GASCO seminar at Cosford on Saturday 23rd

[Whirlybird]

Are any other PPRuNers going? Is it worth me wearing my PPRuNe badge so that we can recognise each other?

[Who has control?]

Pssst!! Whirly - over here!!

I don't want to look too stoopid, but what does GASCO stand for??

[Rote 8]

Whirly

I would be interested in going along - do you need to be a member of GASCO or is it open to everyone with an interest? - Going to Cosford tonight actually. The RAeS have lectures there one evening each month, I believe tonight's presentation is on Airline Safety. - (What a crazy guy I am).

Cheers

[Whirlybird]

Who Has Control,
I wouldn't worry; I had to look it up too - General Aviation Safety Council.

Rote 8,
I think it's fully booked, but you could ring Gasco on 01634.200203 and ask.

[rustle]

Hi Whirly,

On the off chance that it isn't mentioned :) would you mind bringing up NOTAM briefing for GA pilots as a valid issue for GASCO to pursue as well...

Thanks in advance.

[PFLsAgain]

Sadly I can't go since it is Mr. PFLsAgain's birthday. He threatened dire revenge on anything aviation-related that "spoiled" (!) his birthday.

Are you joining in with the pool session at the end Whirly? Scared the life out of me, even contemplating that!

[Whirlybird]

I'll bring up NOTAMs if I get the chance.

Yes, I'm joining in the pool session; in fact that's the main reason I'm going. It scares me too, but I think it's necessary. I've been meaning to go on a fullscale dunker course, but haven't got round to it. This is close to home, cheap, and seemed like a reasonable compromise.

So isn't anyone else coming? :(

[rustle]

Any news from GASCO?

[Whirlybird]

Hey, do I have to report on absolutely everything I do? OK then, here goes...

The morning was given over to a joint presentation from an SAR Sea King pilot, a speaker from the ARCC (Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre), someone from D & D, and someone from the Mountain Rescue Service. We were to consider a ficticious aircraft from the south of England to Scotland, which got into difficulties and crash landed in an inaccessible area of Scotland. Everyone discussed what their department would do. I found it quite fascinating, though one or two people complained that it was a bit theoretical and/or they'd heard it all before.

We had lunch in the museum - lots of interesting aircraft to look at between the sandwiches - then a presentation on the idfferent lifejackets available; short and very practical. This was followed by a longer presentation by SEMS on safety equipment, which was excellent, and convinced me I really must buy an immersion suit.

Those of us who'd booked (it was an extra) then got driven over to the pool for the dinghy drill. This was by far the most useful bit of the whole day. Some of us had brought clothes to swim in similar to our flying gear; others were lent overalls. We were given lifejackets, told to inflate them, then swim two lengths, then another length towing each other. I think the idea was to show us that even in a pool, swimming any distance fully clothed is hard work; if you ditch, don't try and swim for shore! Then they inflated various different liferafts, and we practised getting into them, lifting unconscious peole into them, turning them over if upside down, etc. It was a real eyeopener. Some of the liferafts on the market are virtually impossible to climb into!!!!! For any of them, the whole thing is very hard work, even in a pool, and practice is really essential. Doing this regularly might be a good idea, but once is far better than never anyway.

By the end we were all knackered, and the hot meal back at the museum was very welcome. Overall, an extremely useful and enjoyable day (in a masochistic sort of way).

So where were the rest of you?