GNZ Newsletter
March 2019
From the president
Welcome to the March GNZ newsletter.
Whoa what a cracker February we have just had!
The weather has been O for orsome and the sky has been full of the young and young at heart, achieving goals and partaking in amazing soaring adventures.
Nek minnit, it's March and the weather is still humming.
Looking forward to more great flying.
Steve Wallace
GNZ President
Congratulations
Glyn Jackson
First ever flight from Taranaki to Taupo.
Never been done before mostly because the terrain is pretty hostile.
Right pilot, right day, don't look down.
Well done Glyn!
Tim Austin
Youth Glide President and now rated as a winch instructor
Document Change Alert!
MOAP amendment to the pre-takeoff check list to place ‘Canopy’ as the final item.
This has been adopted after considerable discussion by the GNZ Operations Team and coincides with a similar move by the BGA and a clear incident trend in NZ of unlocked canopies after take-off.
Your new pre-takeoff check list looks as follows:
Also note the pre-boarding checks below
The Competition Scene
Club-class Nationals Taupo
A tight competition with Mike taking it out by just 4 points showing that consistency is key.
Congratulations to Michael Strathern, National Club Class Champion 2019
MSC Contest Taupo
Congratulations to Sebastian Kawa, showing why he is the worlds best.
Flying with a different pilot every day and with these pilots doing most of the flying, Sebastian proved that where your flying in the sky is just as, if not more important, than how you fly.
Photo below. Trev Terry and Murray Wardell discussing why they didn't win.
Check out the Taupo Contest video by Abbey Delore
Sponsorship
Worth thinking about
An emerging trend?
Some of the recent competitions have been enjoying the benefits of significant sponsorship.
Is it time for you to start thinking, how can I get my glider / club / competition / training course sponsored?
What has that exec team been up to now...
Annual GNZ meeting with our regulator the CAA
The meeting was chaired by Steve Moore, General Manager of General Aviation. He was supported by 8 members of his team. On the GNZ side we had the full exec team, plus the NOO, NAO and Membership Development Committee Chair.
There was a 14 item agenda to get through covering airworthiness, operations and general.
On the airworthiness side the main item of interest is the mandate that would require all aircraft operating in controlled airspace to be equipped with ADS-B OUT by 31 December 2021. A ray of hope here is the CAA is looking to begin testing for approval of some low powered, non-TSO'd, cheaper GPS modules, suitable for installation into GA aircraft / gliders. A significant potential cost issue is the ATD (approved technical data) necessary to permit ADS-B installations. CAA is going to visit Trig in the near future to discuss available options for GA VFR, and the question of ATD. There is some hope that Trig will be able to provide a generic ATD for glider installations of their ADS-B equipment that would satisfy CAA.
On the operations side progress was pushed for, on such issues as;
- eligibility of microlight pilot certificate holders to tow gliders using a microlight aeroplane
- commercial Glider Pilot Rating issued by GNZ (part 115 Operations)
- the perennial issue of airspace
Good discussions were also held around GNZ plans to improve and modernise student, instructor and engineer training as well as better and more useful ways to report and receive stats from incidents and accidents.
On the whole GNZ has an excellent relationship with the CAA and we are seen as an exemplar Part 149 organisation.
Land out & photo of the month goes to Anja
Incident Reports
From the desk of the NOO (National Operations Officer)
So why is publishing incident reports useful?
Firstly it shows pilots that shit happens, and may prompt alertness in similar situations, secondly it shows submitters that we do see benefit in doing something other than filing reports away for (later) analysis. Win all round.
Incident Reports reveal where we are bumping into the edge of the safe operating envelope. This can be due to a weakness in the training program, lack of currency, not paying enough attention, inadequate preparation . . . . or just simply drifting away from good practice.
Review of Incident Reports for Jan + Feb 2019
- cable tow car and tow plane operating on ground on directly opposing headings
- wheel up landing after rapid descent with distraction of an airsick passenger
- ground loop after landing in gusty conditions, possibly too much landing flap
- downwind landing after engine failed to start at circuit height above airfield
- stick knocked aft when hand slipped off release knob, glider pitched up, tug released
- aerotow with brakes unlocked, disregarded rudder waggle, radio comms indecipherable
- winch launch transition to full climb at low airspeed, wing drop stall, recovered
- flat radio battery in controlled airspace, used cell phone to communicate with tower
- airbrake jammed open during aerotow in rough conditions, brakes had slammed open
- wing dropped on ground during rigging of 2-seat glider, not enough supervision
- ground loop after outlanding in long grass on farm airstrip, minor wheel damage
- gear up landing after 2-hr soaring flight, distracted by radio calls, missed checks
- damage to undercarriage area due to heavy landing on bumpy area of airfield
- strong gusty winds, unable to reach airfield due to heavy sink/rotor, outlanded safely
- wheel up landing, pre-landing check not done, distracted by tug plus a non-standard circuit
- airbrakes open on tow, combination did not climb, radio chatter, rudder waggle not used
- wheel up landing, wheel lowered at prelanding check, but retracted seconds before touchdown
- outlanding on golf course, terrain very undulating, heavy landing check required
- glider and tow plane near miss, glider circling and may not have seen tug, submitted by TP
Thanks for reading
All contributions, pics, videos and opinions welcome
EMAIL: [email protected]