Promoting Soaring (Among Women) | Kudos MASA!

On Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 6:15:18 AM UTC-4, Tony wrote:

I've always admired a lady friend who towed at ASI and squatted in the sagebrush on the far side of the runway to pee. There was a bathroom building but she wouldn't want to hold up the launch.

We invest a considerable sum in 'Potty Parity' at my club, that being a well maintained porta-potty at both ends of the runway. There are flush toilets at midfield, but we realize that it is inhospitable to expect women to take that walk when men had the option of peeing in the woods.

On Friday, October 30, 2020 at 4:58:36 PM UTC-7, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 6:15:18 AM UTC-4, Tony wrote:


We invest a considerable sum in 'Potty Parity' at my club, that being a well maintained porta-potty at both ends of the runway. There are flush toilets at midfield, but we realize that it is inhospitable to expect women to take that walk when men had the option of peeing in the woods.

Wow. How wonderful.

There is a similar article on AvWeb this week, about toilet access on airfields.
It is an issue, for sailplane and airplane flyers.
Cross-category and cross-gender.
https://www.avweb.com/insider/your-a...D=%CAMPAIGNID%
Given the aging of the pilot population, a suddenness of demand due
to physiologic changes might make those portables appreciated
by the entire club.


I've had to do all the options.
Locked knees and gritted teeth for a long wait.
A long hike to a port-a-port or the flush facilities.
A hike into the woods/sagebrush/cornfield (further than the guys, for privacy).

The thought to provide some better sanitation and privacy
is appreciated by all genders I am sure. A water bucket on an old bar stool, with a simple
hose line and check valve, makes a simple hand wash station too.

- - - - - - - - -- - - - -
It was a serious point of contention when a site (for whom I did some
contract teaching) decided to remove the ONLY port-a-pot for customers and staff.
It was described as a cost-saving measure.

We had to then explain to the customer ride-enplanements that if they
wanted to relieve before launch, they had to drive the half mile to the
"Airport Admin's" bathroom. Any savings on rental-Johns
were quickly eroded by the loss of appointment/flight time by waiting for
customers to return from the restrooms.
- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -

At Antelope Valley Soaring Club, the prior officers/members went to some effort to make a
welcoming environment on a dusty, hot, often-windy desert private airstrip. They installed a
10 x 30 clubhouse, built a full-length covered porch, dug a septic system and plumbed a half
bathroom. There was ample TP supplied throughout the Covid buying panic. The picnic area
offers benches and cooking sites. There is a kitchen area inside for prep ( still needs sink plumbing).
This summer, some time went into installing and plumbing an evaporative cooler for the
clubhouse. We have a bit to go to complete an electrical storage system to run it.
The generator seems a bit noisy for that job.

We do our best to be welcoming and inclusive to all guests and potential new members. The
membership numbers have been stable for four years, despite the normal influx and
departures. In these times, stable is an achievement! The four and a half gliders are not
busy. We hope to have the 10th-half flying for 2021, to make it five gliders available.

Come visit AVSC in SoCal on Saturdays. We only get stopped for wildfire TFRs and hurricanes . . . .


For the rest of Region 12? We've had Karen Willat welcoming all beginners in San Diego County for
a long while. A 2019 Private rated young lady pilot was lauded on their FB page, for a textbook perfect
landout from rope break, on her first passenger carrying flight!

The Cypress Soaring 50th Anniversary party (late 2019) was packed with Plenty of youngsters and families.
Their club's return to Hemet Airport, without hangars, clubhouses or ANY structures shows the
group running successfully on camraderie and cohesive commitment.

Skylark North at Tehachapi must have bent the internet, staying logged on to the WGC in Australia
this 2020 January, tracking Sarah Arnold, Sylvia Grandstaff and Kathy Fosha on their contest daily
adventures and blogs. There was lots of support, emotional, technical, financial from that pilot group
for soaring's racing ladies.

Are we perfect promoters? Nah.
Should someone call us out when we do a poor job? Please do, gently.
Preferably privately.
We've got a great thing here under this bushel basket, and it gets better with sharing.
Two students booked for tomorrow. One of each gender.

Still smiling,
Cindy B

On Saturday, October 31, 2020 at 1:53:02 AM UTC-4, Cindy Brickner wrote:

Wow. How wonderful.

I honestly recommend to random people that I meet, 'Bring a picnic to the airport. Watch the glider's land. Take a ride if it looks fun.'

The more the merrier. https://sugarbushsoaring.com/about-us/our-airport