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  • 29 Mar 2024 08:00
    Raywood Airport, 127 Borough Rd, Raywood VIC 3570

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  • 16 Aug 2016 17:25 | Anonymous member

    On behalf of the Committee of the Melbourne Gliding Club, I am pleased to announce to you that the club has purchased a new bus to replace our existing pie cart.

    Thanks to John Parncutt, we were able to secure a new bus at a very reasonable price. John, along with Alan Payne, and others, will now lead the fit-out of the new bus to meet our needs. The bus is being delivered this Friday with work to start straight away.

    It is a timely purchase, as the old bus (having being our pie cart for 30+ years) becomes more difficult to operate, the hydraulics for the entry ramp fail, and rust begins to damage the structural integrity of the bus. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank those who have kept the current bus going in recent years. For example, Steve Trone has installed solar panels and new switches to keep the electronics going etc. Most of these improvements will be readily transferable to our new bus.

    To be involved in the fit-out of the new bus or to suggest ideas and user requirements, please contact John Parncutt (jparncut@bigpond.net.au) or Alan Payne (janusc@ozemail.com.au) directly.

    This represents a significant investment in the future of our club and every member of the club enjoys the benefits that having a pie cart brings. In order to fund this investment, the Committee has created the Melbourne Gliding Club Asset and Equipment Fund. To cover the cost of purchase and fit-out, all active flying members will make a contribution of $50 per annum over the next three years to raise the necessary funds. This will be payable at the time of membership renewal, and will apply for membership renewals effective 1 January 2017 for three years until 31 December 2019.

    On other matters, leadership from the three gliding clubs, along with the Australian Gliding Museum, VSA and GFA, met on 24 July to discuss the ongoing aerodrome issues and how we can work together more effectively to promote Bacchus Marsh as the pre-eminent gliding destination in Victoria.

    Significantly, the three clubs agreed to the creation of a 12-month trial Bacchus Marsh Gliding Club Development Fund to promote the combined gliding activities of the three clubs, particularly in the local community. Examples of how this funding will be spent is on donations of AEF glider flights for school raffles or trivia nights, replacing gliding club signage around the airfield (e.g. on the main road), attendance at local festivals and events. Each club will be donating $20 per active flying member to the Fund. For the MGC, we will be applying this $20 to invoices over the next few months (around November/December). At the end of 12 months (September 2017), the presidents of the three clubs will evaluate the effectiveness of the Fund and make a determination of whether to continue the Fund and under what conditions.  

    This represents a newfound spirit of cooperation between the three clubs and we encourage all gliding people at Bacchus Marsh to seek out how they can be involved in these activities. In advance, we thank you for your donation to this important project.

  • 09 Aug 2016 11:40 | Anonymous member

    The use of ground handling gear on the DG's has highlighted a situation where the rudder could be blown side wards and foul on the tow arm that connects the glider to a car, resulting in damage to the rudder that could easily ground the aircraft..

    Alan Payne has made a red rudder clamp that stops the rudder from fouling on the tow arm. Please ensure this is used when ever the tow out gear is used.

    Many thanks to Alan for making the clamp.

  • 09 Aug 2016 11:37 | Anonymous member

    An entrance light to the workshop hangar has been installed.  Anyone who has tried to open the work shop at night will know how much trouble it is trying to find the keys and unlock the door.  Many thanks to Steve

  • 09 Aug 2016 11:32 | Anonymous member

    Recently pilots have had difficulty retracting the undercarriage in NDG, The problem has been narrowed down to the size of the tyre, which has been replaced for another brand.

    NDG is expected to be back on line this weekend.

    Many thanks to Tom and Alan for their hard work.


  • 30 Jul 2016 08:07 | Anonymous member

    The Training Panels of GGC and VMFG have organised a series of presentations on gliding topics to be provided each week over the next eight weeks or so, for members of all clubs at Bacchus Marsh..

    In addition to the presentation, if conditions do not allow flying on the day, Roger Druce has offered to provide some practical training in daily inspection of gliders.

    The schedule for subsequent presentations is as follows:

    • Saturday 30th July. Airspace and Radio Procedures -presented by Mike Durrant,
    • Sunday 7th August: XCSOAR – by Jeff Farrow
    • Sunday 14th August: Analysing XC Performance See You – by Dave Meredith
    • Saturday 20th August: Gliding Weather and XC Tasks - by David Wilson
    • Saturday 27th August: Gliding Instruments and Devices – by Allan Payne
    • Saturday 3rd September: Thermalling - by Ailsa McMillan
    • Saturday 10th September: Flying Cross-Country – by Richard Traill
    • Saturday 17th September: Outlanding – by Paul Spooner.

    Start time is 9am for all. Any changes or additions to the schedule will be notified via email. Presenters will be asked to make their presentations available as resources for members on the club website wherever possible.


  • 30 Jul 2016 08:05 | Anonymous member

    The CFI blog and Club News blog have merged, so you only need to visit one place, for all the latest club news.

  • 30 Jul 2016 08:04 | Anonymous member

    Its the year of Raywood, we are going there for both Melbourne Cup weekend and Christmas, it is a great location for cross country flying, it is only a couple of hours drive, and the club is very welcoming. The weather record particularly for Melbourne Cup weekend is pretty good.  So start planning the time off and doing the "family negotiations" to get away for a day or two.

    Its been a wet and windy winter, but time to start planning for cross country.


  • 30 Jul 2016 08:02 | Anonymous member

    At the last instructor panel meeting it was agreed that all gliders being towed to and from the hangers to the launch points would be in two way radio communication with other aircraft in the circuit or about to take-off. To make this possible the Committee has purchased three ICOM hand held radios, they are stored in an orange cupboard near the battery chargers and parachute cupboard, you can't miss it!   Please take them and use them during the day and return them at the end of flying and put them back on charge. The cupboard has a combination lock on it code 118.  (if anyone has a more robust combination lock feel free to donate it!!!)

    If you are not sure of the taxiing aircraft radio calls ask one of the duty crew.

  • 29 Jul 2016 14:10 | Anonymous member

    Raw flight information (GLASS) and membership data is now available on the web site under information.  All data has been personalized, and is only accessible by current members who are logged into the web site.

    Go to the web page Information / files, then look for a directory called information.


  • 25 Jul 2016 09:14 | Anonymous member

    Go to Files

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