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Messages - garrykeogh

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1
Slope Soaring / JART LT
« on: September 05, 2008, 19:01:41 PM »
Nice looking JART Joe!

And, if you don't mind me saying... you should be a little more careful how you use (abuse) the internet.  Let this purchase be a warning to you of the mind altering and addictive properties of the interweb thing   :roll:

Might get the family out for a picnic on Mt. Leinster on Sunday.  Fingers crossed!

Garry

2
Club talk / MACI Insurance...
« on: July 08, 2008, 17:27:08 PM »
OK Guys... now for the cherry-on-top 8)

This is the absolute situation from the MACI Officer that negotiates our policy for us...

1.  Gliding (slope soaring) from non permanent sites is covered as an item on our group policy th the same levels of public liability cover. See MACI booklet re private sites.

2.  At present the only competency tests we have are for powered flight only, however I hope to set in place similar tests as the BMFA  requirements for Silent Flight so that competency tests are available for all.

3.  MACI members are covered to fly in other European countries, See extract below  from our Policy

Overseas Personal Liability
The Insurer will provide indemnity to the Insured and if the Insured so requests any director partner officer
committee member coach leader or instructor voluntary helper of the Insured or Employee against liability
incurred in a personal capacity while temporarily outside Great Britain Northern Ireland the Channel Islands or
the Isle of Man in connection with the BusinessThe indemnity will not apply
A) to liability arising out of the ownership or occupation of land or buildings
B) where indemnity is provided by any other insurance


For the record...  Our officers in MACI are volunteers who are very approachable individuals.  Anybody who takes this workload on for our common good is typically from that category of person that is happy to answer our questions  8)

All of us as paid up members of MACI are free to show up at the MACI Council meetings as delegates or at the AGM as voting members.  In fact, we can not open our mouths to complain about any aspect of our hobby unless we are prepared to  bring these complaints to our voice... MACI Council.  I will put my colours on the mast and state that I hate beaurocracy just for the sake of it.  The council are thankfully a bunch of guys who are pretty focused on making the hobby work for us, continually trying to make the situation better e.t.c.  They being human can't know exactly whats happening on every hill and every club in every discipline without feedback.  I will stop banging on the drum now, but will remind you all to keep in touch with MACI, we are better off with them than without... hell, some of us could be mildly involved from time to time to help steer things the way we would like :?:

Hope we all feel cozy with this knowledge  :D

Garry

3
Club talk / MACI Insurance...
« on: July 08, 2008, 00:19:05 AM »
Hi Joe,
I am pretty confident that what I have posted above is absolutely correct and have asked a couple of questions to be totally sure  :?:

In the meantime, here are a couple of by-laws or resolutions passed by MACI in the past that make a specific destinction for slope fliers.  To the best of my knowledge, these are still in force as the most recent resolutions...

Passed on 25/11/95
As from 25/11/95, any person making an application for direct insured affiliation to MACI (i.e. not through an affiliated club) and not in possession of a ‘B’ certificate will not be accepted. Such a person will be advised to join a model Aero club in his/her locality for the express purpose of availing of instruction in the safe operation and flying of model aircraft to ensure such a person acquires the necessary competence. This policy does not affect any member affiliated and insured with MACI in the insured
category prior to November 25, 1995.


Amended 12/03/97
This policy shall not affect gliding flyers and may be waived at the discretion of the Chairman and Treasurer in exceptional circumstances where a prospective member is resident too far from any affiliated club.



Ron,  specifically answering your question about the registration number:

Passed 12/03/97 to take effect on 01/05/97 and amended 30/11/02 No model (other than one built for use exclusively as an indoor flying model) will be covered under the MACI insurance scheme unless and until it has the registration letters and numbers (in a height of at least 15 mm) of its owner permanently affixed to it and either visible outside the model or inside the model in a manner easily visible when the model is simply dismantled (e.g. the wing taken off).

It is the responsibility of the owner to remove the registration number on transfer of ownership of anymodel.
Note: "Permanently affixed" does not include the number on a loose piece of paper or wood inside the model. It should either be painted on the model (outside or inside) in 15 mm minimum height letters, or on a registration plate which should be affixed to the model.


