Strut Info 2023
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| Strut Meetings / Events 2023 | ||
| 13 December 2023 from 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Christmas Social
Annual Chairman's Quiz and Christmas nibbles - always good fun! Note: This is a week earlier than teh normal 3rd Wednesday meeting. 
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| 15 November 2023 from 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Visit from LAA HQ
For the November meeting we welcome the new CEO Simon Tilling and from Engineering the new Chief Inspector, Lucy Wootton. This should be a good evening to find out the future direction of the LAA, and your people the ask their questions directly. 
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| 18 October 2023 from 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Air Accidents Investigation Branchg
Alan Thorpe from AAIB (Air Accidents Investigation Branch) is coming to come along to give a talk about the workings of the AAIB. This has been in the offering since before the pandemic, but have only recently managed to find a suitable date. Hopefully it will be worth the wait with an interesting insight into the AAIB. 
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| 20 September 2023 from 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Channel Islands Flying
The September meeting see us back at the village hall for the start of the Autumn/Winter programme of talks and social gatherings. To kick this off, this month strut member David Brown, who has recently moved to the area from Jersey, will be giving a talk on flying to, in & from Channel Islands, plus building & test flying of his Sherwood Ranger there, along with a trip from Jersey to Antwerp 
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| 16 August 2023 from 5:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Strut BBQ
For the August meeting, we will be holding a STRUT MEMBERS BBQ at MONEWDEN Airfield. As an end of season social gathering this will give another chance for members old & new to mix and get to know each other. Note that as this is an evening event with limited time for cooking food etc, and hopefully a good number of member will attend, this will be for Strut Members only - no partners or plus ones. Food and soft drinks will be provided by the Strut. Serving expected to start at about 6:30pm, although turn up anytime from 5:30pm onwards. 
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| 29 July 2023 All Day |
Strut Event - Autogyro experiance at Beccles
With thanks to Andy Hawes & Pat at Mid Anglia Light Sport Aviation, we have arranged a visit to Beccles for an experience flight in an AutoGyro. Meet at Beccles at 1pm. Andy will give us a breifing on flying the Autogyro with Q&A - which should take about an hour or so, and then up till dusk, he will take up anyone who wanted to go for an hands-on experience flight. This would be approx 15-20mins and cost £80. 
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| 8 July 2023 All Day |
Strut Event - Annual Flyin at Monewden
The Suffolk Coastal Struts annual event - The 'Spirit of Boxted' Flyin at Monewden Airfield. If you wish to flyin please register on our website |
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| 21 June 2023 starting 6:00pm |
Strut Meeting - Visit to Hawker Restorations at Elmsett Airfield
For the June Strut meeting a visit has been arranged to Hawker Restorations at Elmsett Airfield, starting at 6pm. It is likely we will have to split into 2 groups, one at 6pm and the other at about 7pm, as they don't wish to have more 12-15 people in the hangar at once - also this helps for those that can't make it for 6pm.
As this visit is at Elmsett Airfield and it will be on the longest day, some may wish to fly in. I have been in contact with Elmsett and there is no problem with this and I will be handling PPR requests and briefing on their behalf. As there is a overall limitation on numbers, this visit will only be open to Strut members - so check you have paid your 2023 subs! 
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| 17 May 2023 starting 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Southend ATC
For the May meeting we will be having a talk from Jeff Pacey, one of Southend’s Air Traffic Controllers, accompanied by Henry Spurgeon, who is a Tower and Radar Controller and ATC Instructor. This has been rescheduled from teh February meeting, when they had to cancelled due to clash with their revised roster. 
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| 19 April 2023 starting 7:00pm |
Strut Meeting - Social Evening with Buffet
As now well established the April Meeting will be the Annual General Meeting of the Suffolk Coastal Strut. Please come along and support YOUR Strut at the AGM - As well as the general running of the Strut, it's the time everyone can put forward their ideas for meetings, fly-outs, visits etc for the forthcoming year, plus go over plans for this years Strut Fly-in at Monewden on Saturday 8th July and AOB anyone may have.... 
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| 29th March 2023 starting 7:00pm |
Strut Meeting - Social Evening with Buffet
After two years absence due to COVID, the March meeting sees the return of the Strut Meal & Social Evening. This will be held at Earl Stonham Village Hall on Wednesday 29th March (Note, this is not the normall meeting evening). A finger buffet will be provided together with wine / beer and soft drinks to kick off the evening. The cost of the buffet is £10 per head and you are very welcome to bring a partner / guest. This will be an opportunity to get to know other strut members so do please come along and support this. Can you please reply directly to Tony Turner(. An early reply would be appreciated to gauge demand - 20th March will be a final cut-off for numbers and can you inform Tony of any dietary requirements. Tony will also be putting together a slide show of photos from past Strut events for the evening so if you have any pictures you would like to be included, please get in touch. 
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| 15th February 2023 starting 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Talk on 50 years of flying
For the February meeting, strut member Leo Brome will be giving a talk on his 50 years of flying - the highs and lows. Covering such topics as learning to fly without radio at EAFC (Channel Airways), lending his plane to Stan Ward for his crazy flying displays, lots of flying on the Nayland Ski slope and being the first second aeroplane to be at Elmsett. A light-hearted talk, focusing on the many intriguing, humorous and embarrassing situations that have occurred. This is a change to the what was originally scheduled, which was going to be a talk on Southend Airport by Henry Spurgeon & Jeff Pacey, both Air Traffic Controllers from there. Unfortunately do to roster changes Henry now has to work, therefore they have had to cancel. I hope to re-arrange this for later in the year. Leo's Auster at Seething in 1979 
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| 18th January 2023 starting 7:30pm |
Strut Meeting - Talk on Bizjet Operations
For the first meeting of 2023, Paul Catanach will be making a welcome return, this time to give a talk about Biz-Jet Operations Having got his flying career off to a grubby start in the Australian bush Paul returned to the UK at a time when the airlines were so desperate for pilots that if you were warm and vertical with a pulse (with two of those three being negotiable) you could land a job. The CAA had other ideas though and by the time he had jumped through all their hoops to convert his Australian licence to a UK one the word had got around and suddenly the airlines were ‘too busy’ to talk to him. To convince the dole office he was actively seeking work Paul applied for a first officer position with a business jet company and despite his best efforts (and possibly the worst interview in history) was offered a job. Almost two decades later he has come to realise that both he and the airlines had a close shave, that being referred to as ‘Captain’ usually means trouble and every city in the world has an Irish bar. He will also tell you, whether you want to hear it or not, how nice it is to not be locked behind a secure cockpit door for eleven hours a day and to have access to a decent coffee machine rather than buy water from your employer at £5 a bottle. 
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