Thursday, March 3, 2011

So you want it to rain???

Hold a gliding event...
The club had organised to go to Taupo for 2-3 days...excellent idea...but it would appear the forecast has put paid to that...


























However there are some larger problems facing the club, and other club's as well I suspect...



















At this rate by 2019 we will be doing no club flying at all...
This is not good...

I had this response to the last post...about the contest flying fee changes...so clearly there are a range of views out there about the value, or otherwise, of gliding contests. Certainly the number of pilots entering contests is slowly diminishing...although a re-jig of the structure (Club Class Nationals) has brought a brief respite...

Gidday David,
Re your latest blog post.
 
And that is the nub of the problem worldwide. Contest pilots with very few exceptions are no longer valuable club members. There is no tomorrow for these guys who hop in their ASWnimbodisco racer and disappear. The contest philosophy has to change from straight racing to interclub to try and provide members with a skills based contest using whatever the club owns. Home and away series so you travel to see how the other half lives. North Island and South Island leagues with a grand final turn about for each island. No landouts, minimal risk Club activity that fosters community.
Cheers
Paul

2 comments:

  1. well I can understand this trend - given the bullshit way that this club threats its pilots.
    Not to mention the BS propogated by the dynamic duo
    Roger

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  2. Well I'm not aware of any "threats", but a lack of focus of the membership issues probably explains some of the slide. As does the purchase of gliders by individual members, also the inability to "break-out" of the age-old operational procedures which ties us to getting what we always got...however I believe "Change is coming"...

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