I will update this thread once I get  confirmation from MACI on a couple of questions.

Talk soon

Garry

4
Club talk / MACI Insurance...
« on: July 05, 2008, 22:50:01 PM »
Hi Ron,
You going mad looking out at the rain like me!

The certificates are for powered fixed wing and helicopter models with not a single line of the code of safe conduct or flying manoeuvre appropriate for slope flight.  This could not be forced upon slope fliers :wink:

The simple fact of the matter is that anybody who can get more than one flight out of a slope model is by my yardstick far superior in flying skills than a fresh green A certified flying club pilot.  I have been one, am not far removed from one and have been in the company of many :oops:

Garry

5
Club talk / MACI Insurance...
« on: July 05, 2008, 22:28:34 PM »
Ron

Two of your questions can be answered quite easily.  

One answer is in my big post above.  There was slope flying before any of our policies were ever negotiated and the underwriter of the MACI policy also underwrites the BMFA.  Slope sites can not be regimented and controlled like a power flying site but the risks as historically demonstrated are included in those insured under the policy.  You are therefore insured flying on a hillside even though it is not "approved" like a club site.

I have checked and the answer to the registration number is... Put it on your plane!  It is a requirement that we carry our reg. number.  You can blame the guy (novice and not a member of any club or MACI) who managed to take off a large powered airplane in the Phoenix park fitted with a co-pilot stabilisation system. He couldn't as a novice over power the gain setting on the co-pilot and watched the plane go out of sight, all the while declining offers of help.  The plane disappeared, he collapsed his tranny aerial and disappeared too.  His plane landed itself successuflly on a taxi way in dublin airport, I was told while Mo Mowlan was approaching the airport during the height of the peace negotiations.  This is also when we lost the EI and were all classified as IRL's

Don't hesitiate to fly at a display if you are competant to do so.  Just fill in the form on the MACI website and send it to Liam Butler

Garry

6
Club talk / MACI Insurance...
« on: July 05, 2008, 22:12:10 PM »
Hi Guys,
Fred, you might check in here and if you do here is what I have taken from  many insurance discussions.
I have had in-depth conversations with Liam Butler, the MACI treasurer who currently negotiates the insurance and with Liam Broderick who used to.  The mere posession of a MACI card with B certificate status does not extend the group scheme to cover you flying in a public display.  MACI has a special form that is used to extend the group scheme to cover public displays and there is much detail submitted on this form.  A public display implies that there will be a public gallary or gallaries densely populated with spectators... a very dangerous thing to hit!  At a meeting, fly-in or competition event, the spectators are incidentally there as opposed to being the raison d'être.
Basically if you have paid up your MACI subscription to include insurance you have public liability insurance in Ireland, UK and Europe.  It was explained to me like this...

MACI insures the global risk associated with approximately 1000 paid up members.  The risk is based on the majority of these being paid up members of affiliated clubs. To affiliate as a club your field and general safety rules must comply to the guidelines supplied by MACI.  Each individual person flying with insurance must have taken at least an A certificate or must be supervised by a person who has.  As the A test includes questions specifically relating to the MACI code of safe conduct, then the A certified pilot or person supervised by this person will typically conduct themselves in accordance with the code of safe conduct e.t.c.
You can see that there is some attempt made by MACI to keep people within certain limits of behaviour and this is the risk that is covered by the policy.  There are also additional notified risks that are globally covered by the insurance including flying from non-permanent sites (hillsides) and the temporary cover of us when we fly abroad.
There is no question that if you fly at an event that is organised so as to be comply with the guidelines of the local insurance (i.e. with formal organisation, controls, safety plans e.t.c.) and you find yourself liable for thrid party damage or injury then your MACI policy will cover you.  It is used by all sorts of fliers overseas at events and competitions.

Why do I feel I know the answers?

