AirPilot OCT 2017 ISSUE 23 Diary OCTOBER 2017 AI R PILOT 11th Pilot Aptitude Testing RAFC Cranwell 12th General Purposes & Finance Committee Cobham House THE HONOURABLE 26th Trophies & Awards Banquet Guildhall COMPANY OF AIR PILOTS NOVEMBER 2017 incorporating 4th Pilots Careers Live Sofitel Heathrow Air Navigators 4th Flying Club AGM White Waltham 9th Air Pilots Benevolent Fund Trustees Cobham House PATRON : His Royal Highness 10th Careers in Aerospace RAeS The Prince Philip 11th Lord Mayor’s Show Duke of Edinburgh KG KT 16th Scholarships Reception Cutlers Hall 16th General Purposes & Finance Committee Cobham House GRAND MASTER : 16th Court Cutlers Hall His Royal Highness The Prince Andrew Duke of York KG GCVO DECEMBER 2017 6th AST/APT meeting Cobham House MASTER : 14th General Purposes & Finance Committee Cobham House Captain C J Spurrier 14th Carol Service St. Michaels, Cornhill CLERK : Paul J Tacon BA FCIS Incorporated by Royal Charter. A Livery Company of the City of London. PUBLISHED BY : The Honourable Company of Air Pilots, Cobham House, 9 Warwick Court, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ. VISITS PROGRAMME Please see the flyers accompanying this issue of Air Pilot or contact Liveryman David EDITOR : Curgenven at [email protected]. Paul Smiddy BA (Econ), FCA These flyers can also be downloaded from the Company's website. EMAIL: [email protected] Please check on the Company website for visits that are to be confirmed. FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY : Gerald Sharp Photography View images and order prints on-line. TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070 GOLF CLUB EVENTS EMAIL: [email protected] Please check on Company website for latest information WEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk PRINTED BY: Printed Solutions Ltd 01494 478870 Except where specifically stated, none of the material in this issue is to be taken as expressing the opinion of the Court of the Company. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS : The copy deadline for the December 2017 edition of Air Pilot is 1 November 2017 and should be sent to: The Editor, Air Pilot, Cobham House, 9 Warwick Court, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ. TELEPHONE : 020 7404 4032 FAX NO: 020 7404 4035 EMAIL : [email protected] Cover photo: A F-16AM of 31/349 Sqn the Belgian Air Component flown by Cdt. WEBSITE : www.airpilots.org Tom de Moortel, at RIAT Fairford 2017. (Photo Vic Flintham) A message from your Editor... I asked the DAA to discuss the ramifications of Brexit, and you will find his ponderings in this issue; I hope you will find them stimulating reading. As with the UK in general, this is a topic which will loom large over the aviation sector for the next few years. This year the Master’s Grand Tour has been split in two – does that make them Tourettes?! The good news is this means we can learn of his escapades in North America somewhat earlier than usual. Most of my aviating this summer has been under my own steam – it was strangely satisfying to watch BBC World in a foreign hotel advising viewers to turn up for their flights three hours before departure, when I knew 15 minutes would suffice for my pre-flight checks for my return from Austria. Whilst the British flag carrier continues to receive brickbats, I shall be interested to see how a foreign flag carrier performs after I have undergone the three hour check-in in a few weeks. We list the winners of our annual awards in this issue, and I hope you are looking forward, as I am, to applauding their achievements at our Banquet this month. Paul Smiddy - Editor Contents News Round Up . .4 The Master’s Message . .5 From the desk of the DAA . .7 Trophies and Awards, Gazette . .10 Summer Supper at Tallow Chandlers Hall . .11 Visit to Safran Landing Systems . .12 Senior Flying Instructors Forum . .15 Lithium Batteries - a rising risk in aviation . .18 Book Reviews . .19 Operation Hydra . .22 Garden Party . .26 Young Gliding Instructor Bursary Reporti . .28 3 News Round Up HENLOW 100 16.1.1.b in the document is not 8.33 KHZ RADIOS On the 21st of July at 2000hrs there was exhaustive. However, one organisation Re-equipping the UK’s GA fleet is a flypast by 10 DHC-1 Chipmunks and which was inadvertently omitted from proceeding apace, perhaps only limited 1 Bulldog over RAF Henlow to mark its the list, and should be included, is the by the finite supply of avionics engineers. centenary. The formation was led by Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association The Editor endured receiving the wrong retired Squadron Leader Robert (‘Nitro’) (AOPA). ‘box’ from his supplier, but is pleased to Miller, and