Bert Willing wrote:
When I was young, I could afford learning to soar because my club had a
scheme for youngsters and wasn't expensive overall at all. Today, 24 years
later that club charges haven't changed alot.

Yes, when i was young, clubs had special prices for young people, and
there were even aids for power flying. I remember that when i began
gliding, launches were 30F, that is around 5$, now they are around 20
euros. Even at that time a lot of "blue collar" people who had been
active in the gliding community were leaving because it was too
expensive.


It's rather the fact that youngster appearently today need LS8's to get
their thrill, and don't like to fly a Pégase or ASW19 which drive prices in
French clubs up. However, if you look into most German clubs, prices are
fairly low, and more so for youngsters.


Fine, this is what i have heard several times here, but this is clearly
not the case in France. If i look at the fleet of a club i like near
Paris, Buno-Bonnevaux, there is still a large number of Pegases, and
not many expensive gliders. However the prices are very far from what
you describe in Germany. If i look at the fleet at a well known club in
the alps, Sisteron, both the gliders are quite old, and the prices are
outrageous.


Today, you get an ASW20 for 30kEuro, and 20 years ago, you got the same
glider with the same performance for 30kEuro (but salaries ha^ve got up a
little during the last 20 years...). Clubs which keep that in mind do have
low fees, and clubs with ASW27's often do have higher fees.


Salaries did not go up very much in the last 20 years, or at least in
the last 10 years. In fact they are very close to stationnary in the
last 10 years. So you wonder that a 25 years old glider which is
basically no more performing than a Pegase is still 30k euros?
Personnally i think such a price is absolutely scandalous, it is
basically a one year income for an academic staff, a software engineer,
etc. As i said, you should be conscient that salaries in the 100k
dollars are absolutely exceptional here. People accept to spend
100-200 k$ for something vital and durable, a house, but for nothing
else.

If you don't experience the same, maybe you should get organized - like
moving away from Paris... ;-)


Which means that my family income would be divided by two because my
wife would be out of job. I know the story i have lived in Montpellier.
It would be an excellent way to make economies :-(


--

Michel TALON