I had a long conversation with Liam Broderick who used to negotiate this policy and was interrested to know if we were covered flying on the slopes of south wales.  I was told YES

I have since spoken about how the cover is "implied" to a visitor or new guy in our club when they are taking instruction from me.  Even though they have never submitted their name to MACI, my cover transfers to them because I have an A & B certificate (have answered the code of safe conduct questions) and they are flying at a site that complies with the MACI guidelines.  In theory the additional risk above that negotiated is negligeable within these constraints... i.e I am not going to stand there doing or saying nothing while a novice standing beside me howls around the heads of bystanders and thrid party property.

A little bit wordy... sorry!  Hope that this gives you some comfort.

Garry

7
Aerotow / ISR - Tow plane update
« on: July 04, 2008, 21:11:15 PM »
Looks good Fred!

Do you need a pilot or a club field with nicely maintained grass runways to tow from :D

Garry

8
Events / MACI Glide-in 2008
« on: June 16, 2008, 12:20:53 PM »
BooHoo...Sob...Sob :cry:  :cry:  :cry:

Definitely next time  :!:  :!:  :!:

Well done Gerry.  Looks like a great day for everybody.

Thanks Fred and Peter for all the pics, not as good as the real thing but looks great!

Talk soon

Garry

9
PSS / 1.20 mtrs Fouga Magister PSS
« on: June 16, 2008, 12:14:10 PM »
Hey... no worries about the delayed reply.  You were off enjoying the fly-in... proper order :clap:  

Congratulations on the Fouga.  It looks great and seems to fly well too all things considered.  I would be interrested in a nice silver one with orange tip tanks but will have to put it on the reserve wish list for the moment.  Too many things already on the primary list :oops:

Looks like you had a great day from your other photos

A picture speaks a thousand words so I will not comment except  :!:  :!:  :!:

Next time maybe :cry:

Garry

10
PSS / 1.20 mtrs Fouga Magister PSS
« on: June 12, 2008, 23:55:14 PM »
Hi Fred,
I like it... well done :clap:

I know it is no use for this weekend, but just an idea for the tip tanks.  I have some (note use of plural  :oops:  ) Raptor helicopter tail booms that are... let us say... not really useable as tail booms.  I only seem to get one crash from a boom  8)   These are about 20mm in diameter I guess and are super light.  They are a little heavier than a one-piece drink can, but not much!  You could fit a balsa plug to each end and sand to shape.  They would be very light and I am sure you could fit them with a couple of locating dowels and some velcro so that they would separate if you landed in anything nasty :?:

You are welcome to try this out if the diameter is even close?  Let me know, I use them to cast lead-shot/epoxy as ballast plugs (There is an other simple idea for you)   :wink:

Garry

11
Road trips / Mt Leinster - 24th May 08
« on: June 11, 2008, 00:10:46 AM »
Just an image borrowed from the Shankill Radio Flying Club front page...  



Thanks for the loan Bob!

Garry

12
Slope Soaring / Shame to miss a good opportunity!!!
« on: June 11, 2008, 00:02:33 AM »
Hi Peter,
The bag snatch happened at Lugala, over the old Guinness house.  I had pulled in at the first layby after the gate to the Guinness estate (bearing in mind I come from the Roundwood end).

I received a call from the local Garda last evening.  I gave a description of the guy and the white van he was in.  I thought the van was a Fiat Doplo though some other people have identified it as a VW Caddy.  Anyway, the point is if we see anybody peering into parked car windows (his MO) anywhere in Wicklow, take down and report the registration.  The guy works all the tourist viewpoints from Cruagh wood across to Glendalough and the Sugar Loaf.  They now have some DNA so they just need to collar him once.  He is a busy thief and a real pest :cry:

This is one of my favorite places to fly because aside from the absolutely stunning vista and local scenery, there is always a mass of warm air bubbling up from the "bomb hole" below.  Any time the wind slackens and you would normally expect to bring the model a bit closer and scratch for lift... wooo-hoooo!  a thermal comes out to the rescue :clap:

Might do a "road trip" there some day?

