merowe. Againthere were no landing options availableon this last section, the wonderful data-base of 1,500 dirt strips given to me bythe Missionary Aviation Fellowship notbecoming relevant until south ofKhartoum.

My luck was not to hold however. Halfan hour past Merowe I noticed toweringcumulus on the horizon and suddenlyKhartoum was giving visabilities of 1-2km. It would have been so easy to sitthere and deny the reality of the situationand keep fingers crossed, but I had beenwarned of exactly this scenario by themore experienced. Khartoum wasrenowned for late afternoon thunder-storms at this time of year, triggering dustoutflows.

With a sense of disappointment Iturned around and landed at Meroweafter all. At these small dusty strips thereare two types of official: those on theway up the career ladder and those on theway down. The sliders, if you like, do notnormally pay too much attention to proto-col, but those on the way up are ratherresentful of the problems you have sud-denly posed them. I had definitely flowninto the latter environment.

There followed the classical ‘AfricanInterview’ which has the following char-acteristics: smart uniforms with goldbraid, a television on loudly in the corner,lesser mortals slumped over desks aroundthe walls, heads-on-hands asleep, a con-

stant procession of pretty secretaries com-ing and going with that slow sexy hipwiggling walk and shuffling of feet, and awobbling ceiling fan looking as if it isabout to detach itself any second. Thepassport at this stage takes an awful ham-mering as the pages are flicked backwardsand forwards, thus gaining time beforepossibly career-changing decisions arereached. But time and patience and smilesand handshakes and a brief discussion ofthe England football team normallysolves all, together with the relinquishingof the passport for safe keeping.

That night my decision to turn backwas justified by a sandstorm. The unset-tled weather continued for two days, dur-ing which time traditional African hospi-tality asserted itself with the offer to joineveryone for delicious meals after 7pm, itbeing Ramadan. I was given the use of amud hut too and a 45-gallon drum for myablutions.

The third day saw me up and away andsafely into Khartoum, albeit from a take-off beside the only runway because of thecross-wind. I will fast forward here leav-ing the unpublishable views of HenryLabouchere to speak for this pit of offi-cialdom and bureaucracy. In his youthHenry crop sprayed in the Gezira just tothe south. In fact I think his Ag-Wagon isstill parked up besides the runway, rottingaway with the 50 others!

It could have been a Bateman cartoonwith the Tiger Moth pilot asking for per-mission to bring in fuel through the air-port gates. My now rather soiled copy ofNotice 98 (CAA dispensation for certainengines to run on Mogas) did not impressmuch, nor I am afraid to say did JohnBaxter’s carefully printed italics on thefuselage ‘Motor Spirit Only’. What start-ed the thaw was the donation of one of my10 copies of a small remaindered hard-back coffee table glossy on the history ofthe de Havilland Moth, a modest littlenumber, but it was enough to re-enforcethe view that G-BPHR was very old anddeserving of special consideration.

If Khartoum was bad, what was it goingto be like further south? I could not havebeen more pleasantly surprised. Malakalwas a delightful place with minimal regu-lations, and lots of humour and courtesy.The Sudanese Sud had received a lot ofrain in the preceding weeks and it lookedlike parkland. This appearance is ofcourse deceptive, the Sud being sparselyinhabited with virtually no roads.Transportation is via the Nile. What I wasexperiencing in Southern Sudan was sim-ilar to that which I had experienced when

Moth trip: Continued from page 9

Continued on page 11

working in Nigeria. With the ending ofregional civil wars and the creation ofsemi-autonomous regional governmentsthe character of the local populationshines through. In Nigeria the Yoruba hasa profoundly different attitude to life thanthe Ibo, whilst in Sudan, the traditionallydominant force of the Arab has no place inthe hearts of the tribal south, who drawtheir culture from all the neighbouringcountries – Ethiopia, Chad, Uganda,Kenya and even Tanzania. SouthernSudan is one of the most exciting areas ofAfrica today. Long may the tentativepeace with the north prevail.

From Malakal to Juba my electricalpower failed, giving rise to heart palpita-tions and stares of disbelief at the blankradio, unwinking transponder and listlessVOR. John Baxter had suggested that hereplace the old power-hungry Garmin GPSwith a more modern unit which would becapable of extended operations just oninternal batteries. How right he was,although in this particular instance, deadreckoning was never going to be a life ordeath affair as my heading was alwaysgoing to bring me to intercept the Nileagain which I could then follow into Juba.

