Volume 37 No 1 Feb-Mar 1986.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

BGA &GENERAL NEWS
FROM THE
SECRETARY'S DESK
Barry Rolfe, BGA administrator
The Executive C0mmittee were heavily
engaged during NOvember and December with
the question of insurance cover against liability
for rated instructors, and.lerms for ,renewal of
the BGA block poliCy for 1986, Our ,insurance
advisors were cOASulted, and all member clubs
were ,circulated. with proposals during October
to which just over 50% rep'lied.
Steeply rising charges in the aviation insurance
market have in lhe end ruled out the possibility
of l,he BGA taking out "fronlline" cover
for 1986 10 protect ,all instructors and we have
instead renewed the previous "back up" cover
which provides insurance to fall back on if for
some reason the insl,rtlctor is I10t properly
covered by his club. We have also advised
clUbs of a suitable clause which should be
inserted in all glider Insurance policies in futur,e,
at little or no cost, in order to maximise the
instructors cover against liability incurred whilst
flying. This will be raised at the AGM in March
with a view to making it an operational regulation
in future.
The BGA "Back up" policy is still required to
give cover under certain circumstances which
are explained in an artide by Diana King on
p35. TO renew this Insurance for 1986 and give
£250,000 worth of cover we have been faced
witA a premium of 66% over last year and a
charge of £7,500. This amount will be mostly
funded from the £5 annual renewal fee per
instructor which was invoiced to all clubs in
January. The whole position will be f'eviewed
by the Executive durir'1g the course or the year
in the hOpe that an improvement in the liabmty
cover offered 10 instructors under the glider
policies may lead to a reduced premium 01 the
BGA "back up" cover, If still reQuired, in 1987.
At present the BGA officers and Executive
Committee are spending a 101 of lime on the
early stages' of :prepariAg a "Forward Plan" for
gliding which projects the association's actiVity
and finances through to 1990. We receive considerable
assistance from llie Sports Council
towards the cost of coaching and administration,
international' teams etc and direct to cl ubs
for purchase first flew "Ztigling" and "Hols der
Teufel" gliders at the age of 1.5 and gained
Silver C No. 221 In 1936. He jOined Akaflleg
Darmstadland graduated in 1938.
He worked for the German Research Institute
for Soaring (DFS), carrying Ollt flight tests
on the 028 "Windspiel" and 1030 "Cirrus". After
the wal, he worked with I..ippisch, and Klemperer
on an early delta aeroplane, When soaring
re-started, he was employed by the German
airworthiness authority on sailPlane testing
and latterly', 'until his retirement, by DFVLR.
Hans has flight tested an,astonlshfng 'number
of gliders and his reports are universally
respected for their honeSty and BCClKacy. He
has continued his attachment to the Akafliegs
and the encouragement of student enthusiasm
throu,ghout his ,career. He has been most active
in OSTIV and' had a major influence on the
development of the Standard Class and on
motor gliders. His lectures display his immense
experience and a very individ'ual sense of
humour.
GLID'ING
CERTIFICATES
In the autumn's migratory rush across
devolutionary boundaries to Aboyne, Portmoak
and' Talgarth in search of wave, no one
temembered to tell Richard Short that the
lhermal season had finished! On November 2
he soared his l-Spatz 57km trom MiddletoD,
Leicestershire off a wire launch, to complete
his Silver Badge on the day his clUb, WeUand,
celebrated its 301hanniversary.
I1 would f'emino official observers and pilOts
attempting Oiamond QOal that -the reqUirement
specifies a Closed circuit Irom a departure point
and finishing at ,the same departure point. Last
year a number 01 Diamond goals were rejected
where pilots released some distance from their
base airfield w'helilthis was the ~clared finish
point.
The departure ,point must be pre-declared
and tan take the form of a defined feature such
as you would1 emp'loy as a TP,or it can be a
startline no longer than 1km. To establish ,8.
valid departure, you must release from aerotow
or wire launch over the departure point, or be
observed crossing a startline, or simply lake a
SAILPLANE & GLIDING