On Monday, 15 March 2021 at 18:12:12 UTC-6, Matthew Scutter wrote:
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 9:40:43 AM UTC+10, ProfJ wrote:
On Thursday, 11 March 2021 at 01:33:23 UTC-7, wrote:
I think that we have discovered a workable solution between us.

4. Publicly execute people who don't pay tax

You say that like it's a bad thing...

Seriously, though, those young folks who you do see promoting the sport are all coming from countries where gliding is heavily subsidized by....wait for it...taxpayer money.

The stunning videos of coastal soaring in South Africa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OOX...l=StefanLanger - were, I believe, taken by competitive pilots who were heavily subsidized to spend the NH winter in the south, keeping up their training, and who are to all intents and purposes professional pilots. I'd go so far as to say that if it wasn't for European, and especially German, government support, we'd all still be flying 1-36's.
I think you're imagining a level of support far in excess of what there really is. I don't think Stefan is funded by the EU or Germany, nor is he a Sports Soldier. I sent him this thread to comment for himself.
In Germany the "Sports Soldier" program picks 4(?) young glider pilots to glide as part of their military service. In France the national federation is well funded such that they can afford new team gliders and nice facilities, but not salaried pilots. Beyond that, I'm not aware of other European countries with funded teams/pilots beyond the occasional grants to clubs.
I suppose you could say the strong safety nets/social benefits in Europe counts as a subsidy?

Thanks for the correction, I thought Stefan was one of the Sports Soldiers. I do think that having four pilots subsidized to fly, pretty much full-time and in a different hemisphere when necessary, is not a trivial level of support. Also, I believe that eg. the gliders were also made available by the Sports Soldier program? I have experienced gliding clubs which were not state-supported, and those which are, and made a massive difference - particularly in provision of good gliders, etc. It might not look like a lot, but everything that removes friction and improves the pilot experience makes a difference in the long run.