No offence was taken by the tower fora non-radio landing. As I wandered backto the Tiger Moth to complete my picket-ing down, I noticed and admired the fan-tastic thunderstorms building in the 45-degree heat. My mind was more on thecharging system fault and its implicationsfor my flight the next day into Entebbe.

It happened so quickly. One moment itwas just towering cumulus, the next itwas a black squall line rushing down therunway. The gust must have been 40-50knots when it hit. G-BPHR was pushedback with increasing speed along a nowwet runway, trailing her concrete-filledtie downs. The whole sorry episode onlyfinished when she slewed off into thehigh grass, coming to an abrupt halt.

As I raced after her, my thoughts werefor the stern post, only having a semi cas-tering tail wheel, but when I saw themetal tank trap against which she hadcome to rest, I knew I was going to havebigger things to worry about. I noticedfirst the broken trailing edge of the star-board lower wing, in-board of the aileron,and then the crushed starboard elevator. Ihave been complimented in the past formy work with an adjustable spanner, aWiltshire Persuader (hammer) and a rollof gaffer tape, but this damage was goingto require something more. I huffed andpuffed and clucked around the Moth try-ing to make a detailed assessment, but the

light was failing and reluctantly I knewthat I was not going to achieve anythingof further use on the airfield that day.

One of the Red Cross pilots who hadwitnessed the setback offered me a lift totown and help in finding accommodation,which was very rare and expensive if youwere not a member of the UNPeacekeeping staff who were in Juba intheir thousands. Before we left the air-port, however, I called in to see theOperations Manager to tell him of theincident and start the long process ofbuilding political bridges. The guy wassympathetic and to prove a great ally inthe future. My gloom was further deep-ened on the short ride to town by beingtold lurid stories of damaged aircraft,even after repair, not being allowed toleave until inspected by Khartoum, whichmight take weeks to arrange.

Camp Mango, a bargain at $300 anight, at least provided thinking time. Agood evening meal was followed by asheepish text message to John Baxtertalking of damage, the full extent ofwhich was as yet unknown. I went to bedin my air-conditioned prefab box withone certainty. The trip to South Africawas off and all my efforts must be con-centrated on getting the Tiger Moth homefor the two Johns to be able to fly in thespring as originally promised. Actually, Ihave never asked John B what he thoughton receiving my text; probably somethingalong the lines of, “I bloody knew it!”

A good night’s sleep and a long leisure-ly breakfast reinstated my positive atti-tude. Hey, had I not survived a hole in apiston in Burma? As with that event, youquickly meet people who know peoplewho will tell you the lie of the land bothphysically and politically.

Fact one. Wilson Airport at Nairobiwas the closest centre of general aviationwith the expertise to containerise theMoth and ship her out via Mombasa.Some people thought that if the aircraftproved to be un-flyable, or politicallygrounded, it could be transported by roadto Nairobi, but this suggestion was quick-ly scotched. The road from Juba, throughTorit, Kapoena and into Kenya atLokichouggio was dreadfully rough andstill subject to banditry. The other optionfor $17,000 was to fly her out in a bigAntonov to Jomo Kenyatta, the other air-port in Nairobi. Over to the insurancecompany if this had to happen.

Local knowledge assimilated, the nextact was to get my accommodation sortedas $300 a night was not going to be sus-tainable. Eventually I prevailed with theUN and got accommodation close to the

airport at $10 a night on the basis of myprevious World Bank work in Africa asan agriculturist.

It was now time to go back to the sceneof the crime and make a detailed inspec-tion. Within an hour I knew that she couldbe flown out. My fear of damage to therear wing spar was groundless. A bit ofaluminium bracing and yes, gaffer tape,was going to solve that area of non-struc-tural damage. The stern post was OK – Iwas to miss initially the three brokenbolts holding the tailwheel hub together,but the elevator was a different story. Itwas well buggered. Texts flew back andforth to John and eventually the decisionwas for a new starboard elevator to be airfreighted to Wilson Airport care of ColinDavis at Light Plane Maintenance.

I stayed in Juba for a few more daysbefore flying commercially to Nairobi tomake a detailed list of tools needed forrepairs, to look again and again for fur-ther damage and to sort out the chargingsystem. But most importantly, I had acouple of extremely sociable meetingswith the Airport Director appraising himof the situation. Gratifyingly he droppedall parking charges whilst the Moth wasunder repair.

