New Members

Welcome to Nympsfield!

Getting to know people

• We're a friendly bunch - so don't feel shy at joining in, everyone will be happy to talk to you, many of the experienced pilots are also instructors and we all had to learn sometime (longer ago for some than others !).  Club social occasions and lectures are posted on this web site and if you let the office know your email address you can get regular news updates from the office.
• Try and come regularly - it will help your progress at flying and you'll get to know people. We run a "duty team" structure for instructors, tug pilots and organisers so you should soon start to recognise members of the teams. You can  find  photo's of the instructors and comittee members here and here.
• When you arrive at he club - get your name on the flying list as the first thing you do ! The if you are early you can help out with unpacking the hanger, or if you arrive later please try and stay to help put things away at the end of the day.
• Get a "mentor" - we run formal mentoring schemes and chatting to the more experienced pilots will provide you with a lot of advice.
• Read the "notes for new members" which you will find under the "All Pilots" heading on the page of  briefing notes
• Why not offer to help out during the competition week  in the summer? There are lots of volunteer jobs needed - email the office and they will pass your name on to the competition director

Getting the most out of your flying

• Help out - your instructors and the duty organiser will try and get as much flying as possible out of the day but effective operation depends on everyone helping whether it be retrieving gliders, holding wingtips, running the log, signalling or driving the cable tow-car.  We operate a "grid" system so those wanting to go cross-country (this may be you soon !) can get launched as soon as soaring starts leaving the field clear for training.
• Fly with lots of instructors - everyone teaches to a standard syllabus, but you can learn different things from different people.
• Fly as often as you can - especially at first (to get some consistency in your flying). Later on you will want to fly in varied weather conditions to broaden your experience
• Consider a course to speed up your progress - details on this site and the club noticeboard.

Learn about the club & the sport

• Read the basic briefing notes applicable to your stage of flying 
• Do some background reading - Gliding is a mixture of practical experience, skill and knowledge. Get some good gliding books (either from your library or available to purchase at the office), subscribe to "Sailplane & Gliding"  and read the articles
• Look at the links page on this site for some good sources of information and gliding community sites.