Garry

13
PSS / 1.20 mtrs Fouga Magister PSS
« on: June 10, 2008, 23:42:18 PM »
Hey Fred,
That looks fantastic. . . but any Fouga Magister I ever saw was silver with dayglo orange tip-tanks :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Only joking!  Should look fantastic in the air.  I always liked the very long Vee tail planes and very low slung undercarriage on the Fouga.

I won't see it this weekend but hopefully soon :clap:

Garry

14
Slope Soaring / Shame to miss a good opportunity!!!
« on: June 09, 2008, 14:33:20 PM »
I left the house this morning for a job interview, suited and booted.  My wife had to stop and ask me what the bundle of casual clothes rolled up under my arm was all about :oops:  caught red handed!

Well, you see... I had to drive from home, across via Sally Gap to Blessington in West Wicklow and of course take the same route home after the interview.  Now in my book, it is a crime to travel past a good slope soaring site with out stopping to have a flight or two 8)  C'mon, it's true... isn't it :shock:

As for the change of clothes... You see, some time ago I was flying at Kilakee on my way back to the office from a customer site, dressed up nicely in my suit an tie when of all things my phone rang.  I picked up the call to hear something like...
"J**sus, I was about to call you to tell you that there is some eejit flying a glider at Kilakee wearing a suit and tie with his trousers tucked into his socks and a dirty pair of brown work boots on... then I recognised you... YOU EEJIT!"

Anyway, back to today. I managed about 4 flights each about 30 minutes with no mishaps.  Loops were big and turns were fast... I was really enjoying myself.  Had the sky to myself, except that is for the Raptors. Two of them being very territorial with my Middle Phase.  In fact, one of them came back after I landed to do some "Victory Dives" :shock:   Big long dives, maybe about 100M each with the exact same cry during each dive.  I guess he was just telling me which bit of sky was his :?:

Unfortunately moments after I landed on my last flight, as I was just about to walk back to the car, I witnessed a guy put a rock through a UK tourists window to make off with a handbag.  In fact, I only caught the crime itself with no lead up and it looked pretty much like a cricket style bowl with  a long run up which he followed straight in through the broken door glass.  The whole incident took about 5 seconds.  I walked back with the distraught tourists, called the Garda with a description e.t.c. but I guess it only proves that we must be careful what we leave visible in our cars.  It is no consolation for the tourists, but the perpetrator left blood on the victims car which the Garda took for DNA testing.  Maybe an expensive smash and grab for this perp!   :clap:    :clap:    :clap:

I am sopoiled lately having got a good 90 minutes gliding in on Saturday afternoon too on the Greyastones side of Bray head.  I love warm and windy days 8)

Garry

15
Misc / Where to buy Balsa, spruce, ply etc.
« on: June 04, 2008, 15:06:17 PM »
Hi Ice Wind,
Check with Fred to see what materials Island Models is stocking at the moment.  I am not sure.  Failing that, you could try...

Peter Schweppe's shop on Capel street, Dublin city centre called "The Model Shop" has some materials.  He stocks balsa wood and both lite-ply and the plywood that I used to call miralite.  He has some "stuff" there like glues and covering films but doesn't carry a huge amount.  Norman Greene near Harolds Cross has some useful stuff.  He and one of his staff, a guy called Patrick do some gliding so they generally have a bit of gear.  His stuff is ever so very slightly VERY F***ING OVERPRICED if you ask me!  I always get only what I needed (no impulse purchases) and leave with a lot less money than I expected :roll:

The lite-ply is good to replace balsa but where you need to make sure it won't split along the grain.  It is perfect for a former that is not loaded, laminated to make servo mounts or something like this.  The ply I called miralite is available from 0.4mm to 3mm in small sheets.  I have used this for wing joining braces and heavily loaded formers as it is very strong especially when you laminate several layers with epoxy, clamped together while drying.

By thin sand paper, do you mean fine grit?  If you want fine grit sand paper, try to avoid places like Woodies!  A trade type motor factor will stock a range of Aluminium Oxide and Silicon Carbide paper from 40 grade through to 1200 grade.

Hope that this info is some use to you?  Where abouts in Dublin do you live?  This may make a difference which shop you visit.

Garry

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