included a number of Air say that he has now received his (minute) Pilots . ONE FOR THE GRANDFATHERS share of the €4.3m of funding that the On the evenings of October 27 & 28th CAA secured from the EU. There were the RAF Museum is having an ‘open over 2,000 applications for partial cockpits’ event. For the cost of special reimbursement in this initial round. tickets, members of the public may sit in the cockpits of such hallowed machines MEDICALS & RATINGS as the Phantom, Vulcan, Lancaster and The shift to self-declaration for pilot Spitfire. Perhaps ideal for the grandfathers medicals is gaining some traction. More in our membership to take along their than 4000 such declarations, only suitable grandchildren and say “I used to fly for LAPLs, have been received by the those!” INTER-LIVERY SKI CHAMPIONSHIPS CAA since February. Meanwhile the GA sector eagerly awaits a tablet of stone to The Company will again be entering a ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT emerge from EASA. Its Notice of team for this very entertaining event. Proposed Amendment for the Basic Some expertise on two planks is to be Lillium (see Space Invaders, June 2017 Instrument Rating closed in February, preferred but is not mandatory. Racing issue), the new Munich-based developer with over 400 comments received. A experience would be a bonus. Little has of electric aircraft for the commuting ‘Comment Response Document’ is changed from recent years. It will again market, has recently received $90m of expected ‘in due course’. be organised by the Ironmongers at further funding – from China. Morzine. The dates are January 25-26th 2018. Expressions of interest to LAA RALLY join the team are welcomed by Upper Showing how weather dependent is one sector of the UK’s GA, the 3 day annual Freeman Sam Rutherford at rally enjoyed 2 days of [email protected] . Entries are now good weather, and a rather open. more dull Sunday. This was when your Editor visited, STRATEGIC PLAN and it was all rather quiet, Members should by now have received with little need for the self- through the post our new Strategic Plan. stacking operation prior to You are asked to note that the UK- the arrival at Sywell. specific list of stakeholders at para A Hawk from RNAS Culdrose does its best to go into space 4 The Master ’s Message Captain Chris Spurrier Welcome to this, the second half of my Plumbers and Constructors. Paula and I year as Master. It doesn’t slow down. began at St Paul’s and visited 11 The first notable event since my last churches, with an excellent lunch at St message was the 101 Sqn Centenary Lawrence Jewry, finishing with tea at All celebration at Brize Norton. Paula and I Hallows by the Tower. [Editor’s note: they were honoured to be invited to the must have passed the most gruesomely parade, where HRH The Princess Royal named pub in the City – the Hung, was taking the salute. 101 Sqn is one of Drawn and Quartered!]. We are told our affiliated units; we also met Past there are forty churches in the City and Master Rick Peacock-Edwards, who is she’s now managed twenty-five. I’m our liaison officer with this unit. After wondering about a similar scheme the post-parade reception we were involving all the 107 pubs and inns in the treated to a spectacular display by the City, but that plan is currently receiving a Drum Team of the Japanese Air Self large thumbs-down. As an aside, Paula Defence Force. If you’ve not also asked me to join her on the first of Edinburgh’s award scheme. It is encountered them, take a look online. stage of walking the Thames Path, organised by Assistant Rick Thomas, It’s worth five minutes of your time. 101 another of her projects. We left home on aided by his wife Pam selling raffle tickets Sqn would like to forge closer links with a sunny Sunday and Paula told me to take with menaces. This year they raised us, especially socially, and so I will be a sun hat. We caught a train at 0930, £3,000, an absolutely superb effort. trying to involve them in more of our arrived at Waterloo, took another train to Regrettably the Air Pilots Teams failed to events. Charlton and a taxi to the Thames win the cup but we shall keep trying. Moving on, Past Master Chris Ford Barrier. Paula said “Where’s your hat?” I As you all know, each year the Master arranged a superb informal summer replied “On the train at Waterloo”. Five tours our regions. This year it was supper at Tallow Chandler’s Hall. This is hours later we arrived at Tower Bridge, decided to split the tour into two parts, another annual event which is well worth with me closely resembling a boiled so August saw Paula and I off to North attending. Chris tries to visit a different lobster.