Wet Head Championships!
International Indoor Wet Head Championships!
Date: Saturday 22 February 2014
New Date: Friday 28 February 2014
Location: Fairoaks Airport Bar (F A B!)
Games Commence: 1945 Hrs
Wet Head is a hilarious game of fun, skill and pure luck! Likened to Russian roulette but with a small amount of water on your head, the games will have you laughing all evening!
For the championships we are mixing wet head with some general knowledge questions for all to enjoy!
During the evening a sumptuous supper of chile & jacket potato will be served for £6.00 – there will be very limited ‘extra’ portions available on the night so please confirm your supper reservation ASAP.
As the name suggests you may get a little damp (it really is a very small amount of water) – no special clothing is required and towels will be provided.
Friends and family all welcome! To confirm your place for a fun evening of laughter, music and prizes till very late, please email info@fairoaksevents.com.
2014 GASCo Safety Evening
We are pleased to announce that the 2014 GASCo Safety Evening will be held at Fairoaks next week.
Thursday 13 February 2014
Time: 1930 - 2130
Location: Fairoaks Airport Bar (F A B!)
GASCo delivers these safety evenings on behalf of the CAA. The evening is designed to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on General Aviation safety and understand how it affects you, the people you fly with and your clubs and associations.
Everyone, from students to experienced pilots, is encouraged to attend the evening which provides useful and up-to-date information on how to improve flight safety. In particular, the content focus this year will be on the CAA's GA Safety Six:
- Airspace Infringements
- Airborne Conflict
- Loss of Control
- Runway Excursion
- Controlled Flight Into Terrain
- Human Factors
Event Registration
Attendance is free however, due to limited space available, prior notification of attendance is required. Please send your details (name and total number of people attending) to manager@flysynergy.com in advance of the evening so we can secure your place. We look forward hopefully seeing you on the evening. For those needing some extra encouragement, the Fairoaks Airport Bar (F A B!) will be open throughout!
EASA Conversion Update
In their latest news release, the CAA has reminded all pilots of the upcoming restrictions that will be placed on holders of a UK CAA ‘National’ pilots licence. Please note this is different to an NPPL (National Private Pilot’s Licence) so this may apply to you. Take a moment to think about which licence you have as you may need to take action by April 2014 in order to remain valid.
How to identify your licence type.
Your licence will most likely fall into one of the below categories:
1. EASA Part-FCL Licence
This is the newest type of licence issued. It fits onto one page and is issued in a small blue book. Generally speaking, if you have this type of licence no further action is required as you are likely to be fully up-to-date.
2. JAR-PPL Licence
This will be the most likely licence for those who first gained their licence after 2000, following the introduction of the Joint Aviation Regulations. It is characterised by a 5 year validity period. If you have this type of licence, you only need to covert over to a new EASA licence when either your existing one expires or an amedment such as adding a new rating is made.
3. UK CAA ‘National’ Licence
These licences are those which were issued before the introduction of JAR-PPL licences around 2000. They are characterised by having a lifetime validity. It it these licences which are the subject of this article.
4. National Private Pilot’s Licence
A UK-only licence that is normally issued alongside a medical declaration rather than a Class 1 / 2 medical. If you hold an NPPL, you will be required to convert this to the European equivalent which is an LAPL (Light Aircraft Pilot’s Licence) by April 2015 in order to continue flying EASA aircraft (includes C152 and PA28). More information will follow on this process in due course.
What’s Happening?
If you are the holder of a UK CAA ‘National’ Licence, then your licence will no longer be valid for flying EASA aircraft from 8 April 2015 onwards. C152s and PA28s are included in the definition of EASA aircarft. In order to continue flying such aircraft beyond 8 April 2015, you will need to have converted over to an EASA Part-FCL licence.
