Hi Tim, Your post undoubtedly contains some uncomfortable truths. Under your
proposed business model however there would have been no way for me to get into
gliding and I wonder about others, including yourself. Rgds - Rolf
Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2011 09:13:00 +1000
From: tshir...@internode.on.net
To: aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] AEF fees, Funding, and the Demise of Gliding
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
To: Discussion
of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.
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>
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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