A club without students ! What a good idea ! ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Rundle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, 4 July 2002 1:04 PM Subject: Re: Pay it forward (was Re: [aus-soaring] Rec License)
> John, > > > So as the burden of club > > obligations interferes with my enjoyment of a sport I love, I find I am > > casting about looking for alternatives to Gliding Club operations to enjoy > > the thrill of flying. > > You've put your finger on what I see as a problem (challange?) facing > gliding > clubs. After a while, running ropes and driving winches just becomes > like hard > labour. Especially when much of that labour is being given to students > of whom > a large proportion will not continue on in the sport. As clubs generally > try > to keep fees as low as possible to encourage new blood, the end result > of all > this activity is little or no financial benefit to the club, little or > no new > blood and a burnt out longer term membership. Clubs need to identify those > individuals that are in if for the long term and eliminate the "got the > t-shirt" > brigade. > > How? Buggered if I know, but here are some ideas. And for those critics > in the > wings, please remember that I'm not suggesting that all clubs should > adopt these > ideas, but that some clubs might be able to make a go of it, where they are > currently failing. Also, whilst my rantings on this list might lead many to > believe that I'm "anti-club" that is not in fact true. Clubs need to exist > because (most) individuals simply can't afford to run their own > airfield, and to > a lesser extent, their own aircraft. However, the politics that > invariably comes > with the club scene becomes destructive, and in todays recreational market, > where individual freedom rates highly, clubs are a major problem for > aviation > and gliding in particular because it relies on clubs the most. > > . Initial training in motor gliders allows the student to get lots of > circuits > and aerial work without the need for anyone else on the field (except the > instructor of course). The instructor can also focus on the student, and > flight > bookings are practical so that todays time harried recreator can > realistically > fit in some flying without being charged with family neglect. Downsides, > cost, > motor gliders are either new and expensive or old and rare. Possibility > of the > motor glider as the club tug on Sundays might help. Alternatively some > training > could be conducted in Ulight's, same benefits as a motorglider but > possibly less > expensive capital purchase. A common licencing system would help in this > regard. > Student might be put off by the engine bit, after all they wanted to > take up > gliding, but then others who enjoy all types of flying could see it as a > bonus. > The hourly rate might seem higher, but two half hour flights with > aero-tows, > 2 x $25 + $45/hr = $95. In the motor glider you'd get a whole lot more > circuits > in your hour and end up paying around the same amount with no pushing of > gliders > running of ropes, obligation to stay and help the next student. > > . Clubs have non-student days. Means that all the students turn up on > their day > and thus they run ropes etc for the other students when not flying, > rather than > one or two students turning up each flying day. Those that enjoy > teaching have > their time in the sun on those days leaving the solo pilots to have > their day > as well. Again, a licence/rating that allowed for operation without L2 > instructor > would make it a lot easier for a club to do this. > > . Clubs that don't train at all. At the moment, the GFA system means > each and > every club is required to have a training operation. The end result is > that only > the larger clubs have good training resources, the smaller clubs are > stretched > to provide the necessary equipment and personel, and it's central place > in the > club operation is off putting to qualified pilots. If clubs (and I'm > thinking > smaller clubs in particular) could operate without a training system, > and send > their students to other clubs/schools to be trained, then they might be > able to > focus on providing quality gliding hours to solo pilots, whilst the > training > club/schools might be more economically viable because of the increase in > students (as a result of the student population not being stretched > across 90 > clubs in Aus). Also the increased viability of the schools means that > pilots > that belong to non-training clubs have somewhere to go to get checks done. > A single check flight might be pricing event for these pilots but it's a > once > a year. Again requires a licencing system that allows a club to exist > *without* > an instructors panel. > > rgds > > Pete > > > > > > > > > > > -- > * You are subscribed to the aus-soaring mailing list. > * To Unsubscribe: send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > * with "unsubscribe aus-soaring" in the body of the message > * or with "help" in the body of the message for more information. > > -- * You are subscribed to the aus-soaring mailing list. * To Unsubscribe: send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] * with "unsubscribe aus-soaring" in the body of the message * or with "help" in the body of the message for more information.