Even before this date however there are further restrictions to be aware of that begin on 8 April 2014. Between the period from 8 April 2014 to 8 April 2015, holders of UK CAA ‘National’ Licences will be restricted to flying EASA aircraft in accordance with the privileges of a European Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL). This means you will be restricted to:
- Private VFR operations
- Flying a single engine aircraft of 2,000kgs MTOM or less
- A maximum of 3 passengers
- Flying without instrument or instructor / examiner privileges.
What to do next?
The easiest way to ensure compliance with the new changes is to convert your UK CAA ‘National’ Licence to an EASA Part-FCL licence by 8 April 2014. Further guidance on this process is available via the CAAs website. Also read about our application service below to help guide you through the process.
Certification of ID & Licence
As part of the conversion process, you will be required to submit to the CAA a certified copy of your ID and revalidations page. For members, we are happy to certify such documents free of charge so please ask a member of staff for more information. For non-members, there is a small charge of £15 for this service.
Application Service
Does all the above just seem too confusing? In light of these new requirements, we have launched an application service that will help take the weight off your shoulders! If you come to us with your licence, we can prepare all relevant paperwork, ensure all neccessary conversion requirements are complied with and sumbit the application to the CAA on your behalf.
The cost for this service is £25. If you would like to take advantage of this offering, please email info@flysynergy.com or call 01276 858 075 to get the process started.
Taxiing Restrictions
Outside B1 Hangar
Attention is drawn to the following extract from the Fairoaks AIP (EGTF AD 2.20, 2b): "The apron in front of the B1 hangar is not available for taxiing aircraft due to surface condition."
Due to the loose stones outside the main hangars at Fairoaks, no aircraft should taxi or have the engine running behind the white line. This area is depicted on the image below with the shaded red area.
In practice, this means that when starting aircraft parked outside the hangar, they must be pushed forward in front of the white line and started from that position. When parking, aircraft should be shut down in front of the white line and then pushed backwards onto the applicable parking spot.
Always ensure there are two people available when manoeuvring aircraft in this way. If assistance is needed, please seek either the ground crew, an instructor or member of staff.
Taxiway Charlie
Similarly, taxiway Charlie is NOT to be used owing to unsuitable surface conditions. This restriction, whist not set by the airport as in the case above, is a club rule which has been made in order to sensibly mitigate the risk of any propellor damage.
As a result, the tower may at times request you taxi via TWY Charlie. If requested to do so, the appropriate response should be "Unable to accept taxiway Charlie due to surface condition, G-CD." They will then be able to offer an alternative routing as required.
Chocking Aircraft
There have been several recent observations from the ground crew at Fairoaks, highlighting chocks are sometimes incorrectly positioned thus rendering them ineffective. As a result, the following information is provided to all pilots to draw attention to the correct method of chocking aircraft.
When chocking the aircraft, please consider the slope of the ground on which it is parked. The chock should be positioned in order to counteract the natural tendency for the aircraft to roll. This gives rise to the following general recommendations:
Aircraft Parked Uphill: Position the chock behind the nosewheel in order to prevent the aircraft from rolling backwards.
Aircraft Parked Downhill: Position the chock in front of the nosewheel to prevent the aircraft rolling forward.
Aircraft Parked Level: When parked level, the aircraft can roll either forward or backwards. As a result, two chocks should be used with one positioned in front and one behind the nosewheel.
Plymouth Radar
As part of an air safety initiative and in order to promote awareness of the South Coast Danger Areas, Plymouth Military Radar have produced an information leaflet briefly outlining their role and services provided.
Lt Cdr Andy Anderson (Senior Air Traffic Controller) writes, "As I am sure you are aware the airspace the butts our southern shores is a very busy environment containing a multitude of aviation and hazardous activity. The leaflet goes someway in explaining what we can do to help you, should you be flying adjacent to, or within this airspace."
Farnborough ATC Visit
Thursday 30 January 2014 - 0930 AM
As part of the ongoing liaison between Farnborough Air Traffic Control and the general aviation community, a further visit date has been released for later this month.
The visit will last approximately 2:30 Hrs and will consist of a visit to the tower and radar room at Farnborough, a brief presentation by one of the controllers, followed by an open Q&A session.
