May Meeting – Microlight from Kiev

For our Zoom meeting on 4 May we are joined again by Steve Slade and Ed Clapham.
In 1988, before the breakup of the Soviet Union, they took part in a surprising international microlight rally from Kiev to Odessa. A chance to peek behind the Iron Curtain! 

The Zoom meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 4th May 2021. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut and BAC members; if non-members of either group wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

April Meeting – RAF Voyager: An Overview

The Airbus A330 Tanker aircraft entered RAF Service in April 2012. This presentation by Geoff Simpson provides an overview of the civil derivative aircraft that provides UK military Air to Air Refuelling to the RAF and NATO allies around the globe.

The Zoom meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 6th April 2021. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut and BAC members; if non-members of either group wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

Next Meeting – Preventing Airspace Infringements

For the March meeting our speaker is Rob Gratton, airspace infringement lead at the CAA, on the subject of ‘Preventing airspace infringements in the UK’. You may have met Rob in the CAA tent at the Rally in recent years.

Recent CAA rejection of several Airspace Change proposals (on grounds including failing to take full account of all airspace users) has been encouraging; we can also play our part by avoiding infringements.   

The Zoom meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 2nd March 2021. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut and BAC members; if non-members of either group wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

Next Meeting – I Learned About Flying From That

This will be an opportunity to share with our strut members any lessons learned from your flying experiences (there’s no need to be embarrassed—we’ve all had something happen or done something which we wish we’d rather forget!)  

The Zoom meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 2nd February 2021. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut members; if non-members wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

Next Meeting – Review of the year 2020!

This will be the opportunity to tell us about what you have – or have not – achieved in 2020, or your plans for 2021. 

The Zoom meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 5th January 2021. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut members; if non-members wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

RAeS GA Light Aircraft Design Conference (Web based) Monday November 16

The theme is Electrifying General Aviation with a good range of speakers including Rolls-Royce on the ACCEL speed record aircraft programme – due to fly this year, E-Racers and Gliders, Faradair, Pipistrel who have successful electric trainer and more in the pipeline. Design Competition winners will also be announced. The Design competition is for an eVTOL Humanitarian vehicle to operate across Caribbean islands. There are some excellent submissions.

There is more information on the conference here.

Chris Wright, chair of the Royal Aeronautical Society’s General Aviation group, previews technology-driven potential and challenges for the Light Aviation sector here.

Next Meeting – Aerial Sightseeing in Australia

Because of COVID restrictions our next meeting will be held virtually on Zoom. We see the return of Fiona and Angus Macaskill, this time with an account of their aerial sightseeing in Australia.

The meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 3rd November with the talk starting at 19:45. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut members; if non-members wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

Next Meeting – Wings at War

Because of COVID restrictions our next meeting will be held virtually on Zoom. Chris Bigg, local historian who has worked in the aviation industry for over 40 years and has previously talked to us about local topics such as the Brabazon, is returning to relate the story of the Bristol Aeroplane Company during World War II.

The meeting will open at 19:30 on Tuesday 6th October with the talk starting at 19:45. Instructions for joining the meeting will be sent separately to Strut members; if non-members wish to join us please contact our Treasurer and Zoom host Neville Parton in advance at  treasurer@bristolstrut.uk and he will send joining details.

AGM – September 2020

The next meeting of the Strut is the Annual General Meeting, on Tuesday 8 September, starting at 19:45. Because of Covid-19 limitations, this meeting will be held through the medium of Zoom. Logon details for the meeting have been sent by email to all Strut members; if for some reason you have not received yours, please contact one of the committee through the addresses on our Contacts page.

General Updates -June 2020

The DofT will shortly be issuing guidance for the resumption of training and dual flying from 4 July – see http://www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk/2020/News/flying.html

CAA – The Manual of Air Traffic Services (MATS) Part 1 (CAP 493) has been published as Edition 8, which will become effective on 31 July 2020: www.caa.co.uk/cap493

On 1 December 2020 the CAA will introduce a new procedure to review and, where appropriate, amend the classification of airspace. The classification determines the flight rules that apply in that airspace and the procedures that must be followed. You have the opportunity to offer comments on a draft of this new procedure at: https://consultations.caa.co.uk/policy-development/draft-procedure-to-review-airspace-classification/?mc_cid=223f21e64c&mc_eid=3edf2eff83

Last December the CAA also asked us to suggest specific airspace that they could review using the new procedure, once in place. Unfortunately the information provided on traffic flow was not fit for the intended purpose. However a summary of the responses is published at:
https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP%201935.pdf

Note from our Chairman re Carbon Monoxide

As we resume flying, it’s worth reading this now rather than waiting for
the next Newsletter.

As the article states: “Nowadays there’s an increasing range of advanced electronic devices available, both portable and fixed. These provide audible alarms and/or digital readouts and cost anything from a few tens of pounds to several hundreds, all of which
should, if properly set up, effectively mitigate the risk.”

https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalapplication.aspx?appid=11&mode=detail&id=9631

Permit Flights

I have recently seen a note from the LAA to inspectors about the impacts of Covid-19.

One bit came as a surprise:
“…please do remind owners that we do accept Permit renewal check flights being carried out up to a month prior to their inspector’s inspection, and that you have the power, after inspection, to authorise check flights for up to a year after the Permit to Fly has expired.”

I was aware of the second point but not of the first; I have always assumed that the check flight had to follow the inspection. Not much use at the moment if we’re not able to fly at all, but worth bearing in mind for the future.
Trevor