Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Newsletter HALFPENNY GREEN NEWSLETTER. Winter

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1 HALFPENNY GREEN NEWSLETTER Winter RED-AIR UK Lisa Leah & Malcolm Stewart trading as Red Air-UK now have CAA A1-8 approval and are UK & Eire agents for Ikarus aircraft. They were the only exhibitors at this year s Flying Show to sell a new aircraft and have sold 14 new C42s this year. Aircraft arrive by road for assembly and flight testing. Red-Air also service and repair C42s, sell Rotax engine spares, Aveo lights and Neuform propellors. Ikarus C42s at Red-Air UK AUSTIN AVIATION Alan Austin, in conjunction with Rotorflight and Whizzard, are now available for helicopter training on Robinson R22 & R44. Operating from an office in the Tower building they available for helicopter charter, self-fly hire and corporate days FLIGHTPATH FLYING CLUB commenced operations in April with PPL flying training, IMC and Night Rating courses and aircraft self hire. In early 2013 Flightpath will be approved for commercial training (CPL(IR) and FIC courses). HADAIR MICROLIGHT SCHOOL had a busy December with flexwing pilots Tim Evans, Tim Welburn, Chris Wright and Max Luke passing the General Skills Test. Hadair are agents for P&M Aviation and sold two new P&M Quik GTRs this year. If you haven t been in a flex, you should but only if you can stand the exhilaration. JETSTREAM EXECUTIVE TRAVEL Ltd have moved to Hangar 8 opposite the fuel bay. They have completed re-building a Cessna 152 & a Cessna 172 and can provide engineering and maintenance services to private owners. Engineer Bob Lee was previously responsible for the Rothman s aerobatic fleet and has a current licence to fly the Airbus. Jetstream Executive have a Fixed Navigation Procedural Trainer FNPT1 which will be available for commercial flying training. Contact Steve Green [email protected] THE FLYING SCHOOL moved from their office at the main gate to a prominent location near the entrance barrier. WESTBEACH FLIGHT ACADEMY have added a Diamond DA42 Twin Star to their fleet and appointed Chris Caine as Head of Training and Roger Osborne as CFI. PDG have taken on the Heliflight hangar as they plan to expand their operation here. 1

2 Runway 22 Stop-bar HOLDING POINT SAFETY Runway incursions, where traffic accidentally enters a runway or protected runway strip, are not common. Holding Points are identified by a red board with white numbers and a yellow stop-bar painted on the tarmac. Most incursions have occurred at the runway 22 Hold (which is on runway 34) and this summer the yellow stop-bar was extended across the full width of the rwy but incursions have continued. Explanations given include: runway 22 is used less often and pilots are less certain of the Hold Point; the Hold is unnamed (e.g. B2, F1); the red board is not large enough. An entry will be made in the UK AIP identifying this incursion hot-spot. Please help to avoid incursions by drawing the attention of new pilots to this risk area. HOLDING POINT PHRASEOLOGY Air traffic services at Halfpenny Green are provided by Flight Information Service Officers (FISO). On 1 st April 2013 a new FISO Manual (CAP797) introduces some changes although most pilots are unlikely to spot the differences. One change concerns phraseology when a pilot reports ready for departure. The FISO response could be Report lining up and pilots should report taxiing passed the Hold Point, effectively occupying the runway. Many pilots fail to make this call and taxy onto the runway. It has been suggested that this is because some aerodromes use the phrase Report lined-up (for example where the end of the runway is not visible from the Tower) where the radio call is made once on the runway. CAP797 makes clear that both phrases may be used. Be aware, especially when visiting other aerodromes. AERODROME CHANGES Work to keep the aerodrome in good condition is constant and extensive tarmac work is planned for the runways and taxiways. New airside gates and perimeter crash-gates have been manufactured and installed plus a new fence around the café area. All the gates were made by airport electrician Pat Burrows who celebrated his 78 th birthday in November Dave Walters line-painting The fence that Pat (and Dave) built and Pat with the new Windsock After ten years at The Green Caroline Emery moved-on to work in Droitwich. Elaine Tudor has taken her place in the Office. Caroline & Pat Burrows 2

3 A web-cam has been installed, and more are planned, giving a view of the aerodrome to help remotely assess weather conditions and a weather station is on trial, linked to the airport web-site Following discussions with CAA SRG some runway lengths are being revised and greater licensed lengths published. There is no physical extension to any runway but you may see notam d changes and AIP amendments. Not so good news, we have ceased to sell unleaded avgas UL91, at least in the short term. UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECT In November we received a report of an object witnessed by 14 people around Shrewsbury, Baschurch and Wem late one evening. The object was unlike any fixed wing or rotary aircraft they had seen and its lights were strange. The report states: Moving overhead in clear sky from south to north, were two rectangle shaped solid white lights with another light that flashed irregularly just in front of them but central to the two solid lights. Between the lights I can only describe it as a 'mass' of some sort, as I could see no defined structure but it was dark in colour. There was no engine noise and the object was slow moving. MORE STRANGE SHAPES This cloud was seen near the Clee Hills. Some people can see a face with a large-nose, others see a much more interesting shape What do you think? If Picasso painted clouds he d have painted this one. Airport Electrician Dave Walters and his son Kevin ran the Birmingham half-marathon in October to raise money for Birmingham Children s Hospital. Dave says the ten months of training was hard labour but paid off with an impressive time of 1 hour 56 minutes. Thanks to all airport staff who donated, helping them raise over 1,100. Following Dave s lead part-time Air Traffic Assistant and trainee commercial pilot Sam Grosvenor will climb Mount Kilimanjiro in 2013 to raise money for Cancer Research. You can sponsor via: Kevin & David Walters 3

4 MOVEMENTS Disappointing summer weather affected everybody s flying in 2012 with the Met Office declaring it the wettest for 100 years and dullest since1980. Movements between March and September were down one fifth on the previous year but because the first and last quarters were comparable with 2012 we will finish the year 11% down, with a total of 41,500 movements. That said, new privately owned residents continue to arrive namely a Maule, PA28, Rans S7, a second Cassutt Racer, Emeraude, Piper Arrow, C172 and a flexwing with hangars being just about full. When the sun did shine we had some busy days and plenty of variety 2012 Visitors 4

5 TO INFINITY AND BEYOND well, to 2013 anyway. Despite a partial wash-out of the last Wings & Wheels event we plan to do it again next Easter on 31 st March & 1 st April with the usual mix of large models, entertainers and all manner of exhibits. Private owners willing to display their aircraft and talk to the visitors, if only for part of the day, will be most welcome. The Staffordshire Knot Auto-Test event takes place here on 18 th & 19 th May. Spectating is free and the public are invited to try their driving skills on the Saturday if you provide your own vehicle. For details see Other events are in the pipeline but unconfirmed. If you would like to arrange a fly-in, competition or event please come and see us in the Tower. Why so glum? Because Northern Forties WWII re-enactor group will not be back with us in AND FINALLY The Hangar Dance was a great success but there were disturbing scenes of Strictly Strange Dancing as the coupling of Tommy Atkins & Cameron Highlander shows. As ever, if you would like to discuss any aerodrome matters, please come and see us in the Tower. Seasons Greetings Halfpenny Green FIS Unit tel [email protected] 5