All Fools’ Meet set fair
The celebratory All Fools’ Meet at the Black Horse Great Missenden is proving popular with a respectable list of entries already in. If you want to come and enjoy the Easter Weekend best you book up now as there arte still a few places left. Rumour has it that there may be a shape or two present if the weather holds and quite a few Old and Rusty balloonists may be in attendance. Contact Helen.vaughan@highlifeservices.co.uk
Special Shape Day at the Black
Thursday 14th march saw a rare turnout of special shapes at the Black Horse. It had been planned to inspect four or five shapes but in the evnt three turned up along with a respectable crew and supporters. Andy Kaye’s Doll special shape stole the show and brought traffic to a near hold on the Missenden by-pass. Standing at well over quite a lot of feet high the balloon has been hidden away for quite a few years. Repairs are needed to her skirt and the inside baffles but Andy is expected to take it on a world-wide tour this year when he hopes to take it to Alberquerque, South America and the major European Meets. Also in attendance was the LE Electrical Light Bulb now operated by David Stagg and Half an Orange which is now for sale.
3.4.40. Super-duper Meet
The 3-4-40 Region are holding are holding a flying weekend from Donnington Grove Country Club near Newbury over the weekend of 13th – 14th April with morning and evening slots on both days. The Donnington Grove Estate is Newbury’s best kept secret set in a delightful and secluded position on the outskirts of Newbury, overlooked by the historic Donnington Castle.
The present house was built by James Pettit Andrews between 1763 and 1772 to designs by John Chute in the style that became known as Strawberry Hill Gothic, after the house created for Horace Walpole in Twickenham. As well as a fantastic golf course, if there isn’t any flying bring your fishing rod and hit the the river Kennet.
Donnington Castle is the ruined tower that you can see on the left as you head south on the A34 Newbury by-pass. It was originally a classic medieval castle with towers at each corner and held by Sir Richard Abberbury and later Thomas Chaucer son of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer. It then passed to the Crown with Henry VIII and Elizabeth I allegedly having stayed there but is best known for its role in the Civil War when Charles I set up his headquarters in Oxford. In 1643 he sent Sir John
Boys, with ‘200 foot soldiers, 25 cavalry and sufficient cannon to resist a siege’, to take possession of the castle from the Parliamentarian John Packer. Sir John then set about building the impressive earthworks in the shape of a star that now surround it, the projections provided sites for gun emplacements that gave a good field of fire. Over the next couple of years it was attacked, taken and relieved many times until Boys surrendered the, by now, badly damaged castle to the Parliamentarian troops. Just in case it happened again Parliament voted to demolish most of what was left in 1646 and it was restored to John Packer. It is now in the care of English Heritage. Contact Jonathan Harris at jcharris1988@gmail.com. Check out Donnington Grove Country Club at www.donnington-grove.com.
Latest Techy stuff – Ultramagic Flight Manual Updates 11.03.13
In case you missed the latest riveting techy stuff here it is. Ultramagic have updated the current Flight Manual rev19 to Edition 4 revision 20. Additionally the following Flight Manual Supplements have been updated:
Nr. 22 Old Special Shapes goes to Iss.3,
Nr.38 Tekno envelopes to Iss.4
Nr.39 Tekno Baskets to Iss.5.
All downloadable free from Ultramagic at http://www.ultramagic.com/ Go to Ultramagic website > Technical Support area.
BBAC Subscriptions set to rise
Following the AGM of the British Balloon and Airship Club, the leading balloon organisation that represents balloonists around the world, annual subscriptions are set to rise. The attendees of the AGm voted overwhelmingly to support the Mian Committee’s plans to raise fees across the board. Providing the next meeting approves the views of the members that attended the AGM, over 10%, then annual fees will rise to £40 for non pilots and £65 for pilots. Subsequent household members will be for non-pilot £5 and PUT or Pilot £30. Considering the amount of work put in by the BBAC to keep ballooning as simple as possible and attack EASA nonsense this still has to be great value. See our report from of the meeting ‘View from the back row’. For more details or to join the BBAC go to http://www.bbac.org/.
Latest hardnose flying stuff relating to the Volcanic Ash Cloud
Just in case it comes back, or the Edinburgh volcano becomes active ahead of the Independence Vote, the CAA have issued an Armaggedon guide to the Volcanic Ash Cloud Problem in the form of a Safety Bulletin. Numbered SIB 2010-17R5 – Safety Information Bulletin: Flight in Airspace with Contamination of Volcanic Ash it makes for harrowing reading. Next time they close Heathrow we should all fly over regardless. Whoops that’ll be noted somewhere I’m sure. To see the details of this Publication, please click or copy the following: http://ad.easa.europa.eu/ad/2010-17R5 but not to be read after dark…….
