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.

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

Coronavirus

Following the Government’s latest advice to stop non-essential contact with others, the Bristol Strut and Bristol Aero Club have reluctantly decided that we can’t go ahead with our meeting on April 7th, nor, probably, with our other meetings up to our summer break.

Confirmation as to whether the May meeting is to proceed will be available on this website nearer the time.

UPDATE 26/3/2020
We live in extraordinary times! As you would expect, we have now cancelled the speaker for May as well as for April, and are re-booking them for next season. Rolls Royce have closed the Heritage Trust so unless conditions change our 1 June meeting is also cancelled.


Sharpen Up Your R/T

This month our meeting will be the pertinent to us all and is to be held on Tuesday 3rd March in our usual Room 4 at BAWA starting at 7.30.

The speaker will be David Chambers who says:
“Time for some de-rusting prior to the start of another flying season. This month’s focus provides a quick refresher on R/T, not just the words to use but what they mean. What to say if you can’t comply or want something different? Are you clear on the difference between Air/Ground, FISO and full ATC?

David will takes you on a tour of the different levels of R/T interactions from unmanned grass strips to regional airports. Check your own understanding and walk away confident to request that next zone transit or self-announced arrival.”

SkyDemon Tips and Tricks by Rob Hart

Aerospace Bristol, Saturday 23rd November 2019, 11am

A tips and tricks seminar for existing users of the SkyDemon app for planning and navigation – Rob Hart from SkyDemon will discuss the intended workflow of the system, and will highlight some useful features which are perhaps less well known.

Seminar starts at 11am, and will be in the lecture theatre in the Concorde building.  The museum opens at 10am, and refreshments / lunch can be purchased in the museum café.

There is no cost to attend the seminar, but all those attending will have to purchase a museum admission ticket, either a group ticket for the day at £12, or an annual ticket at £16.50 for adults or £14.50 for over 65s, unless of course you already have a valid annual ticket.

Attendees are encouraged to bring their tablets with Sky Demon loaded

In the afternoon Concorde tours will be arranged for anybody who is interested.

Guest Speaker-Retired RAF Group Captain Laurie Hilditch

For our next meeting we are fortunate to have a talk from retired RAF Group Captain Laurie Hilditch. Laurie is a graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, a former Commandant of the UK Empire Test Pilot School, Head of Future Capability for Eurofighter and a Shuttleworth Trust pilot. He will be giving us a “Logbook Lucky Dip”  into his experiences. Tuesday 5 November, 19:30 for 19:45, BAWA Room 4, 589 Southmead Road, Filton BS34 7RG. Non-members welcome – contact Trevor Wilcock, chairman@bristolstrut.uk