My hidden agenda during these meet-ings was to steer off any suggestion thatKhartoum need get involved withinspecting the Moth once repaired. Idropped several hints that this would bequite unnecessary in view of….well, I donot think I need be more explicit here!

In Nairobi, I stayed at the East AfricanAero Club at Wilson, which was a holi-day within a holiday. The Club is a headymix of history (Beryl Markam et al) andmodern operations. I was to suffer a littlefrom the post work-evening camaraderiebetween pilots having been teetotal so faron the trip because of my passagethrough Islamic countries.

“How are you getting on, Norman?”“I’m fine, really.”“I know you’re healthy, I was asking

what you’re drinking.”Such was the hard work of all con-

cerned, notably John Baxter and BenBorsberry at home, the Moth Club’samazingly productive worldwide e-mailnetwork and Colin Davis looking afterthe Customs clearance in Kenya that afteronly a few days I was on my way back toJuba clutching as hand luggage onebright yellow elevator section.In the concluding part of the story, Norman Parrydescribes how, having repaired G-BPHR, therewere some serious decisions still to be made at thisjunction on the Dusty Road to Durban. Thanks toThe Moth, the magazine of the de Havilland MothClub for permission to use these articles.

11

Moth trip: From page 10

12

aviationinsuranceservices ltd

www.hillaviation.com

Keep a good look out

% 01765 690777

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

Bill DeanWE regret to report the death of BillDean in July at the age of 74. He hadbeen ill for a short while and died in aShropshire nursing home.

Bill went to Marlborough School anddid National Service in the Royal Navyas a sub-lieutenant. He was articled toPeat Marwick and qualified as char-tered accountant. He was a keen sailorand took part in several Fastnet races.

He had his first instructional flight in1963 at Dunstable and was solo withintwo months and later joined Lasham.

By 1966 he had his Gold badge andtwo Diamonds. He became a BGAinstructor and owned various gliders,some of which had the competitionnumber 3 on their tails. (When Billbought Andy Coulson’s Kestrel, Andygave the number 3 to Wally Khan’sdaughter, Christine, Bill’s wife, sayingbecause he had had so much fun flyingwith No 4 (Wally’s competition num-ber) in national championships, he

wanted his number to stay with Wally’sfamily. Neither number is for sale,Wally insists! After leaving LashamBill re-joined Dunstable, and laterjoined Talgarth, Nympsfield, in 2002,Midland Club, Windrushers (Bicester)and others.

At some he acted as tug pilot. Hetried numerous times to be elected tothe BGA Executive but without suc-cess.

Bill, as Wally Khan’s former son-in-law, was the father of Wally’s two grand-daughters, Charlotte and Suzy, who isjoining Bristol Children’s Hospital soonas a Registrar doctor.

Juniors next yearTHE BGA Competition and AwardsCommittee have confirmed acceptanceof our offer to run the JuniorNationals from August 7-15 2008.

A Silver trio!BOB Page, Julia Dawson and SimonFoster have finished their Silver badgesand Simon has done his first 300.

See Julia’s article on page 7.

Failed winch launches:New policy agreedTHE committee has introduced a newpolicy on failed winch launches. It hasbeen agreed that all failed launcheswith a landing ahead, except those fortraining purposes, shall be free ofcharge.

Charges for any other failed launchthat is the fault of the launch system,rather than the pilot, may be waived atthe discretion of the duty instructor.This has been approved by the flyingcommittee.

Rockpolishers resultLONG Mynd won the Rockpolishersevent after two scrubbed days atNympsfield. They had 30 points.

We came second with 27 and thirdwere Aston Down with 24.

The Mynd will representRockpolishers at the national final – tobe held at Nympsfield the weekendafter August Bank Holiday. K WEEKEND rotas – how they work –is spelled out on the club website athttp://bggc.co.uk/?page=flying/rotas.html

Obituary

A JUBILANT Rob Thompson(right) after his first 500 in July.Other flying news: Adrian Kirkbywent solo, Max Craven soloed aftera course. Jeremy Bodian flew100km for his diploma; 500s weredone by Chris Edwards, Phil Lee,Simon Twiss, John McWilliam andJohn McWilliam (again); 300s weredone by Hywel Moss, Ed Wright,Jim Wilson, Geralyn Macfadyen.Many good flights were done in theAlps, where James Metcalfe in theDG 505 has taught many members

Authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

alpine flying. Francis Parkinson gotGold height there this year, as did

Andrew Turner, who did Silverduration as well.