Safety
Is Your Glider Fit for Flight? Over the last 41 years, there have been 125 accidents caused by incorrectly rigged gliders, leading to 10 fatalities and 8 serious injuries. Accidents of this type continue to this day. In 2014 alone, 3 gliders were flown with an insecure or unconnected elevator; one flew with insecure wings both of which, lacking the main pin, detached from the glider during landing. All accidents of this type are completely avoidable. The BGA has produced a new leaflet on this subject highlighting the simple steps that we can all take to eliminate these accidents. CFIs have stocks of the leaflet; please ask for a copy. Alternatively, you can download from https://members.gliding.co.uk/library/safety/is-your-glider-fit-for-flight/
Multiple Risk Factors. We’re all aware of the individual risks that we need to be on our guard against. We also know that certain circumstances, such as first flight on type, new launch method etc increase the risk associated with any flight and that there is a higher risk of an accident occurring when a number of mistakes, weaknesses or other hazards occur simultaneously. We’ve been fortunate to acquire footage of a recent flight in which a number of hazards aligned. Only one of these was a direct result of pilot action; the other three were circumstantial. However, they combined to produce a flight which, although thankfully not resulting in an accident, certainly gave the pilot plenty to think about. You can see the flight and review the safety messages at https://members.gliding.co.uk/?p=23185
Airspace Safety Update. In June, the working party made up of representatives of the BGA Safety, Airspace and Competitions Committees wrote an open letter to all pilots about the need to avoid controlled airspace, including ATZs, and to exercise good airmanship, including communicating with controllers when operating around regional airports, even when in class G airspace. A further open letter - available at https://members.gliding.co.uk/?p=23131 - giving an update and offering further guidance, is now available. Please take a few minutes to read it. Thank you to all pilots for their contribution to this critically important initiative so far. As noted earlier this year, if we all follow good practice, we can maintain risk at a reasonable level, demonstrate that gliders do not pose the level of risk that some incorrectly assume, and have a much better case to oppose future airspace grabs.
FES Safety Considerations. FES (Front Electric Self-launch/Sustainer) equipped gliders are relatively new and unfamiliar to other airfield users who may not appreciate the dangers of the concealed propeller on the nose of the glider next to where they might stand. In conjunction with Lasham GS, the UK agent for the Silent 2 Electro, GliderGuider, has produced a briefing note listing a number of safety considerations that pilots and others on the airfield should consider when FES self-launchers are being operated. We recommend that all pilots of such aircraft and members at sites where these are operated should read and take note. The briefing is at https://members.gliding.co.uk/library/safety-briefings/fes-ground-safety-guidance/
BGA
BGA Conference and Exhibition. The 2016 BGA Conference and Exhibition, including the AGM and the annual dinner & awards ceremony, will be held at the Belfry Hotel, Nottingham, on 27th February. Exhibitors are already booking slots for what has become the most highly attended event in the BGA calendar. Preferential rates for rooms at the hotel are available for

both the Friday and Saturday nights. These are on a first-come, first-serve basis and can be booked now by calling 0845 074 0060 and quoting British Gliding. Saturday lunch and awards dinner tickets will be available to book shortly - watch the web site for details. As always, we look forward to seeing you there!
Club Management Conference. A date for the diary of club chairmen, CFIs and treasurers: the 2015 BGA Club Management Conference will be held on Saturday 21st November at Warwick University. More details will follow shortly.
Instructor Courses. Two additional instructors courses have been arranged. An A module will be held at Portmoak (Scottish GC) on 3/4th October and a C module will be held at Gransden Lodge (Cambridge GC) on 26/27th September. A complete list of available courses and availabilities can be seen at https://members.gliding.co.uk/courses-events/courses/
Competitions and Cross-Country
European Championships. The European Championships for the Club, Standard and 15m classes were held last month at Rieti in Italy with the British Team recording three top 10 placings and taking the overall team bronze medal. The top individual British finisher was G Dale who just missed out on a medal in the Club Class finishing fourth with a performance that included two day wins. Team mate Ian Macarthur was 15th. David Bromley was 5th in the Standard class with Jay Rebbeck 22nd. Our one competitor in the 15m Class, Leigh Wells, finished in 7th position.
World Gliding Aerobatics Championships. August also saw the 18th FAI World Gliding Aerobatics and 6th FAI World Advanced Gliding Aerobatics Championships which took place at Zbraslavice in Czech Republic. Paul Conran flying in the Unlimited Class finished in 30th position whilst in the Advanced Class Alex Harris was 35th and Graham Saw 39th.
New National Champions. Three national championships -18m, Open and 20m multi-seat were decided in August. At Gransden Lodge, the Open Class title was won by Andy Davis, who led the competition from start to finish. Russell Cheetham and Iain Evans were second and third in a competition that saw JS-1 pilots taking the first 7 places. Also at Gransden, the 20m MultiSeat Class was won by Kim Tipple who, like Andy, had led throughout. Paul Fritche and Mark Holden took second and third places. It was a similar story in the 18m nationals at Lasham, where Pete Harvey was victorious after leading from Day 1. Andy Davis and Steve Jones were second and third.
Woburn Estate. The Woburn Estate is concerned for the safety of the public should gliders land in the Deer Park and, obviously, in the Safari Park. Whilst it is impossible to prevent gliders landing anywhere on this very large estate, we ask that the area inside the estate wall, i.e. near Woburn Abbey and extending about 4 miles N/S and 2.5 Miles E/W, is classed as a no-land area. (The villages Ridgmont in the North, Milton Bryan in the South, Woburn Town in the West and Eversholt in the East are suitable markers). The park literally attracts millions of visitors each year and is therefore a very public place.
Competitions Survey. A reminder that there are only a couple of weeks left for you to complete the two competition rule surveys currently open. If you are a competition pilot and have not yet responded, you still have time to make your opinion heard. The survey about cloud flying in BGA rated competitions is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cloudflying and the survey about club class handicapping is at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/clubclass. The surveys close on 18th September.

General
Keep Airfields Greenfields Petition. In 2003 an ‘administrative oversight’ led to the removal of the planning protection that had stopped airfields from being classified as brownfield sites. A proposal in the 2015 summer budget would allow automatic planning permission to be granted for housing developments on designated brownfield sites. This unintended consequence of wider policy on the development of redundant industrial sites was described by Pilot magazine as “the darkest news to face General Aviation for some time” and there is already one gliding club under threat from proposed housing and industrial developments; there may be others in the future. As well as providing vital amenities for sport flying, the UK aerodrome network is regarded by the Department for Transport as an important part of the national transport infrastructure and there is strong evidence that airfield sites offer low-insecticide, low-herbicide sanctuaries for plants, insects and associated wildlife. Along with other airsports organisations, we are demanding a review of the brownfield designation of airfields. An online petition has been opened on the Government web site at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/106779. It only takes a few seconds to complete; please sign this petition as soon as possible.