The northern hemisphere winter is upon us with a vengeance in the UK this year, with the usual grinding to a halt of most transport because of the unusual amount of snow and very low temperatures (a record -23°C in Inverness 02/12/2010). While the great British weather means many real-world pilots have to tuck their aircraft up snugly in the hanger awaiting the spring, flight simulator means we can continue flying from the warmth and comfort of our homes, and CIX VFR Club is organising a programme to take us away from short days and gloomy climes.

To celebrate the US Thanksgiving Holiday, we held an event organised by our West Coast member Joel Phillips. Starting on the evening of Friday 26th November UK time and continuing over the weekend, we flew from Carlsbad and took in some of the best and most diverse scenery Southern California has to offer, while the holiday meant that we had ATC from Los Angeles Approach what seemed like all day.  One controller was on duty for over 5 hours.

Members who like their flight simming to be "as real as it gets" flew their aircraft across the Atlantic, across Canada and the USA to Carlsbad ready for the event, experiencing the Aurora Borealis or sightseeing in Red Rock country along the way. Those wanting an easy life just magiced themselves there as you can in FS, and rented a local aircraft. 30/11/10

Always keen to find out what members want from the Club, the Management Team have, since 2007, published a survey annually to ask them.  This year, the fourth such survey was even more comprehensive than ever including such delicate questions as "Do you feel the Club is well managed and well run".  To our relief, with a few exceptions on specific issues, members thought the Club was "brilliant" and the Management Team "excellent".  Generally members wanted more of the same type of activity - monthly events where we all make the same flight on the same evening, and "guest airfields", three airfields each month to visit, either in the UK or just across the Channel.

Also new for this year, a Management "Task List" was drawn up from the survey, so the membership could see more of what Management were doing.  Next year's survey might tell us how Management performed!  15/06/10

It is six years since we formed the CIX VFR Club in February 2004. It started as one of Peter Dodds' many ideas. He had taken note of some comments made by Ruth McTighe in the Flight Simulation area of the CIX Conferencing system. These comments mentioned the availability of on line Air Traffic Control on VATSIM, which led to him joining VATSIM in February 2003. There he observed that there were very few General Aviation light aircraft being flown. His idea was to form a group of those interested in this activity, and so, a year later, the CIX VFR Club was born.

In 2005, one VATSIM member, Bill Casey, dreamed up the idea of a "virtual" Air Show and invited us to take part. We were so enthusiastic that we were given the opening slot. This event led to the formation of the 2-4-CIX Display Team, which opened the show in each of the following three years. Members of the Display Team helped us celebrate our sixth birthday by putting on displays at Biggin Hill, Shoreham, and Gloucestershire airfields. The picture below shows two Chipmunks during their display at Shoreham on Monday 8th February. On the ground is a Hurricane, one of the Wardirds team, waiting for the call to scramble.19/02/10