By Stewart Dennis

General Manager Arrangements
Interviews have been conducted, but the selection is not quite finalised yet, so I'm still holding the fort.

Air Space Violation
One of the first jobs I had to do after stepping in as Acting General Manager was to investigate a violation of Maroochydore controlled airspace. A helicopter reported seeing paragliders soaring a hill 7 miles from the airport, the tower subsequently observed them and called the police.  I received a six page report to complete and fax back to CASA.
This sort of thing doesn't do us any good. It's possible to get access to flying areas in a less damaging way. In the ACT the local association was able to get access to extra airspace over a site on an occasional application basis, as well as getting a permanent shift to one of the height steps via the RAPAC meetings. Competitions have been able to get raised ceilings for their duration by pre-arrangement, getting a NOTAM in place. In some areas it's easier to do than others - past problems can harden attitudes. And in some areas there are requirements that just can't be overridden. But ask yourself what would happen if we all just went out there and flew in controlled airspace en masse?  Do you think that would then bring you the access that you want? Or do you think instead that it would create an incident that the authorities can't ignore - with calls for "action". At the very least it would then end up in the lap of your hard-working club committee. Or it could go further with sensational media reports and pressure by airlines pushing for "something to be done to protect airline passenger safety". Remember we used to be limited to 300ft agl, then 5000ft asl - finally 10,000ft asl. These things aren't just handed to you on a platter. Behaving like cowboys just undoes the hard work. Here are some links:
The constructive way: [www.airservicesaustralia.com/pilotcentre/forums/rapac/rapac.htm].
Or else you can check out the potential consequences (particularly prosecution) via CASA's site: [www.casa.gov.au/hotopics/action/tools.htm].
Also have a look at the HGFA Constitution - Disciplining of Members  [www.hgfa.asn.au/HGFA/HGFA Constitution.pdf] or consult section 7.2 of your Operations Manual.

Conargo NSW
Some better news. From time to time our members have used the Travelling Stock Reserves near Conargo for towing. Normally the General Manager has just sent off an annual application for a permit to use them. Last year the permit was not approved because of extreme fire risk and a good growing season - the risk of serious economic loss from fire was high. We've applied again just for the winter and have approval to the end of September, at a total cost of $55 (already paid). Any club that would like to use these paddocks can do so for no charge until then - just call the Riverina Rural Lands Protection Board first on 03 5881 1055.  They have asked that you call a week before you want to go - they might have to move cattle. Cattle grazing on the TSRs is a major income earner for the Riverina RLPB, so obviously they need to look after their clients. I've put the phone number on our web site in the Operations forum.
We're still working on getting back permission for summer - fire issues remain.

Competition - Anti-doping
The FAI has adopted an anti-doping policy which can be found in their General Section. It applies to all FAI airsports - just imagine aeromodellers on the ground using performance-enhancing drugs to cheat...
I'm not sure how concerned we need to be about this. No-one has been able to point out any banned performance-enhancing drugs in our sports. Any other sorts of drugs reduce performance and safety and we certainly don't want to be flying with pilots who are impaired by them.  The competitive pressure and the real chance of getting seriously hurt  from impaired piloting combine to act against their use at any rate.
In Europe, governments of major countries do fund teams for hang gliding and paragliding and they do testing. It would be very strange if the Australian government could find money to test in sports that it doesn't fund and that don't have a drug-cheating problem anyway! The main concern for us is not of drugs problems but of potential administrative problems and costs. Keep your eyes open and let the competition committee know of anything that might impact on our comps.
Some links for further information (I've also put these up in the Competition forum on our website) are: [www.wada-ama.org], [www.fai.org/medical/nodoping.asp].

Accident Reports
I must stress that all accident reports received and published here (and even those not published here) are not and have never been meant to apportion any blame or fault upon any person; they are reproduced only in the interests of safety and to ensure that we may all become better pilots and find more satisfaction, less grief and frustration in pursuit of our flying passions.

No 1.
Pilot: int PG
Experience: 54hrs (18hrs last 90 days)
Glider: DHV 1-2
Pilot Injury: sprained ankle
Glider Damage: nil
Location: inland soaring site
Conditions: 5-15kt slightly crosswind, slight turbulence
Description: The pilot was ridge soaring in a crosswind. At the downwind end of the ridge he made a turn and found sink and a strong headwind requiring speed bar to return. The standard landing field was now beyond reach so he headed for the short emergency landing area which is very small. He was too high and made a 360 degree turn to land, lost more height than expected, and didn't have time to turn back into wind. A small bush caught his feet twisting his ankle.
Comments:  It is often the case in an accident that an earlier decision has put pressure on subsequent decisions. A delayed decision to head out put pressure on the landing in a more difficult and unfamiliar place. A 360 degree turn involves losing sight of the landing - for this reason a standard landing circuit or figure eight turns are preferred, as well as giving a better opportunity to judge the wind in the landing area.