Light Aircraft Association

Current News Letters

This page is regularly updated with the latest Group news letters.

Please click here for our August 2010 Newsletter

Written by John Broad.

If you missed last months news letter or just want to read up on the last 2 years news and events, please have a look at our archive.

Oxford Young Aviators event

The date is September 13 with September 27 as the fall back day if we are rained off! The plan is to fly about 40 youngsters and these are almost all "Young Carers" - children who due family circumstance spend a considerable amount of time caring for sick or disabled parents or brothers and sisters and in the main, miss out on being "just kids". We intend to locate at my hangar with "walkers" to take them out to the aircraft parked on the grass, when it is their turn to fly. All pilots will be briefed on airfield protocol by me before the event and flying should start at about 10:30 If any pilots are willing to help with this very worthwhile venture please contact Pete or email Barbara Rose: brose@smartemail.co.uk for full event details.

Plan not to Infringe!

The data produced by NATS of how the number of infringements have increased over the years is frightening. They quote aircraft but it is really the pilot who is doing the infringing by very poor navigation. This applies all over the country and not just near to Stansted. NATS, quite rightly, have a great fear that they will one day miss seeing one of these infringers and there will be a collision with a Commercial Transport Aircraft, the consequences of which would be appalling in every sense. If you don't think this couldn't happen, it nearly did last month at Heathrow where a small light aircraft was not picked up on radar and crossed directly over Heathrow's main runways; it was an aviation enthusiast using binoculars at Heathrow who contacted NATS by telephone to inform them! We must do everything we can to stop pilots infringing Controlled Air Space or NATS will be forced into further draconian action. No infringements means less regulation! The fight continues but our best defence, and one that needs to be promulgated to all pilots, is to plan not to infringe!! This needs to be passed on by word of mouth to every pilot you come into contact with.

In addition, please see a response from NATS regarding the proposed TMZ round Stansted. click here (1mb).

Wiltshire flyers air activities camp Lower Upham June 20th -21st

Hello All,
Yet another plea for your assistance, the annual Scout air activities camp at Lower Upham will soon be upon us and I am once again asking for both pilots and lecturers. As usual all help is gratefully accepted, even if it's just an hour or so escorting the kids to the aircraft or helping with the booking in and out, it all makes the day easier. As usual the Scouts will feed and water the pilots and helpers. As a bonus this year the redoubtable Mr Twigg has managed to secure a quantity of fuel for Pilots taking part in the flights. This is provided through the education trust and providing certain criteria are meet is legal within the air navigation law. If anyone is wandering whether or not they can help, well if you have a PPL you'll know enough to teach to the standard that is required. The syllabus will be Navigation, Meteorology, Instruments engine and flight, access to airfields & Marshalling. If there are any aero modellers who would like to help we run a chuck glider building/flying competition oN the Saturday evening which requires supervision. Below are the pilot requirements for those of you who are not sure if you are eligible to fly Scouts. The LAA has additional insurance cover for the event, those of you who are not members we can sign up as day members on the day to validate it, those who are already members please have your LAA number easily to hand it saves having to fill out a day membership form. If you are willing to help please drop Barbara Rose an email and I'll pass on further details, those flying will need to be briefed on new noise abatement procedures that are now in place at Upham.
Best regards
Peter

Pilot Qualifications
To fly ATC Cadets/Scouts they MUST have the following experience and currency:

At least 250 hours total of which 150 are as pilot in charge of an aircraft including; at least 20 hours as pilot in charge of the type of aircraft being used and; Ten hours or 15 landings in the past three months and three landings in the past month on the type of aircraft, which the Scout is to fly in.

New LAA Modification System

From 1st March, an improved modification system is introduced. The aim is to improve the service to members by offering quicker routes to approval for certain types of modification and improve turnaround times. In particular, a new category of 'Repeat' modifications is introduced which allows an owner to more readily apply an existing mod to their aircraft.
There is also a new charging scheme that is more proportional to the Engineering Department effort required to process them. Applicants are requested to use the new processes and forms from 1st March: applications received from this date must be accompanied by the new £45 fee unless a Repeat modification application form is used. The revised Modifications and Repairs page gives full details:

http://www.lightaircraftassociation.co.uk/engineering/NewMods/Mod_table.html

Please direct any further questions to:
Light Aircraft Association
Turweston Aerodrome
Nr Brackley
Northants
NN13 5YD
Tel: 01280 846 786
www.laa.uk.com

Scramble 2009

As this year's Scramble is fast approaching, please fill in this form to regester your interest in either being a pilot or passenger for the event.

Young Aviators Day 2008

On the 21st September 17 pilots flew 31 Young Carers and 16 adults around Oxford as part of the Young Aviators programme. Both ITV Thames Valley Today and the Oxford Mail turned up to record some of the excited youngsters taking flight. It was an excellent day, really helped by beautiful September sunshine a light breeze and lots of keen helpers from the Oxford Branch. For more information about the day please click here (1mb).

Calling all pilots of aircraft with two or more seats!

Calling all pilots of aircraft with two or more seats! The Oxford branch plan to hold their Young Aviators Day on Sunday the 7th September at Oxford Airport, Kidlington where around 60 young carers will be looking forward to a special day out. These young people have difficulty in getting any time off from their work looking after siblings or parents and the Oxford branch want to make the time they do have very special by giving them a flight around the local area.

If you can spare some time on the 9th, please come along to Oxford Airport, Kidlington at around 10:00. Please email Colin Hughes via Barbara Rose: brose@smartemail.co.uk for more details.

Note that if the weather should stop flying on the 7th, the event will be re-attempted on the 21st September.

Weston on the Green Airfield might become Eco Town.

You may have read or heard of the proposed Eco Towns put forward by the government and that they have now produced a short list of potential sites. One of these sites is called "Weston Otmoor" and would spread from the M40 taking Weston on the Green airfield, the village of Weston on the Green span the already overcrowded A34 across to the wildlife and SSSI site of Otmoor and cover part of the Oxford Green Belt. Please sign the petition to assist with the fight against this appalling plan!

Helping at Young Aviators Day

The yearly Young Aviators Day is one of the biggest events in LAA - Oxford's calendar. This year it will be held at Kemble Aerodrome on a date yet to be decided (initial date 10th of May cancelled) which will also be weather dependent. If you would like to help out as a pilot and/or ground helper, both kindly received, please contact Alan Twigg on 07747 843471.

JON VINER JOINS UK LIGHT AIRCRAFT ASSOCIATION

The UK Light Aircraft Association ( LAA ) is pleased to announce that Jon Viner, previously CTO with the British Microlight Aircraft Association, will be joining the LAA Engineering team in May 2008. Click here for more information.

Help Save Leicester Aerodrome;

For details see click here and you can add to the petition by clicking here. You may read that Redhill Airfield is under threat but this story is more interesting than the usual. Go to the website www.save-redhill-aerodrome.org for more information. The equestrian centre planned is a technical application to find out just how biased the local planning authority are!

Kemble Aerodrome.

Thank you to all those that supported Kemble Aerodrame. The Aerodrome is nolonger under threat of closure.

Airspace

For all the latest information on Airspace see the new Airspace Initiative please click here.