Hi John
I tend to agree with you, I think one of the issues for Glidings
downward slide, is one has to travel great distances to get to the airfield.
I like Dav have to travel around 170 K's each way to the field, its not a
trip I enjoy at all, the blessing is our club has accomodation so I can
travel up stay the night and fly Saturday, Sunday. I also agree people arent
prepared to put in the time to get Solo. I now Fly GA and the same situation
is occuring there as well, they tell me it has been a steady decline really
since the 1970,s with a few peaks of interest. It may be a simple as there
are many choices were one can spend there discretionary income, and the "I
wont it NOW syndrome !!!"
Deborah Fanning
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Giddy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 10:40 PM
Subject: Re: [aus-soaring] CAUTION about Cross modal fatality rates + BOLD
STATEMENTS
> Dav,
> you are probably correct in the case of "most clubs".
> However there are some, like us, who have exclusive use of
> our own airfield. This was provided in our case by a small
> number of members digging into their pockets to varying
> degrees to find the capital to purchase the land and to
> erect the hangars, club house etc. These members are
> entitled to an ANNUAL income from their "investment", and
> the only place they can get this is from the members who use
> the airfield. The annual charge also has to allow for some
> maintenance of the field, which usually requires machinery,
> even if it is only a local farmer's tractor and spray outfit
> to maintain the 20m firebreak required by the council.
> Likewise, the annual fee for parking a caravan or the ground
> rent charged to those who elect to put up their own hangar,
> is part of the income to the guys who put up the money. They
> will not, in a number of years, say "OK guys, I don't want
> any more income from this money I have invested".
>
> I don't think it is just cost which is driving people away.
> If that was the case, our ski fields would be going broke,
> and the better golf clubs would no longer exist. I just
> think that people these days won't put the effort into
> gliding; and it does need effort - running wings, driving
> winches or tow planes etc mean that the average member must
> be prepared to do more than just turn up for his flight and
> then push off.
> This is where GA and Ultralights score over us. You can
> just go to the airfield, check out your aircraft and go.
> No-one else is needed.
> Cheers, John G.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dav" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2003 8:16 PM
> Subject: Re: [aus-soaring] CAUTION about Cross modal
> fatality rates + BOLD STATEMENTS
>
>
> | -
> | Hi John,
> |
> | I could not agree more I would be more than happy to pay
> a reasonable
> | yearly fee ,that was not really what I was objecting to.
> |
> | Consider this- this particular clubs costs do not change
> wether or not I
> | keep a caravan there (there are always dozens of empty
> sites) and I have to
> | travel 180 Kilometres to get there so I do require
> accomodation. Such items
> | as powerpoints have been there for 10 years+ (and fully
> depreciated I would
> | expect).
> |
> | As for a nightly fee this should reflect the true cost of
> power and such
> | items as showers etc. At the most $10 should easily cover
> these sort of
> | costs and make a profit. Your example is a good solution.
> |
> | If these charges were applied to non members visiting,
> fair enough but clubs
> | that are running out of members should be doing everything
> to keep costs to
> | their members down and the fact is membership is in a
> constant decline
> | indicates to me that cost is a major factor.
> |
> | The fact is most gliding clubs own all their non flying
> assets apart from
> | the airfield and they were paid off in the 60s and 70s a
> fact always ignored
> | by those who write trite analysies on how expensive
> Passenger flights and
> | aircraft hire should be.
> |
> | Incidentally I am strongly of the opinion all GFA
> sanctioned gliding clubs
> | should be required to provide passenger flights to the
> public at reasonable,
> | if neccassary regulated cost to not do so is an abrigation
> of responsibilty
> | to promote our dying sport.
> |
> | The final straw was the fact that the application for
> membership form had a
> | section basically saying the club could disallow you
> flying with no reason
> | at any time with no refunds of fee's etc-Directly
> contradicting a specific
> | clause in their own constitution forbiding exactly
> that!!!!!!
> |
> |
> | Regards all
> |
> | Dav
> | ---- Original Message -----
> | From: "John Giddy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> | To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> | Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 5:00 PM
> | Subject: Re: [aus-soaring] CAUTION about Cross modal
> fatality rates + BOLD
> | STATEMENTS
> |
> |
> | >
> | > ----- Original Message -----
> | > From: "Dav" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> | > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> | > Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 2:06 PM
> | > Subject: Re: [aus-soaring] CAUTION about Cross modal
> | > fatality rates + BOLD STATEMENTS
> | >
> | >
> | > | Hi Guys,
> | >
> | > <<< other items snipped >>>
> | >
> | > |
> | > | 5.In respect to falling GFA membership it is IMHO due
> to
> | > greed on the part
> | > | of the bigger commercial clubs particularly-I have
> just
> | > changed clubs due to
> | > | the outrageous charges for accomodation, and the fact
> I
> | > will not pay a club
> | > | more than one joining fee, especially when other clubs
> | > don't even charge a
> | > | joining fee how can such someone who has already
> | > joined-its a flat out
> | > | ripoff. Another example at the club I have left there
> is a
> | > charge of $200+
> | > | per year just to leave a caravan there, not to mention
> $26
> | > PER NIGHT if you
> | > | use your own caravan. These people are pricing
> themselves
> | > out of existance.
> | > | The small clubs that do not try to be a business do
> not
> | > have as much of a
> | > | problem as I see it.
> | >
> | > Dav,
> | > The annual charge for parking a caravan is quite
> justified.
> | > Who paid to have the land available ? Who paid to
> prepare
> | > the area for caravans, including (in our case) power
> outlets
> | > for those caravans ? Don't they have any right to
> receive
> | > some interest on their outlay ?
> | > The $26 per night in addition seems a bit steep. We
> charge
> | > for electricity usage with meters on each caravan supply
> | > point.
> | >
> | > Unfortunately, it seems that the gliding fraternity
> wants
> | > all the best facilities at little or no cost. It won't
> work
> | > guys !
> | >
> | > John G. (Mangalore GC, and Locksley Fly-In Estate)
> | >
> | >
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