If you are interested in attending one of the visits, please let us know as soon as possible as places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Both licensed pilots and current students are welcome to attend and feedback from the previous visits has showed this to be very a worthwhile trip.
Burns Night – 25 Jan 2014
In addition to the regular bar opening every Wednesday and Friday evening, all members are invited to celebrate Burns Night with us at the Fairoaks Airport Bar BISTRO (F A B!) on Saturday 25 January.
Be sure to book early to avoid disappointment. The three course meal will be followed by fun, music and of course some highland dancing! To book tickets, please call the flight centre on 01276 858 075.
Tickets: £15
Bar Opens: 1700
Dinner: 2000 Hrs
Bar Closes: 0200 Hrs
Dress Code: Scottish if you can!
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Three Course Meal:
Non-Haggis Option Available on Request
Cock-a-leekie soup
Haggis Tatties & Neeps
Cranachan
Lee on Solent PPR
Further to the announcement made on 17 January 2014 regarding PPR requirements at Lee-on-the-Solent Daedalus (EGHR), this memorandum provides further refinement of this policy:
Prior Permission Required (PPR) will remain in force at the airfield for all out of hours operations, with exceptions applying for residents operating under a waiver system. During normal operating hours PPR is encouraged, in order to allow airfield staff to provide any essential flight safety related information, however there will be no formal requirement to obtain PPR before arriving at the airfield. These conditions during normal operating hours apply to both residents and visiting aircraft.
All visitors are now to use the Tower Apron grass parking area for their aircraft when visiting the airfield, unless hosted by an alternative resident or handling agent, in which case visitors are required to inform the tower on arrival.
The operation will continue to be a self-handling service only, with Britten-Norman providing an Air to Ground tower service during operational hours. The Tower Apron parking location will better serve visitors, offering a much easier and safer method of getting landside, via access to the Waterfront area of the airfield and via the Argus Gate entrance.
Please note that Britten-Norman’s airfield management service applies to airside operations only and concerns all matters relating to the safe use of the airspace and airside areas. The company is not responsible for the waterfront area, general site access or for aircraft handling matters (including the collection of landing fees, which should be paid to the landlord, HCA). Visitors requiring a handling service can request assistance from Britten-Norman, however charges may apply.
Basic Additional Tower Apron Briefing Information
It will remain the responsibility of the pilot to ensure his/her aircraft is parked responsibly and so as not to cause obstruction from the airfield’s RFFS response units and other aircraft.
Visiting aircraft should not park on hard-standing areas of the Tower Apron, as this causes an obstruction to other users. All parking is on grassed areas and guidance may be sought by contacting the tower.
Currently there are a number of fixed base aircraft based operating from the tower. These aircraft are parked in a manner which is likely to cause a taxi risk to aircraft following the taxiway centreline to Tower Apron. All visitors need to be aware of the increased wing-tip striking distance danger in this area of the airfield; pilots are expected to apply the necessary increased distances during this phase of manoeuvring.
General Airfield Briefing Information
Visitors are not permitted to access the airside areas of the airfield without prior approval from the tower and are not permitted to bring vehicles on to the airfield without the required permit, airside insurance and driver briefings. These temporary vehicle permits are requested separately and require the written endorsement of the Airfield Manager.
In addition to guidance offered in this AOM, please ensure that all pilots have been fully briefed and have a copy of the latest version of the Aerodrome Operations Manual.
Please continue to stay informed of the changes and any operational notices by subscribing to the LOS Users Email Bulletin – emails sent by the Airfield Manager / Tower, by emailing a request directly to: andy.walters@bnaircraft.com with the subject ‘subscribe’. To be removed from this list, please email with subject ‘un-subscribe’.
Andy Walters
Airfield, Air Safety & Flight Operations Manager
Lee-on-the-Solent Daedalus Airfield
Operated by Fly BN Ltd – a Britten-Norman company
andy.walters@bnaircraft.com