Tommy, et al.; First off, I don't want any of you guys who are active and participate in the type club to become insulted or offended at the fact that I think the owners need more and am not afraid to say so public, so please check your egos at the door and don't be afraid of offending me. (Only injustices offend me.) You're the ones holding what's left of it together, THANKS! This is NOT personal, it's business even though we're only speaking hobby. By now I'm sure you've been briefed on where my head is and I think that by staying and participating in the discussion you will show that you can make the move to where we need to be. As I've stated earlier, the biggest asset the club has (outside those people who remain active) is it's longevity. It's easier to use that longevity and applaud those who contributed toward it than to start fresh. Some may disagree, but I'm for making changes rather than reinventing the wheel.
Face the facts. Without the likes of Tommy, Syd, the John Wrights, other behind the scene unsung guys and gals, and many of the folks on this forum, there is absolutely no reason why the current type club can't be one of the best. I see that Tommy began to reluctantly admit there are problems but quickly jumped out of that mode and pointed toward accomplishments, which is commendable. Sure there are good things that are done but why not do great things for the owners. (Nice that this little car can go 60 MPH, but now we need something that'll do 75 MPH and get 30 MPG!) Lots of what you're saying is true, but when you need to replace the spark plugs to keep the engine running, then swap you must, regardless of how well the old ones serviced your needs. By Tommy's post, it may appear that some should be satisfied with the status quo of the club and I think that is very unhealthy. What frustrates me personally the most is how all the talent the club has is underutilized. What must be very frustrating is listening to the cries of members and prospects and being unable to make any accomplishments. Why not analyze the problems or pitfalls and make changes to improve them. As I've said before sometimes it appears that the club looks at things and says "It can't be done" rather than asking "How can we do this?". Tommy mentioned funding/costs, which is always a problem. How about someone looking at the current costs and recommending adjustments to compensate? That doesn't necessarily have to be raising dues to reflect 2008 because there are so many other ways to generate revenue first. There is a new breed of owners coming on board and those owners need forward thinking individuals leading their organization. Leaders that will not only address issues of today but recognize the issues of the future. Whether the current group isn't permitted to do so or are overwhelmed with other duties indicates there needs to be some help passed on to their direction. Where does it come from? Obvious, from the members themselves. Why aren't they all jumping in to help? I really don't know, but has anyone ever asked? There's a guy down here in Dallas named "Zig" Ziglar. A guru of motivators. One of the things he always says is "You get what you want from people by helping people get what they want". 'Nuff said? So - - - paid "staff"? Why not? How can WE do this? Professional planning help? Why not? How can WE do this? Better educational programs? How can WE get 'em? Note how I never say that it can't be done or we tried and couldn't. I refuse to defeat myself before trying. As far as the newsletter and convention, I've only heard good things about the conventions and as Tommy states, "the newsletter is probably the most visible part of the club and, yes it can be a bit lame at times." The newsletter is the link to current members as well as the gateway to new members and sponsors. All available efforts should be directed into making it a very appealing publication. Once again, how do we get this letter up to snuff? Wouldn't it be real nice to get a picture of Travolta leaning on his old Ercoupe wearing a nice new EOC T shirt (that is incidentally available in two colors from an ad on the swap page)? Let's forget about the SB issue! I yield the balance of my time to the gentlemember from - - - - - -. Al DeMarzo Visit the Ercoupe Swap Page - Free and Easy http://www.ercoupeowners.com/swap/swapbook.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: Tommy Terry To: [email protected] Cc: 'AJ DeMarzo' ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] ; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Sunday, December 30, 2007 9:47 PM Subject: Type Club After reading the parts of this discussion that were on-list, I must agree that our type club may not be all that we might want it to be. Let's look at some of what I know our club does do: there is a monthly newsletter and an annual convention that come to light immediately. The not so obvious things might include a dedication to keeping our type in existence by providing an irreplaceable source of knowledge specific to our birds and the "momentum" that was mentioned in an earlier post. In addition to these tangible accomplishments; there is the scholarship dedicated to the memory of one of, if not the, greatest aeronautical engineers this country has known. Looking a little more deeply into these things: The scholarship is totally funded by donations made by our members at the annual convention. It may not be a Billion Dollar deal, but it is appreciated by the folks who receive it and it keeps the legacy of Mr. Fred Weick alive. The "momentum" of the type club does exist. Our leadership may not be setting the world on fire but they are keeping an eye on lots of things. A couple of years ago when the infamous SB32 came along, our leaders kept us informed of what was being found as long as we kept them informed. In the EOC we have a pool of knowledge that cannot be replaced; a lot of those folks also share that knowledge on these forums but the type club gives them a "formal" setting to work from when needed. Our newsletter and convention seem to come under fire fairly regularly and I must admit that there is room for improvement in each category. The 2008 convention promises to be great. Syd is working very hard to insure that a good time, as well as an educational time is had by all. 2009 should also be good if the folks at the convention center in Vicksburg are to be believed; and I think they are. The newsletter is probably the most visible part of our club and, yes, it can be a bit lame at times. Publishing a newsletter is tough work, especially when you have to depend on members of a club spread around the world to give you the information to publish. Even if every member sent something once per year it would still be hard to have new and interesting material. How much new can be written about an airframe design that is 60 years old when you've been writing every month for 30 years? Yes, there are organizations that have a really slick newsletter and a 'barn burner' of an annual convention, but those organizations have something ours doesn't: A paid staff. Our dues of $20 per year will not provide for the slick newsletters written by paid staff or filled with bought articles. The modest registration fees for the annual convention will not support the fancy conventions that some organizations have. I do not want to start a big ruckus and will not participate in anything less than civil debate. However; the EOC is not an entity of itself, WE are the EOC and if we want the club to be different, we need to re-direct it. Let's not throw the current or past leadership to the wolves. Rather, we should appreciate what they have done to keep the club intact and ready for the next 30 years. One last thought: Mr. C.W. Tackett, Scout Master of troop 7 had a saying, "You only get as much out of scouting as you put into it." If all we put into the Ercoupe Owner's Club is $20 per year, that's all we can expect out of it. If we want more; we must do more: write an article, send some photos, offer to hold the convention...... Tommy N93929
