There has been an unbelievable amount of crap appearing on this site in recent weeks, to the point where at least several (maybe many)subscribers have elected to unsubscribe as a direct result. Mark can give us the exact number here if he so chooses.
However, let us move on. Sir Gordon Taylor was a pioneer aviator. He was also a gifted writer. He (like us all) was a spiritual being. Before considering the latter, let me first quote a little of what he wrote in the forward to his book "The Sky Beyond" "....but luck alone is not enough;for the Air, like the Sea, is an uncompromising though rewarding element. It demands a certain standard of its close associates. The price of falling below that standard can be high. The urge always to seek and to know is strong within us and is part of the challenge and the inspiration that keeps us flying." In these few words Taylor: 1. Sets the scene; 2. Posts a warning; 3. Answers the question, that the GFA has pondered for years and that is "To whom should we direct our efforts, if we want new members?" In the last sentence, replace the word "keeps" with "starts" and all becomes clear. The answer is of course "to those with the urge to seek and know." As to spirituality: let me paraphrase what Taylor next wrote: "For far into the depths of night above the ocean....there is a vast tranquillity filled with vivid life, a calm and certain knowledge of the most natural immortality of which one is part with all creation. To fly in the presence of this knowledge is a humbling but deeply significant experience which erases all trivialities, and one returns to Earth calmly, equipped again, if only temporarily, with a sense of spiritual fulfilment and of physical well being." Amen. Gary
_______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
