Hi all,
At GCV in Benalla we have three levels of AEF ranging in price from $135
to $235.
The vast majority of those who take them up buy the most expensive
version, and most make a 400km round trip from Melbourne for the experience.
It's not the price, it's the service. You can book online, and through
"gift" websites, receive vouchers that can be redeemed at a convenient
time, and we are very flexible about weather, cancellations and
re-booking. Personally, if I feel the passenger has not had full value
I will offer to take them for a second flight at my own expense.
Quality and service is remembered long after price is forgotten.
GCV gets few new members this way, but plenty of revenue, so we may as
well charge what the market will pay. Recruits come from those with a
more sporting interest, or who are already interested in gliding rather
than other types of aviation. Judging by our last season's crop, most
of them are hanging out for the cross-country course in November and
wondering how to get into the LS4 before then.
The current problems with gliding are caused by sticking to a business
model and organisational structure that was effective in the period up
to about 1980. No other business which believed that would be around
for long - why do we?
Gliding does not appear to be "demising" at the top end of the sport.
Read the magazine if you don't believe that - almost every page is
filled with articles about competitions and high-tech (and yes, high
cost) equipment. The featured club at Lake Keepit makes its money from
people who drive 400km from Sydney, or who attend competitions and other
events there. Every year well-heeled gliding "tourists" arrive at
Narromine, Corowa, Benalla and other places with containers full of top
end gliders. It's not all doom and gloom.
You can learn to fly in a Tecnam (or a Blanik), but have you ever heard
of a World Championships for them? And in which other branch of
aviation can you fly a ASG29 or JS1, or anything even vaguely
approaching them?
We need to sell our strengths (preferably to doctors and lawyers), and
stop lamenting a lost era. Perhaps in the future we'll have less
members and less small clubs, but a healthier sport. We need to face
facts and finally admit that we are no longer a cut price flying
training outfit.
Cheers
/Tim/
/tra dire e fare c'รจ mezzo il mare/
On 8/09/2011 12:33, gstev...@bigpond.com wrote:
Hi Macca, JR, & All,
A couple of very nice postings, that gives some perspective, on this
vexing subject.
Yeah the AEF fee to GFA is large, but I have never heard of any AEF
person bucking about this. I very much suspect that much of this is
because they really don't understand just what is going on here
(despite a briefing by an experienced club member, and "signing their
life away")! Possibly they are focused on the goal, which is of
course as it should be - to go flying.
However if you bother to read the communications from the GFA, you
will find that this fee has been set on the basis that "somebody" has
to pay for the administration of our sport. In a nutshell under the
current thinking, if the AEF people don't contribute, then it is YOU
who must pay more. It is all about balancing the books.
In the very short term, Macca's response now leads me to suggest the
following: Keep the AEF fee the same, but increase the 3 day
membership to 3 months. { I suspect that the current number of 3 month
memberships is VERY low.} I haven't done any research here, but I
bet that my proposal will not make the slightest bit of difference to
revenue collected, and JUST MAYBE it might get the movement an
additional member or ten which will of course actually increase
revenue a bit - but revenue raising is not - just to make it crystal
clear - the prime goal of the exercise.
However let me say once again, for about the hundredth time, that the
basic problem is political, and until the GFA board acknowledges this,
and then sets about seriously*- lets start with say $500,000
seriously, expended on this over the next few years - *addressing this
issue, this sport will continue to slide, possibly into oblivion: Note
again JR's comment about the "little clubs" disappearing. This is of
course followed by the "big clubs" disappearing: QED!
It is very interesting that *just one* member of the gliding movement,
(let alone anyone on the board), has ever bothered to make comment on
my suggestion about a political solution to the problem, and that one
comment was not at all favourable. Are GFA members so lacking in
foresight that they cannot see the problem? I find this hard to
believe, but then again, I guess the Dodo did not expect to become
extinct either!
Gliding administration is growing increasingly complex - read
increasingly more expensive. The Federal Government doles out a
pittance to the GFA to administer the sport. If you have missed my
earlier comment on the subject, let me reiterate that the quantum paid
is nothing less than a bloody insult. The GFA Board must surely be
aware of the issues I have raised. The question that then arises is
"Why does the GFA board not address these issues as their PRIME
MANDATE given that the very existence of the sport, let alone its
vibrant existence, depends on a satisfactory resolution"?
Gary Stevenson
----- Original Message -----
*From:* Ian Mc Phee <mailto:mrsoar...@gmail.com>
*To:* Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.
<mailto:aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net>
*Sent:* Wednesday, September 07, 2011 8:49 PM
*Subject:* Re: [Aus-soaring] our magazine
>From my 45+years in gliding I personally believe people want to
learn and they want to learn *NOW *and time restraints are far
more important than the bright sleek glass ship in our president
article. Take a look at RAAus 10000+ members- People get to fly
within 15 minutes arrival at airfield.
The $30 for AEF to GFA is sure a large - Personally I would not
mind as much if say people under 25 got it for $15. I do know GFA
have a special deal with AAFC so why not all young people.
.Despite this huge initial charge and no 3months Student
Membership of GFA I am very encouraged the number of young people
learning to fly in past say 18 month- there is a ray of hope out
there.
And as for CASA - As old Jack Iggulden would say we know and
understand gliding CASA (or DCA as he always called them) do not
Just a thought
Ian McPhee
0428847642
On 7 September 2011 20:22, JR <jma99...@bigpond.net.au
<mailto:jma99...@bigpond.net.au>> wrote:
Is'nt the new look magazine unreal,but I must say I was a
little disturbed by the Presidents article on our ageing
glider fleet. For starters my club had a plan to fly our
blanik for at least its 3750 hours, which would have put
somewhere near 60,000 dollars in our bank account, but thats
not to be, and it would seem that, having had that taken away
from us, we are now going to be paying more to GFA for AEF's
aswell, where will it all stop. And as for nice new plastic
gliders, I have seen some fairly shabby looking examples of
them aswell, and the maintenance for me doesnt change from
plastic, wood or metal, I do the same job on them all . It
does'nt matter what its made from or how old it is, an
inspection is an inspection. And on the subject of ageing
aircraft, I noticed in CASA's booklet on ageing aircraft, GFA
didnt get a mention, and we are probably leading the field in
old aircraft and how to maintain them, something I think we
should be proud of.... So I guess what will happen is all the
little clubs will disappear, and all the big clubs will be
left to cover the ever increasing costs of GFA and all the
people who know how to maintain sailplanes will disappear
aswell.I assume flarms will become extinct as there wont be
that many gliders left flying.So I guess this means the end of
the horse drawn zeppelin...
regards
JR
PS sorry the humour content is low, but...... it happens
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