Why is Soaring declining

John Jones wrote in message ...
'...but still money that I should have put somewhere
else.'

That is what most wives say too. Maybe you would be
happier if you had spent all that money at the mall
on new dresses.

Hmmmm. I believe I've already said that I would trade every penny I
spent on soaring, every hour I've spent in a cockpit, and every
flyable day for the next fifty years, to have my wife back among the
living for one hour.

Money spent is sunk cost and should never be considered
again in the future.

Guess you don't mind repeating mistakes. I like to learn from mine.

"Ian Johnston" wrote in message news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-ZDsNMdvUhfb2@localhost...

Hack

2) Stimulating interest by being a competition class.

Hack

It's a shame that more top-end pilots haven't taken to
it, but I suspect that the competition year is already pretty crowded.

Ian, if competitors are the only ones being listened to, and you want
to attract more people for the fun of it, you're listening to the
wrong people. Get rid of the competition mindset, and realize that at
the most, 5% of the people that fly compete. You're trying to sell a
Dodge Viper, when what's needed is a Dodge Shadow. Jetskis are more
common than unlimited hydros, and for two very good reasons. First is
cost, and second is that more people are interested in just having fun
than in competing. By trying to keep everything in a competition
mindset, first you're banging your head against a stone wall, and it
feels good when you quit. You might gain a few competitors, but for
most of them, they don't hear you. for a few, they quietly leave. By
giving the impression that competition is the "all", there are many
that won't even start as soon as the think they might be expected to
compete. It's very obvious that you are a diehard competitor, and for
you, that's fine. It's when someone thinks they're being pushed to do
something they don't want to do that you'll lose them. I know my
tolerance for being pushed into something is zero and getting less.
What the top end pilots want to do, let them go there, but don't think
they have to try to drag everyone else in their footsteps. Quit
trying to make competition replace generalized fun, and a few more
people might stick around for a while. I've had my turn at
competition, and realized too late that the fun wasn't there anymore.
The fun had been replaced with only a need to stay on the top, no
matter what. That isn't going to attract anyone.

On Sat, 17 Apr 2004 05:23:02 UTC, (Lennie
the Lurker) wrote:

: "Ian Johnston" wrote in message news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-ZDsNMdvUhfb2@localhost...
:
: Hack
:
: 2) Stimulating interest by being a competition class.
:
: Hack
:
: It's a shame that more top-end pilots haven't taken to
: it, but I suspect that the competition year is already pretty crowded.
:
: Ian, if competitors are the only ones being listened to, and you want
: to attract more people for the fun of it, you're listening to the
: wrong people.

I agree completely.

Ian

On 16 Apr 2004 09:55:45 -0700, (Lennie the
Lurker) wrote:

No, the elitism is more often in casual remarks, ("Why anyone would
want to fly that POS is beyond me."), snide little derogatory remarks
towards any that can't or won't spend themselves into bankruptcy for
the sake of maintaining an image. "You'll never (insert favorite
action here) if you keep flying (Insert favorite target aircraft
here)". What part of "This is as much as I'm willing to spend" do you
have a problem understanding? "You will soon get tired of it and want
something better."

That's pretty sad. Where I fly the private gliders range from a really
nice Ka-6 and a couple of Capstans (British wooden side-by-side two
seater) up to new Duos and ASH-25s via a whole stack of Pegases,
Mosquitos, ASW-20s and Discii, but I've never heard those sorts of
remarks made and wouldn't dream of making them.

I don't understand people only who judge themselves and others by the
cost and shininess of their toys or those who only compete to win. I'm
moderately competitive but I do it for fun, friendship and because it
encourages me to fly on less than perfect days.

--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :

Yeah - right - just like it "rebounded
during Clinton's administration"

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 09:41:34 UTC, Martin Gregorie
wrote:

: Buying my ASW-20 and flying it for a year will cost less than œ20K.
: Amortising that cost over 10 years will reduce the yearly outlay to
: the equivalent of flying a club glider

You could get 5% interest on the 20K, which is a thousand a year.
Plus, what, five hundred for the insurance?

That fifteen hundred quid would buy you seventy hours in a Sutton Bank
DG300 (at 36p/minute) or almost twenty maximum length flights (at
œ75.20 per flight) If the purchase price needs borrowed I reckon the
payback time for a private glass glider is about 100 hours/year. Wood
50 hours/year. Both subject to midification at cheap clubs, or in
syndicates.

However, that's a by product. I like flying my wooden Pirat and I love
flying Ka8's. I have never, ever, flown either type at any club
without having a range of derogatory comments from people - often low
hours pilots who wish to buy credibility and badges - about those
types. Well stuff 'em. I know what I like and the sniping doesn't
bother me. I'm pretty sure that attitude gives a very bad impression
to many potential members who overhear it.

Ian

(PS I'm not accusing Martin of glass snobbery for an instant - I'm
just using his post as a convenient hook for my tirade!)

--

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:55:45 UTC, (Lennie
the Lurker) wrote:

: What part of "This is as much as I'm willing to spend" do you
: have a problem understanding? "You will soon get tired of it and want
: something better."

Martin seems to be talking about buying a second hand glass glider and
keeping it for ten years, so I don't think he can be accused of the
snobbery which undeniably exists...

That said, I thought when I bought the Pirat that I'd keep it for a
coupleof years and then get something posher to have more fun. But I
have realised:

1) that I'm still having a huge amount of fun at 34:1 and

2) that if I spent twice as much money I wouldn't have twice as much
fun.

Ian
--

On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 15:25:26 UTC, Shawn Curry
wrote:

: Liam Finley wrote:
:
: snip
:
: I think the elitism problem is largely an urban myth.
:
: It's all too easy for unsuccesful pilots to blame elitism rather than
: take a hard look at their own lack of skill, ability or perserverence.
:
: Stop! There it is-
: "Skill, ability, and perseverance."
: This is supposed to be a fun recreational activity/hobby/sport, yet it
: requires "skill, ability, and perseverance".

Most of the snide remarks aimed tend to come, in my experience, for
those who have subsituted cash for "skill. ability and perseverance"
and mistake the results for "success".

Ian

RHWOODY wrote:

Yeah - right - just like it "rebounded
during Clinton's administration"

Damn. I hate it when rupublicans are right-um correct ;-)

Shawn

As we all know, the decline has been
happening during several administrations,
your inference that it is related to anything political just shows the lunacy
of your original post.