Gliding Safely Seminar – Saturday 24 April, 10am to 12noon, Clubhouse.

There is increasing concern within the Club and throughout our sport about the number of accidents and poor safety record involving gliders. One way of raising awareness of safety issues and improving glider pilot’s ability to deal with the risks that we face each time we fly is to provide safety training and ongoing safety discussion among our pilot group.

The Club Instructors Panel and Committee have organised a Gliding Safely seminar for all of our glider pilots. As for our last Start of Season Briefing, we feel that this message is serious enough to be considered mandatory for all current QGP Glider pilots. One of the recognised problems we have is more experienced pilots with a lack of ongoing training and monitoring by peers. It is very easy to become a complacent pilot with infrequent flying and virtually no checking of your competence to deal with things such as an unexpected landout. This seminar is for you!

I know that holding this seminar on one day only and expected ALL of our pilots to be available is optimistic, but please make the effort as the message is for YOUR benefit, and attendance will be recognised as ongoing training.

As further encouragement Jan Mace is putting on a free morning tea beforehand and free lunch following the seminar. Worth attending just for that!

All this is hoped to improve your safe enjoyment of the sport rather than be a hassle and imposition. We’ve held safety sessions at each of our last two Start of Season Briefings, the last one was mandatory and we had 100% attendance of QGP pilots. It is intended to continue these with another mandatory must attend session at the next briefing in September 2010. There is also a series of CAA AvKiwi Safety Seminars which I encourage you all to get along to one– the next one is in Hamilton at 7.00pm on 31 May CTC Aviation Training Room. See CAA website for other dates and locations.

Fly safely,

Bob Gray – CFI