Important message for SSA members

I guess we need to agree on what "better" means.
Size vs. influence?
We would have a 14K ceiling (Class A) for the past two decades without the
AOPA.

- Béla


------Original Message-----
-From: Glider Pilot Network ]
-Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2006 1:06 PM
-To: Bela Szalai
-Subject: [r.a.s] Important message for SSA members
-
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-Newsgroup: rec.aviation.soaring
-Subject: Important message for SSA members
-Author:
-Date/Time: 20:00 07 September 2006
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-If SSA were to merge with a larger organization, EAA would be
-better suited than AOPA. The EAA already has a number of
-Divisions & Affiliates under its umbrella, including:
-
-International Aerobatic Club
-http://www.iac.org/
-
-Vintage Aircraft Association
-http://www.vintageaircraft.org/
-
-War Birds of America
-http://www.warbirds-eaa.org/
-
-National Association of Flight Instructors http://www.nafinet.org/
-
-EAA Ultralights
-http://www.eaa.org/ultralights/index.html
-
-Sport Pilot and Light Sport Aircraft Assoc.
-http://www.sportpilot.org/
-
-Young Eagles
-http://www.youngeagles.org/
-
-and there are more....... Each of these groups has its own
-magazine and identity.
-
-EAA promotes and fully supports each and every one of these
-organizations. Makes sense that a soaring division of EAA
-would fit nicely with these other groups.
-
-In my opinion, SSA is just too small to efficiently manage
-itself logistically and financially.
-
-Jon B.
-GA
-
-
-
-Stan - VA wrote:
- I think it is pretty clear that if the SSA survives this latest bout
-of
- mismanagment that our dues will mainly go to debt payment,
-and not to
- services for members.
-
- Several of us at our club have considered the pros and cons of the
- AOPA idea. It definitely is worth discussing.
-
- The AOPA has some real lobbying power. If the SSA ever had any, it
- won't now. The amount of $ SSA had, has, or will have to spend on
- lobbying efforts probably won't even open the door for us
-with anyone
- in Washington. AOPA's clout is another matter.
-
- I don't know that the AOPA would be interested, but 16,000 pilots
- would be a healthy addition to their membership, if that is what the
- SSA membership is. Of course, some SSA are already AOPA members.
-
- A couple of pages monthly in the AOPA magizine would probably do
- soaring a world of good. Most of the potential pilots for our sport
- are already power pilots.
-
- AIG, the insurer who underwrites the policies that come from
- Costello's, already has a relationship with the AOPA. Probably
- Costello's has a relationship with the AOPA too. Hopefully, we
- maintain our insurance in its present form.
-
- Let's face the reality of the situation. We may soon have
-no national
- soaring umbrella organization. We will need to deal with
-that in some
- fashion. Better to think about the alternatives now.
-
- Stan Scott - VA
-
- Tony Verhulst wrote:
- Nyal Williams wrote:
- We have always wanted to be more like the BGA. Do you believe
- that, comprising 1% of the pilot population, we would
-receive any
- notice inside AOPA? Maybe one page near the back of the
-magazine
- -- occasionally.
-
- Would we receive any notice inside AOPA? No! Not even
-inside EAA nor
- even NAFI. Case in point, I used to be a NAFI (National Association
-of
- Flight Instructors) member. In one of their monthly (mailed)
- newsletters (2002), they warned us that the PTS (practical Test
- Standard)was changing and to make sure that we trained our
-students
- to the new standards. When I researched the matter I
-discovered that
- ONLY the
- *airplane* PTS was changing - not glider, not helicopter, ... you
- get the picture. I wrote a nice letter to the organization
-president
- and editor explaining the situation and requested a public
-clarification.
-I
- got nowhere - not even a clarification in their online newsletter
- which would have cost them nothing to distribute. After several
- polite email exchanges, I realized that unless you were an
-airplane
- instructor you were nothing and that there was no point in
-me being
- a member. I resigned in protest.
-
- Expect similar treatment if we become part of AOPA.
-
- Tony V. CFIG
- http://home.comcast.net/~verhulst/SOARING
-
-
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