Events this week caused me to pause and reflect upon my future in gliding and whether this blog has added value.
Here we go then...Chapters 1 to 100...always do you good things, always treat your neighbour like some-one who lives near to you, never put a sock in a toaster....
Are you sure you want to read on??? Hmmm...I wouldn't if you are easily bored or offended...
Do I want to keep on gliding???
The challenge is finding the time required and the need to fit into a voluntary organisation.
A voluntary structure that allows gliding in NZ to operate outside the mandates of CAA makes it much much cheaper. We should remind ourselves from time to time how much more expensive it would be to operate under a structure like the Micro-blighters or General Aviation.
That aside...it means contributing in some shape or form.
For me that has taken the form of helping at a GNZ Exec level, editing the local newsletter (until wiser people than me decided to re-edit themselves), Contest Directing the odd contest, weather forecasting, helping set up a Speed Challenge on the Kaimai's, attempting to plot a long term strategy for contest pilot development, and running this Blog site. Whilst a few people see voicing an opinion as dissent it has been nice to see a few changes and challenges answered. Besides it's fun...and it's preferable to the usual approach which involves spreading rumours by word of mouth or e-mail.
So I keep on going. Judging by the readership...1000 to 1500 per month I guess some-one sees some value. Interestingly when ever I comment on club stuff there is a large jump in readership...
Time. I've yet to master the concept of elasticity of time...were I to move closer to a black hole maybe time would slow down a bit...
But what else competes with gliding for my time...2 teenages, 1 wife, a cat and a dog perhaps??? However there remains the small problem of 700 cows, 16 ha's of kiwifruit, 2 Company Boards, GNZ Exec and reading. Currently gliding is the loser...I plan to re-remove myself off the instructing roster, limit my gliding to summer only and probably not return to Omarama for a few years. However retaining ownership of my wee Discus is a given...for now. And weather forecasting is fun and simple and can be done at 6am. I'm under pressure to rejoin the local committee...probably not. But the odd special project would be fun.
Are you still with me?? Probably you and 1 other...
What lies ahead??
Declining membership in gliding is the biggest challenge...we have to find some new ways of doing things...what we do now isn't working.
We need to get youth back into contest flying. We need to get contest flying back on the front page of news media. We'll probably have to pay for this in some shape or form.
I know asking the questions is the easy bit...but we do need the answers...
More later as we have visitors at the door....
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