BMPA Members

Members > Winter 2000/01

From the Secretary

Before going on to more mundane matters I would like to draw your attention to the following. Firstly Tony Segal's election as a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society for his work on glider safety and secondly the breakthrough achieved by Drs Simon Janvrin and Peter Saundby in the matter of a recreational private pilots licence and the medical requirements therefor.

The arrangements for the 2001 informal Summer meeting between June 8th and 10th are well in hand. Remember this one requires no preliminary booking with the Association. If you haven't already, put the date in your diary now - Go-Karts and I hope hovercraft (Saturday) gliding and balloons. There will be plenty of space for tents and caravans and a small amount of bunkhouse accommodation. Those wishing to book Hotels or Bed and Breakfast may like to consult the attached list or contact the Tourist Information Centre, 8 Horsefair, Banbury. OX16 0AA. Tel 01295 259855 Fax 01295 270556 Early action is of course recommended. (Our president elect Frankie Walters is again already astir and enquiring.)

The 2001 Autumn meeting is being thought about. Preliminary feedback suggests that Bristol is about as far West as people wish to go so I am making tentative noises in that direction. The president is threatening to fly the secretary to Newquay for an inspection and Yeovilton or Yeovil are other possibilities. Support or other ideas are still welcome.

Please would those of you who have not returned the contact details update slip put it high on your list of priorities.

Andrew Clymo.

From the President

First of all a belated Happy 2001 to all our members & families. The new century is beginning to show changes in general aviation, and I have very recently been forced to recognize this fact through Coventry Aeroplane Club. A company called Coventry Helicopters has rented offices and hanger space at the club for the past five years. Two weeks ago "a lean" was put on two helicopters in our hanger by Coventry Airport, and a Director and General Manager went missing at the same time from Coventry Helicopters' offices. At the creditors meeting £315,000 was found to be owing. Fortunately Coventry Aeroplane Club was only owed £3,600. Immediately seven helicopter organizations applied to operate from our premises. This situation has taken up 16 hrs. hours of the committee's time; producing new letting arrangements, and interviewing all seven helicopter organizations. We are now drawing up a Document of Intent with our first choice of a new tenant, and although the legal works will take some weeks yet, the new operators can move in in two weeks.

What I have learnt from all this is:
  1. "Rotorcraft" organizations are all looking forward to a dynamic future in aviation.
  2. They have no shortage of instructors or students.
  3. Their charter work with larger helicopters is increasing.
  4. They all want multi-centre locations.
  5. Some companies are assembling and selling rotorcraft alongside their training and charter activities.
  6. There is considerable outside money in these organizations and one we interviewed hopes to be floated on the stock market soon.
I think that the doom and gloom experienced in many of the light fixed wing aero-clubs will change, now that the CAA/JAA have to face the fact that there is already a world shortage of commercial pilots and this is due to these controlling bodies squeezing the private sector with legislation and costs and reducing the pool of pilots from whence the commercial pilots come. The new aviation "recreational" licence will help costs with ab-initio pilots, and the reduced frequency of medicals in the over 65s will encourage the experienced pilots to assist in training, instead of giving up altogether. In future I hope see an upsurge in the younger membership of the BMPA.

Before I finish, I was pleased to see Andrew's aside about his ancestry. I have a certain interest in the historical aspects of anthropology. To think that those horse stealers and shipwreckers eventually produced Edward Jenner and Andrew Clymo. Further North in the border country five clans held England and Scotland to ransom (when they were not stealing sheep). Eventually they produced Neil Armstrong and John Busby. It just goes to show that there is not that much difference between Celts and Vikings after all.

John Busby

Meetings

Cambridge 2000