What are these people looking at??

The Piako Gliding Club Start of Season Briefing.
A great idea for three reasons;

It engenders some enthusiasm ...I got so enthused that I broke into the hanger storing the Duo I've agreed to buy into...and touched it. Actually I've flown the glider before...5 or so years ago in Omarama before it became the center of an accident.

I got to catch up with a few chaps and chap'ess that I hadn't seen in a while.

Oh and lastly, we were brought up to data with any changes about the place, or in the sky. The most notable is the closing of the local parachute operation due to Part 115. Whilst it will be nice not competing with a jump plane, a grumpy JumpMaster, and looking for chutes in the circuit area, the bigger issue is the total overkill of recreational aviations future. It's parachuting today, but in May 2013 it will be gliding.

I've said it before but I need to say it again. The total identified cost in accidents/injuries/deaths in gliding over the 8 years CAA reviewed was approx $18k. Some one may have tripped over climbing out of a glider and broke an ankle...for example. And in attempt to "save" the general public from themselves we (Gliding) will pay a huge price...gee thanks CAA.

Yes yes...I need to build a bridge and get over it...
Back to the briefing. Tim talked about the new gadgets that can/could be used in the cockpit. Most of this revolves around cheap and small GPS chips embedded in most new phones/tablets, the availability of cheap touch screen gadgets, and better batteries. I looked up a Nexus 7, there are real possibilities here although currently much of the new toys run with Android rather than MS. But give it time...

A westerly spring/summer beckons...time to find the EDS batteries, clean the spiders out of the O2 gear and find some warm socks.