13 Year Old Wins Aerobatic Prize

Posted by flysynergy on Jun 11, 2012 in GA News | Comments Off on 13 Year Old Wins Aerobatic Prize Over the weekend 25-27 May 2012, the UK National Glider Aerobatic Contest was held at Buckminster Gliding Club where there were many fine displays by some of the best aerobatic pilots in the UK. However, the most notable achievement was that Robbie Rizk, aged just 13, won the beginners class with a score of 82.6%. He also gained the highest score in the competition for his positioning, finesse and accurately flown manoeuvres in an ASK-21 glider. He is the youngest person in the world ever to take part in a national aerobatics contest and had to fly with a safety pilot because he is not yet old enough to fly solo (the legal minimum age being 16)! Robbie's father, George, is a pilot and instructor with Buckminster Gliding Club and first introduced his son to gliding at the age of 11. One of his instructors commented "Robbie is a natural pilot and shows the flair and skill that is normally seen in much more experienced pilots. He is destined to go far and could well be future 'Red Arrows' potential." Source: Buckminster Gliding...
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Dunsfold Park Extended Hours

Posted by flysynergy on Jun 11, 2012 in GA News | Comments Off on Dunsfold Park Extended Hours Dunsfold Aerodrome has been successful in their application to extend opening times during the 2012 Olympic games. From the 21 July through to 15 August 2012, flying operations will be permitted between 07:00 Local and 21:00 Local each day, including weekends. "We are delighted that the inspector recognised the important contribution to business aviation small airports like Dunsfold Aerodrome can offer and is enabling us to make the best use of our airport facilities in time for the Games," said a spokesman for Dunsfold. "The London Olympic Games 2012 is a world event of exceptional national sporting and economic importance, strongly supported by the government, and we are very pleased that we will now have the opportunity to be able to fully engage in this momentous occasion." Source: BBC News...
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Weather Getting Worse?

Posted by flysynergy on Jun 4, 2012 in Flight Safety | Comments Off on Weather Getting Worse? Just occasionally, the forecast, or the pilot’s interpretation of it, proves optimistic. We may then be presented with a dilemma when in-flight weather deterioration approaches safe limits. Of course, turning along a clearer route is the preferred option, and we should have turned back into the better weather behind us as soon as we noticed the deterioration starting. However, distractions and terrain may mean we notice the deterioration late, and the weather may be closing in behind us as well. Rather than continue into worsening weather, we need to make a positive decision to make a landing in a field before that becomes impossible. Aeroplane pilots need to make that decision early enough to select and check a suitable field then fly a circuit and land; helicopter pilots are in the fortunate situation of being able to land almost anywhere with the minimum of preparation, although we do still need to be able to control the aircraft visually. Unfortunately, human beings are not perfect. Despite all good advice, we might have been pushing our luck by flying over terrain which does not provide a safe landing area. Even over terrain which is suitable for landing, a little hesitation may take the safe areas out of our reach. Having flown ourselves into an extremely hazardous situation, and with no safe options remaining, we have little time to make a risk assessment and judge which of the available unsafe options is the least dangerous. Rather than hit the ground, a climb under control through a gap may be the relatively safer option if it can bring us into clear air above cloud. It is not unknown for pilots to climb above some low cloud in the belief that was just a patch and in the expectation that a clear area is in front of them. Once, hopefully, above cloud we are faced with the problem of returning to the surface again safely. While PPL holders are expected to be able to use radio-navigation aids, the stress of recent events is almost certainly going to affect our flying. Rather than run out of fuel searching in vain for a hole through which to descend, if you have not already done so, call for help on 121.5 MHz as soon as you have the spare capacity. Source: GASIL...
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Hot-Air Balloon Awareness

Posted by flysynergy on May 31, 2012 in Flight Safety | 0 comments The CAA have published Information Notice 2012/093 which intends to raise awareness of hot-air balloon operations. Included in the notice is information on their size, common locations and timings of flights as well as methods of...
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Impact of Space Weather

Posted by flysynergy on May 31, 2012 in GA News | Comments Off on Impact of Space Weather The Network Manager at Eurocontrol has identified space weather as a potential problem for European air traffic management, given that it is capable of disrupting aviation’s communications, navigation and surveillance systems.   Impact on space and ground-based technology Space weather - solar activity and solar wind in the magnetosphere, ionosphere and thermosphere - can affect the performance and reliability of both space and ground-based technology. Satellites, radio communications and even electrical power grids can be damaged by space weather. Increased radiation as a result of space weather can potentially affect flight crews, especially at higher latitudes. Solar activity cycles Solar eruptions can affect the earth and are more likely to occur during or just after periods of high solar activity. Solar activity has cycles of roughly eleven years and we are in one right now. The current period started in 2011 and will end in 2017. Impact on satellites Satellites are, unsurprisingly, vulnerable to space weather. Solar energetic particles emitted by the sun can hit satellites and cause their electronic systems to fail. Geomagnetic storms and an increase in extreme ultraviolet radiation expand the earth’s atmosphere and increase drag on low orbit satellites, making them less reliable. Satellites have been lost - in 1989 and 2003 - because of space weather. If we have exceedingly bad space weather, experts have estimated that we could lose around half of our satellites. This would mean that we could no longer use satellite systems for navigation and surveillance. Magnetic and solar storms Magnetic storms can affect electrical power grids. They cause transformer saturation which reduces or distorts voltage. This can lead to transformer failure and power grid collapse. The loss of a transformer is serious: they take eighteen months to replace. In March 1989, this happened to the Quebec power grid: its long lines and static transformers made it particularly sensitive and it collapsed, leading to a nine-hour blackout and power supply problems which persisted for some time afterwards. Space weather can affect communications, too. Solar disruptions can affect radio, especially HF (high frequency). Power failure and induced current in telecommunications grids could knock out internet access and telephones. Solar storms can create unusually high levels of ionising radiation - up to a hundred times higher than usual. This can affect flight crews and passengers, but radiation can also impact on electronics and aircraft avionics. Keeping a close watch The Network Manager...
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