Monday night, club night at Goodwin's restaurant and bar, 30-odd (very odd?) members enjoyed an entertaining and informative evening at the hands of SIV maestro Jocky Sanderson. What? You missed it! Where were you?
In a very slick presentation, Jocky pulled up video clips to illustrate all of his points about glider behaviour and, most importantly, pilot behaviour. As someone who went on one of his courses 5 years ago, it was fascinating to see how the emphasis of teaching has subtly shifted towards building a deeper understanding of canopy flight and how the combination of pilot and wing need to be married together to produce the right outcome. Modern gliders are so well designed that it is nearly always the pilot mis-timing their control input that leads to a simple collapse turning into an inescapable cascade. A very useful revision/review of this vast subject, and a good reminder of how necessary it is to explore the abilities of our gliders, and ourselves, and to recognise their (and our) limitations.
Thanks to the generosity of our members, who responded brilliantly to the appeal; together with a significant input from the club we will be able to present £350 to the North West Air Ambulance charity to support their essential work saving lives in our region.
Thanks again to everyone involved in organising, setting up and attending the event.
Brian Stewart, Safety Officer.
