BMPA Newsletters

Newsletters  >  Summer 2001

From the Secretary

Our late Summer meeting is almost upon us. The original intention was to stay in Bristol. However our chosen weekend coincides with the last coach tour weekend of the season and no hotel in the city could accommodate us and provide dinner. We are therefore going to Tortworth Court Four Pillars Hotel which is by junction 14 of the M5 within easy reach of the city centre. It is also within easy reach of Kemble airfield where landings cost £5.00 (paid by the Association) as does overnight parking. Remember also that children of 13 and under come as guests of the Association.

The hotel, opened in June 2001, is a Grade 2 listed Victorian mansion standing on the dramatic escarpment of the Cotswold Edge. It has been renovated at a cost of two million pounds and set in thirty acres of parkland.

Bristol is a major tourist centre and full of attractions. It was very successful as a port, particularly involved in the slave trade and so we have chosen to go to the waterfront and the water itself on Saturday. There will be a tour of the SS Great Britain with time to mooch around it and its surrounds followed by lunch on board a river ferry (or possibly two) which will take us on a tour of the harbour. For those who wish to 'do their own thing' the open topped tour buses are highly recommended. The whole circuit takes about an hour and you can get on and off - just like London, New York, Sydney, Auckland and countless other cities.

The AGM will be on Saturday evening. If you have anything that you would like to put on the Agenda please let the secretary know by Friday 17th August.

Our annual gala dinner will as usual be preceded by sampling of the evening's wines. This has always been a formal occasion and dinner jackets remain the preferred dress.

On Sunday we go to Kemble airfield which has recently been sold by the MoD to private owners. It is home to the Bristol Aero Collection, Delta jets and thriving aeroplane and microlight clubs. The British Microlight Association are holding their national championships there during our weekend. The Bristol Aero Collection covers Bristol engineering since the company arose from the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company in 1910 as the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company - from Boxkite to Concorde via a vast number of successful and less successful intermediary aircraft, buses, cars and missiles. Delta Jets own, fly, maintain and restore Hunters and will give us a tour of their facility. The flying clubs have all sorts of aircraft including a selection of Jabirus and Europas and their hangar will be open for any of our members to visit. Those who have flown in may wish to leave directly rather than returning with the main party to lunch at the hotel.

Those not wishing to go to Kemble might prefer a visit to Slimbridge Wildfowl Centre or Tintern Abbey, both a short drive away by shared cars. Please talk to Sara Clymo if you would like to arrange such a trip.

You can view the photos from the 2001 Summer Meeting at Shenington by going to the photo album on the website.

Andrew Clymo

Summer Meeting, Shenington, June 2001

A first timer's view

Would you write a paragraph for the newsletter? A seemingly innocent question, delivered by a man of consummate cunning and with the precision of a praying mantis. The victim fuddled by a third of a hague (four pints) nodded imperceptibly and here I am putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) in a very poor attempt to emulate Tom Kemp.

What can I say? I had never attended a BMPA bash before. We arrived with the late larks on Saturday morning at Shenington to a very warm welcome in the form of a cup of tea from the secretary. A succinct briefing was followed by an off the cuff remark that we were the largest aircraft (C 303) to come in since the war. I mentally reminded myself to recheck my performance calculations discreetly later.

In no time at all we were whisked off to the Nuneaton inland waterways for a most enjoyable two hours on a narrow boat. The weather being unsuitable for gliding, previous experience suggested that an alternative was a wise move. Back for lunch and with improving weather, a determined assault on the gliders accompanied by the very friendly and understanding local club instructors. Quad bikes, an innovation since I last sat in a glider, made even retrieval a pleasant interlude. Thoroughly exhausted by the end of the day, we repaired to the club house to a welcome beer and a self service cook your own barbeque. The evening was drawn to a close by a most unusual and, to the unwary, hazardous "firework display" by the flying vegetable pyrotechnic team obviously a local fertility custom.

A short walk to one of the recommended (prebooked) B&Bs for the night, followed by a cooked breakfast that I can only describe as worth dying for, and probably will, found us the next morning at the local Go Kart racing track. If members fly like they drove I will never get into an aircraft again! Like a Grand Prix the competition was fierce, no quarter given. The winners of the combined races duly received their laurels followed by the obligatory hosing of those within range with something fizzy and ended what had been a most exhilarating and enjoyable morning.

Lunch sadly heralded a return to Jersey but not before a circuit with two local members to prove that it was not a fluke and I could get in a second time. On my return I find myself sitting at the kitchen table looking for inspiration and determined to make the next meeting. I can only thank Andrew Clymo and all the others, whose names I am ashamed to admit I don't know, for their organizational skills for a weekend without parallel.

Until the next time.

Ceri Twiston-Davies

An old hand's view

As you see from the previous article, Shenington took place as advertised with additions and subtractions.

The weather forecast did an injustice to reality, although those coming from the East on Sunday said that they took off in rain round Stanstead.

The secretarial party craftily parked its aeroplane on Thursday evening and then arrived again with bus, caravan and dogs on Friday to be joined by those from Lerwick and the president in his new (to him) Rallye with which he is well pleased. A party of six repeated last years visit to the Thai Orchid in Banbury which must be one of the better Thai restaurants around.

Saturday dawned well and then deteriorated, which didn't matter, because we were all ensconced on a narrow boat ambling along the cut from and to Nuneaton with tea, biscuits and good company. President and Secretary flew back to Shenington from Coventry, through the last rain of the day, to find gliding well started and the President Elect and family safely arrived from the North. Gliding carried on all afternoon with our members making good, or at least extensive use of the facility and then joining our friendly and gregarious hosts for barbequed supper. Their lamb and mint kebabs are worth going some way for. The evening ended with an impromptu competition amongst the younger elements to make the biggest bang. The rules were simple, place an unopened tin of something in the cooking embers and retire to what seems to be a safe distance. A tin of potatoes was thought to be the winner both on decibels, pitch (low) and damage done. Although it took a long time to go critical, the force was such that further rounds could not take place there being no bottom left in the barbeque.

Sunday was fine and dry for Go-Karting and it was good to have enthusiastic gliding club members with us to enjoy the sport. We were all kitted out in flame proof overalls, crash helmets and industrial gloves, briefed on driving, safety and signals and then let loose to practice. This gave an inkling of the behaviour to come in the next stage which was competition proper. As you have already read, this was, although good natured, fierce and sometimes physical with up to a dozen, depending on how many were hors de combat, karts on the go. Lap counts ranged from fifteen down to twelve at each of three sessions. It was good that the final honours were shared between our hosts, a long distance guest and a member.

Sunday afternoon was again given over to gliding. The organization was commendable with smooth cooperation in running the launch site and consequently little waiting between flights. One enduring image was the President's Lady in front being instructed by another Glamorous Granny behind all egged on by a small army of grandchildren. There was talk of wills and such like. What else was said I don't know but faces were wreathed in smiles and the landings were tidy and therefore happy.

Andrew Clymo

A non-aeronaut's view

Shenington gliding club is extraordinarily friendly and always make us feel as welcome as their own members. I neither fly, glide (once was enough) nor drive Go-Karts, but enjoyed a relaxing weekend reading the paper in the sunshine, watching others being energetic, not having to cook (Lu's bus and the barbeque took care of that) and above all, in the best BMPA tradition, enjoying good conversation with everyone else be they power or glider pilots.

Sara Clymo