Cheap sailplanes

Michel Talon wrote:
Graeme Cant wrote:

Absolutely. The market will work for gliding as it does with most
things. Already, I know of three 25-30 year old glass gliders bought by
young men from deceased estates for trivial prices (a perfectly good
PIK-20B for $12000, for example). Cost isn't/won't be the problem.
Real prices will go on falling as the number of available gliders grows
at a faster rate than the number of buyers.


Corollary when the sport will be almost dying.

Prior to its rebirth in a different form - which almost none of the
existing participants will foresee - and certainly won't like.

But it will still be soaring.

Graeme Cant

I really don't get all this paranoia about the sport dying...We have a group
of folks coming along, who absolutely LOVE thrills. The Gen X crowd is on
its way and though it might be a few years, it'll get to us when it's ready.
We just have to be ready to receive them and train them and help them move
along and become part of us...things will change, but that's
inevitable...Why all the worry???

We need to do what we are doing...ask questions, and try to set change in
motion and find ways to do a better job where and when we can. Soaring isn't
going to die now or anytime soon. If clubs fail, new clubs will form.
Different, but there will always be soaring in one way or another. As long
as one guy jumps off a hill with a paraglider, another guy will look for a
better way to go faster and farther...ultimately there will be an
equillibrium attained with regards to sailplane prices and
performance...it's called a free market....it never seems to disappoint.
Hell...at my airport we had to kids show up with hang gliders and a
homebuilt winch contraption, built from an old Roto-tiller...it didn't
work...but they were thinking and trying!!

I guess what is bugging me is how many people start echoing all the "end of
soaring" crap...RELAX...we'll be fine...just let's be positive and work to
bring new enthused young folks...old folks and middle aged folks into our
fold.

Soaring is a thing you either "get"...or "don't get"...the ones who "get it"
will find their way into our sport. We just need to provide more stimulus in
the form of what people can see, in order for it to be better recognized.
When people see it and start wondering about how they can try it, then
growth will occur. Since it's such a topic on here, I think we can all make
the effort to simply start out by taking ONE person for a glider ride next
year...hopefully a person who would have the logical possibility of being
one of those folks who'd have some level of interest...Man...think of
it...what would happen if next year we got say....1,000 new and additional
glider pilots added to our ranks. Over and above our attrition, that would
be a great start.

We....are the solution. Tell your friends...find a person...seek out one
individual and try to hook em!!!!



Steve.

Well although it may/may not be a 'prequel' to how
we are living...how this applies to soaring still has
me mystified.




At 19:30 06 December 2004, Jack wrote:
Stewart Kissel wrote:
Hmmm, the George Orwell references are a little over
my head...but perhaps I am on a parallel track and
don't know it.

You have read '1984', have you not?

If not, then run -- do not walk -- to your local library
and demand a
copy. It is the prequel to the 21st Century as we
are living it.


Jack

Well this new and "improved" google has me a bit
mystified......anyhow..........my point was the thermals we enjoy could
easily be removed from our enjoyment at the whim of our "elected"
officials, all under the guise of making us "safer". I for one would
rather take my chances with the mountain winds than the capriciousness
of the oligarchy.

Brad


Stewart Kissel wrote:
Well although it may/may not be a 'prequel' to how
we are living...how this applies to soaring still has
me mystified.




At 19:30 06 December 2004, Jack wrote:
Stewart Kissel wrote:
Hmmm, the George Orwell references are a little over
my head...but perhaps I am on a parallel track and
don't know it.

You have read '1984', have you not?

If not, then run -- do not walk -- to your local library
and demand a
copy. It is the prequel to the 21st Century as we
are living it.


Jack

Snip 1...

At 05:30 05 December 2004, Johnwn In Burke, Va wrote:
There is only one factor which stops
gliding being as successful as Paragliding....IMAGE.


Snip 2...

The image of the average UK gliding club is being
full
of old people in wooden gliders...the image of paragliding
is young, daredevils jumping off hills. Neither image
is correct...but it's perception that matters.




Apologies to those in this picture who may feel slighted...my
intent was to post what I perceive as a fairly accurate
image of our sport...and the challenge of making this
image cool.

http://windpath.ca/news/images/dv_lgpix/2_F1030012.jpg

Good point.

Now, go to this site and download some videos and see how the European
youngsters see the sport there.
http://www.alpenstreckenflug.de/text...dingvideos.htm

There couldn't be more contrast.

(The files may be too big for the bandwidth challenged.)

Bill Daniels


"Stewart Kissel" wrote in
message ...
Snip 1...

At 05:30 05 December 2004, Johnwn In Burke, Va wrote:
There is only one factor which stops
gliding being as successful as Paragliding....IMAGE.


Snip 2...

The image of the average UK gliding club is being
full
of old people in wooden gliders...the image of paragliding
is young, daredevils jumping off hills. Neither image
is correct...but it's perception that matters.




Apologies to those in this picture who may feel slighted...my
intent was to post what I perceive as a fairly accurate
image of our sport...and the challenge of making this
image cool.

http://windpath.ca/news/images/dv_lgpix/2_F1030012.jpg

Stewart Kissel wrote:

Apologies to those in this picture who may feel slighted...my
intent was to post what I perceive as a fairly accurate
image of our sport...and the challenge of making this
image cool.

http://windpath.ca/news/images/dv_lgpix/2_F1030012.jpg

Well, our club isn't a bit like that!

We NEVER have our chairs arranged in such orderly rows.



Jack

Jack wrote:
Stewart Kissel wrote:

Apologies to those in this picture who may feel slighted...my
intent was to post what I perceive as a fairly accurate
image of our sport...and the challenge of making this
image cool.

http://windpath.ca/news/images/dv_lgpix/2_F1030012.jpg


Well, our club isn't a bit like that!

We NEVER have our chairs arranged in such orderly rows.



Jack
You guys have CHAIRS?? Sheer luxury!

At 18:01 10 December 2004, Justin Fielding wrote:.

I don't see young, fit skiers, snowboarders, parachutists,
cyclists as particularly fertile recruiting ground.

Don't be so sure. I paraglide, mostly because of the
cost and also
convieniance. You will find the better paraglider
pilots all have a
bigger interest in soaring as a whole, and respect
and recognise the
skill soaring requires over any other sport (you have
to read inivisible
weather systems, learn about areodynamics and so on).
By soaring I mean
paragliding/hanggliding/sailplanes. Im sure when I
have the money and
stability, I will move in to sailplanes.

Justin

http://www.windlines.net/modules.php...lbum99&id=PB18
0129&op=modload&name=Gallery&file=index&include=vi ew_photo.php

HA, I bet this guy just can't wait to jump into a
junky 2-33 with some crusty old-timer in the backseat
yelling at him...rather then what he is doing now

Stewart Kissel wrote:

HA, I bet this guy just can't wait to jump into a
junky 2-33 with some crusty old-timer in the backseat
yelling at him...rather then what he is doing now

Hey, I'm not much older than he is, and we have not one, but
TWO recently recovered, painted, and reupholstered 2-33s
waiting for adoring pilots.

And we have a junky ol' unairworthy 2-22 sitting around that
may just end up getting a makeover soon too...

;PPP
--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd