At 09:45 01 February 2009, Derek Copeland wrote:

It seems that in America, there are two types of gliding clubs.

1) Commercial 'Gliderport' operations,

2) Private owner clubs,

I think you're leaving out a substantial number of clubs that own a
certain number of gliders for the use of all their members. The
performance level of the fleets varies, depending on what the clubs want
to accomplish, and how much their members are willing to pay for the
privilege.

Either way gliding works out to be very expensive,

Well, the third way doesn't have to be expensive. My club at Blairstown
costs a pilot who doesn't own a glider around $450
to $500 a year, including (arguably exorbitant) membership
fee to the national organization. Less if you own your own
glider or are in a partnership. For this you get pretty much unlimited
use of the gliders, but we don't have a towplane, so you pay the
commercial operator on the field for that. Now that *is* cheap flying,
wouldn't you say? Of course our fleet is pretty cheap, too. Currently
we've got two 1-26s, a 1-34, a 1-34R and a Blanik. Over the years we've
owned a few Larks, but somehow they didn't last too long in the hands of
our members.

Anyway, it *is* possible for gliding to be cheap, as long as one of your
goals is to make it as cheap as possible for as many people as possible.

Jim Beckman