Kubicek TCDS gets in the groove
Not to be outdone by Ultramagic Kubicek have just raised the odds by increasing their TCDS, BA.003, Kubicek BB balloons to Issue 27, effective 18/03/13. This effectively puts them about eleventeen points in front. Brilliant move as this means that at Issue 12 Camerons are well behind and across the board Lindstrands are doing very badly! Come on Team GB, more EASA paperwork bollix required.
EASA new fangled latest consultations set to blow the mind
If you though we are always joking about the nonsense that comes from EASA have a close gander at this lot, all announced on the same day. No one has any idea why or what but respond one must or you may miss a point and, before you know it, wicker will be banned because willow isn’t managed properly. So try this lot:
Please note that consultation period for NPA-2013-01 (B) “Embodiment of Safety Management System (SMS) requirements into Commission Regulation (EC) No 2042/2003 Part-M ” has been extended until 22 May 2013.
Please note that consultation period for NPA-2013-01 (C) “Embodiment of Safety Management System (SMS) requirements into Commission Regulation (EC) No 2042/2003 Part-145” has been extended until 22 May 2013.
Please note that consultation period for NPA-2013-01 (A) “Embodiment of Safety Management System (SMS) requirements into Commission Regulation (EC) No 2042/2003 Explanatory Note, RIA and Draft Cover Regulation” has been extended until 22 May 2013.
Thank goodness its been extended, in the meantime Planet Rock is playing Eclipse so all that you touch is to the fore. Smile.
Team Wellick clean up
Now you may think it odd that Easy Balloons sponsors horses but that is the way it is.
Last weekend, Sunday 17th to be precise, saw the RAF Halton Ride take place and a very strong turm out of six horses from Team Wellick. Despite atrocious conditions and my horse going sideways bonkers saved only by Mary being on board all got round safely with a fine collection of rosettes. Hats of to Miriam who finally got to jump the Jet Provost. Next they are all off to Lincolnshire in Frank and another newer lorry to go thundering down the beach. High winds and low temperatures are forecast all on easterlies so they will get cold. Good luck we say (o:
Great news from Camerons
Cameron Balloons report that they have just got new approvals from Transport Canada meaning, as they say, an even bigger choice of Cameron balloons for customers in that country. The approvals range from small 31,000 cubic foot one person envelopes to large 315,000 cubic foot passenger-carrying balloons. “This really is good news for balloonists in Canada as they now have a much greater choice when buying a Cameron.” Says Sales Director Nick Purvis.
Barrie Bower from Cameron’s Technical department worked successfully with the authorities in Canada in ensuring they met their stringent requirements, a role he has been fulfilling in respect of all countries in the world for over 27 years, but the approval certificate was accepted by Don Cameron from Andrew Stirzaker of Transport Canada at the EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) conference in Germany. Now why on earth would Canada want to be involed with EASA!!!! Don was invited to contribute to the conference as, apparently, Cameron Balloons continues to be at the forefront of hot-air ballooning.
More news has been officially released that, after 27 years, the last five as Managing Director, Alan Noble is retiring from Cameron Balloon. “Having being around ballooning for more than 40 years I don’t think I could ever really retire from involvement with the sport that has given me so much excitement, many happy memories and enduring friendships. My time with Cameron has been 95% pleasure and 5% work and I’m just grateful that Don didn’t notice and continued to pay me. People who look forward to going to work, as I have for 27 years, are truly fortunate. I will miss Cameron Balloons, 
its ‘do-it-right’ ethos, and especially the many inspiring and dedicated people who work for the company.” said Alan who will be leaving at the end of March.
To mark the event Craig Moore, Cameron’s Technical Department Manager, has been appointed a director of the company. He joined Cameron Balloons in 1991 as a Planner and filled several different roles before being made head of the Technical department in 2011. Craig is married to Alison (nee Stone). They met when Alison was co-ordinator in the Cameron Sales department for several years. The couple live near Axbridge in Somerset and have three children: Millie, Maisie and Ava. Well done Craig, nice to have a fresh face in the higher echelons. He’s a nice chap.
Flying off the shelf
It seems that sales of used (one careful owner from new) ride balloons are moving along quite nicely. Tony Brown appears to have sold his 210 to Mexico whilst Lawrie Ellis has shifted his kit to Belgium ahead of taking up flying duties in Scotland for Virgin and, meanwhile, Kim Hull has flogged the European Balloon Company’s, big balloon to Turkey and, quietly confident, Steve Waterton has sold his tiddler to a bloke in Iraq.