March 2008
Welcome to the March newsletter. It will be a short one this month as I have run out of time to do it. This month we have the Easter flyin at Oxford. More on that later.
Great news!!! The club applied to the Community Trust for some funds to help with building the new hanger. We have been given $55,000, which is a fantastic help. A big thankyou to Caroline Trevella for the work that she did on the application.
NEW MEMBERS
Welcome to Don Leach and Phillip Turnbull. We hope that you guys enjoy all the club has to offer.
Things that are happening out there.
Colin Marshall has got his Sportstar up and running and is boring lots of holes in the sky.
Mike Small has been test flying the Savage.
Nigel Forrester has been out flying the VP1
Mike Small has KTO flying with the 912S in it. It doesn’t sound like the Karatoo any more but man you should see it climb.
My Karatoo is up and flying again with all the T’s and P’s in the right place.
I know there are lots more things happening out there but I just haven’t managed to keep up with everything.
CLUB AGM
The club AGM will be held in the clubrooms on Monday April 14th at 7.30pm. Please think about how you can be involved. Even if you don’t want to be on the committee please come along and have your say on the direction you think the club should take. I know most people don’t like meetings but it is a real encouragement to those that run the club, to have club members turning up and supporting the committee.
SPACE CADETS
We are planning to give the kids that are going to the USA to the space camp, a flight experience in a recreational aircraft. This will happen on Saturday 5th April.
Easter Fly in at Oxford
All roads will lead to Oxford this weekend. Every thing is looking pretty good for a fantastic week at the Oxford strip. We had a great working bee on Saturday. We had about 9 or 10 aircraft land with a few flying over for a look.
The strip is looking good. We had a team of people picking up any thing that could be a problem. They spent a fair amount of the time dodging landing aircraft.
The water is now connected up for the shower. It has even had a lick of paint. A very quick lick, but it is looking good and is functional. Should help to wash away all those smells that occur after a hairy landing.
We had a team of people putting up benches in the “CRAC shack”. We have electric lights, a fridge for the drinks, hot water and a place for the BBQ. What more do you need for a flying weekend, apart from good weather, planes and pilots.
If the weather is not suitable for flying, we will still be there anyway talking about (or telling lies about) flying, and enjoying the weekend away. For those that haven’t seen the facilities, you will be amazed. It is incredible the skills and abilities that we have in our club and the determination to make this a special event. Make sure you don’t miss out on the inaugural Oxford flyin.
I gave the strip a mow today, so it is ready to welcome all the visiting aircraft. Mike Small and I spent some time taking down some trees at the western end of the strip. Then Mike got his digger and flattened the scrub. This has made the approach much easier.
It will still test your flying skill because you need to approach on an angle down the riverbed and curve in at the last minute, but it is fun and you will definitely improve your flying skills. That is what a flyin like this is all about. It may be a little bit daunting the first time you arrive but by the end of the weekend you will be wondering what you were ever concerned about. Phil Hayward reckons if he can get the Jabiru in there, (and he has been in several times now), any one can get in!
This is a photo of the airstrip showing the direction of the circuits. All circuits are to be over the river. A little bit like Rangiora, so most of us will be used to it. Join overhead and work out what circuit is in use. If you are flying, the easiest way to find the strip is to fly to Oxford, find the Eyre river which is South of Oxford, then fly west along the river until you come to a fork in the river. The airfield is right there on the North side of the North branch of the river
If you are driving from Rangiora or Christchurch along the Tram road drive through Oxford until the West Oxford hotel, turn right into Woodside road (not Mill road which is directly opposite the pub). Take the first turn left and the field is about 500 metres away. Easy
There is plenty of tie down area. The service station is only a couple of km’s away for fuel and the supermarket and cafes are just a bit further on. Of course the local pub is even closer so everything is catered for. We are looking forward to welcoming everyone for the weekend.
FOR SALE
Graham Fletcher has too many aeroplanes and not enough space so he wants to sell his Challenger. He is hoping to fly to the Oxford Flyin so check it out there or phone him on
03 315 8326
I am sorry this is short this month but hopefully I will have more time and more articles for next month. Until then,
Safe flying, Dave McPherson