A aviation & planes forum. AviationBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » AviationBanter forum » rec.aviation newsgroups » Soaring
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

$75,000 2-33



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #101  
Old March 15th 18, 05:05 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
son_of_flubber
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,550
Default $75,000 2-33

Just when I was starting to feel like a lot of soaring clubs in North America were doomed, I stumbled across this success story. Made me feel optimistic.

https://www.cunim.org/our-fleet/


  #102  
Old March 15th 18, 05:15 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tom BravoMike
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 266
Default $75,000 2-33

An interesting contribution to the discussion going on here is a new series on YouTube called 'Glide Britain', launched just a few days ago:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAs...H5nag/featured

British glider clubs introduce themselves one after another to the viewers, explaining how they work. Lots of young people...
  #103  
Old March 15th 18, 05:18 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Michael Opitz
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 318
Default $75,000 2-33

At 15:34 15 March 2018, wrote:
Continuing the digression, successful clubs rely on members to do

much or
m=
ost of the work. There's always a question of whether to allow

affluent
and=
/or time-challenged members to buy their way out of their work

obligation.
=
When I was learning to fly at what is now Caesar Creek Soaring

Club in the
=
mid 60s, most of us worked one weekend day a month instructing,

towing, or
=
crewing. If you didn't, your fee for a 2,000' tow was a dollar higher
(IIRC=
, $4.50 instead of $3.50 in a club glider. Yeah, times change.).

Most
membe=
rs worked. A few didn't. Yes, there was a loss of camaraderie with

those
wh=
o just showed up to fly, but the philosophy was that we'd rather

have them
=
as club members than not.

Decades later, there was related discussion involving another club.

I
sense=
d some resentment about a few more affluent members not

working. I've
alway=
s wondered if that led to at least one active pilot I knew gradually
droppi=
ng out of soaring. Probably not the deciding factor. But not feeling

100%
w=
elcome at your own soaring club doesn't seem like a formula for

success.=20

It's a fine balance. We want club members to "pay their dues",

literally
an=
d figuratively. We want them to show their commitment, not just

because we
=
need their support but because we resent investing in them if

they're just
=
going to wander away a year later.=20

But...if they're not as committed, would we rather send them to a
commercia=
l operation or see them drop out? It's a question; I don't have the

answer.

Chip Bearden


It doesn't matter if they are rich or not. If they don't work, and you
don't charge them, they are free-loaders that are leeching off other
people's work and efforts. IMO, it's just not right to let these people
get away with not doing anything at the expense of someone else
having to cover for them. If they can't or don't want to work, make
them pay the difference in money. If they get mad, let them go to a
commercial operator where they will be served by others the way
they want, but then they will have to pay for those services anyway.

RO

  #104  
Old March 15th 18, 10:33 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 580
Default $75,000 2-33

It doesn't matter if they are rich or not. If they don't work, and you
don't charge them, they are free-loaders that are leeching off other
people's work and efforts. IMO, it's just not right to let these people
get away with not doing anything at the expense of someone else
having to cover for them. If they can't or don't want to work, make
them pay the difference in money. If they get mad, let them go to a
commercial operator where they will be served by others the way
they want, but then they will have to pay for those services anyway.

RO


I hope I wasn't misleading because I agree, Mike. The attitude I have encountered numerous times is that a club member should not be allowed to pay the difference in money if they don't contribute their time. Having been at clubs that took somewhat different positions, I can see both sides.

My personal view (having used commercial operations for 20 years) is to encourage members to work while allowing them to pay. One reason soaring is declining (IMO) is all the things that compete for our time these days, from jobs that are nearly 24/7 to family to other sports and leisure time activities. For a lot of people, soaring is just not the #1 thing in their lives that it was for me for many years. But we need all kinds. And some members who don't want to show up one day a month for ground crew duty might be very happy to do some pro bono legal work defending against a community effort to put the gliderport out of business, for example.

Chip Bearden
  #105  
Old March 16th 18, 07:21 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ben Coleman
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 49
Default $75,000 2-33

Snip Chip's post

It's a good question, our club is structured around volunteer effort and some people bear the majority of the burden. However we also need "customers" and flying activity is the lifeblood of the club. Recently we have moved to paying for more services such as annual aircraft inspection/maintenance rather than forcing the work on club members (still mostly done by volunteers however). We also use builders for major jobs as the club needs them finished by a date more than we need to save money. Plus the would-be volunteers can spend their time flying rather than working (or feeling too guilty about not working to turn up!)

Cheers Ben
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:29 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 AviationBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.