The BGA wishes all glider pilots a safe and fulfilling new year.
Safety
GASIL. The final 2011 edition (2011/11) of the CAA General Aviation Safety Information Leaflet (GASIL) is available at http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/GASIL201111.pdf
Winter Warning. With the recent high winds that the UK has experienced, it is worth remembering an unfortunate pilot who, last year, nearly had a fatal occurrence following the loss of rudder control caused by unseen damage from high winds. If any aircraft is stored outside or normally stored undercover but is caught in high winds, be very diligent in checking the controls to make sure they have not been damaged by the wind. This also extends to control runs, stops, hinges, mounting structures, etc. If any doubt exists, carry out a thorough inspection, removing panels and seat pans etc., to gain access.
BGA
Keith Mansell MBE and Joan Cloke MBE. British gliding lost two of its most dedicated servants last month. Keith Mansell died in the early hours of December 27th, while Joan Cloake passed away on 31st December. Keith, who had been a member and office-bearer at Midland GC for over 53 years, served as BGA Treasurer for 23 years and latterly as Company Secretary, in addition to being Treasurer of the RAeC. An obituary is at http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/newsitems/keithmansellobit.pdf
Joan gave much of her life to the support and advancement of gliding at the Southdown GC where she was treasurer for 23 years and Chairman from 1982 through 1984. She was Chairman of the BGA Development committee in the 1970s and served a spell as BGA Treasurer. Our thoughts are with the families of these two remarkable people.
BGA Conference, Awards Ceremony and Dinner. Booking is now open for the 2012 BGA Conference, Awards Ceremony and Dinner. The event will be held at the Nottingham Belfry on Saturday 3rd March. As always, the conference is free to attend but booking is needed for the dinner. Full details are at http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/notices/conference.htm. Please book hotel accommodation directly with the hotel - http://www.qhotels.co.uk/hotels/thenottingham-belfry.aspx - or with any of the on-line booking agencies for the best deals.
BGA Shop. The BGA Shop now offers a greatly expanded range of products including gliding accessories, books and clothing. If you haven’t visited recently, take a look at http://www.bgashop.co.uk

Competitions and Cross-Country
2012 Nationals and Ratings. Application forms for the 2012 nationals are now available. Entries must be received by 31st January. You can apply online and renew your FAI licence at the same time at http://www.gliding.co.uk/nationalsentry.php. The provisional ratings list to prioritise places for the these competitions has also been published at http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/competitions/ratings.htm
2012 Rules. Following feedback, analysis and further input from coaches, the rule in place for the last two years to restrict radio usage in National Championships to discourage team flying is to be removed from the 2012 BGA Rules. Radio transmissions will continue to be restricted to the air-to-air glider frequencies of 130.1, 130.125 and 130.4khz. Organisers may additionally specify an airfield frequency in the Local Procedures that may be used for control of start/finish and for safety messages only. The revised Competition Rule Book for 2012 is expected to be published in February.
Oudie Position Recorder Approval. The BGA has approved the use of the Oudie position recorder for validation of gold and silver badge flights. Note that for the accurate measurement of altitude for Gain-of-Height, start and finish altitudes, and the 1:50 requirement for Silver distance, independent evidence of pressure altitude is required.
Regulatory
CAA Future Airspace Strategy. The third in the series of booklets on ‘Airspace for Tomorrow’ providing the background and progress of work associated with the CAA’s Future Airspace Strategy (FAS) is now available on the CAA website at http://www.caa.co.uk/FAS
General
GETMET 2012. The latest edition of the pocket guide to UK Met services, GETMET 2012, is now available on the GA services page of the Met Office web site http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/aviation/ga. Hard copy booklets can be requested from the Met Office on the same page. Like previous editions, GETMET 2012 contains a useful pre-flight planning checklist and contact details for reporting incidents and contacting the CAA. It also provides guidance in interpreting forecasts, decodes for the international expressions used, and describes the tolerances allowed in them.
Carr Withall Awarded Paul Tissandier Diploma. Carr Withall has been awarded the Paul Tissandier Diploma by the FAI for his work over nearly 20 years leading the BGA Airspace Team. Carr took a lead in ensuring protection of gliding interests in major national and regional airspace change programmes. His approach became so well respected that he was invited to participate in numerous strategic working groups as an expert on general aviation.
Hugh Browning Wins 2011 CAA Safety Award. Hugh Browning has been awarded the 2011 CAA General Aviation Safety Award. This award is made to individuals who have either made a lasting contribution to safety, or in recognition of one-off acts of skill or bravery. Hugh’s award is in recognition of the ground-breaking work carried out by the BGA Safe Winch Launching Initiative team – a project which has seen serious and fatal winch launch accidents drop significantly in recent years.