(glen beckham) wrote in message . com...
It seems to me that the ASA is just a private little racing club for
those with expensive sailplanes.In my opinion the reason many people
drop out of soaring after getting a license, is that there is no place
to fly other then commercial operations which are more expensive and
are focused on other things.It seems the ASA could pattern itself
after the texas soaring assoc. or tucson's soaring club.

Sorry, Glen, but you are absolutely wrong. The ASA is an umbrella
association for soaring activities in Arizona. As such, it supports
private owners, racers, and newcomers to the sport. Your comment about
there being no place to fly is interesting - The ASA has a fully XC
(and racing) equipped Grob 102 based at Turf Soaring (Pleasant Valley
Airport) that goes for $20/hour - or $500 for all the flying you can
cram in in a year. And we encourage XC and racing, so unless someone
is waiting in line, there is no time limit during flights. So, join
the ASA for $35 (the annual (!) membership fee), pay your SSA dues,
and fly glass XC for $20 or less - fly 50 hours at $10/hour. Try that
anywhere else! Sure, we do require a glass checkout in a Grob-103 or
ASK-21, but that should probably part of any new glider pilot's
training anyway, especially if they want to progress in the sport.

No, we are not a "club", we do not have instructors, we don't teach.
We don't even have a 2-seater any more because it was never used.
El-Tiro or the Prescott Club are available if someone wants to go the
club route - even from Phoenix El-Tiro isn't a bad drive. We used to
have 1-26s, 1-34s, and Blaniks, but their utilization was so low they
eventually were sold off. So where were all the new glider pilots
then?

So where are all the newly licenced pilots? I wish I knew - and I've
got some ideas, having to do with the pathetic state of glider
training in the US these days - but THERE IS NO WAY YOU CAN CLAIM THAT
INEXPENSIVE SOARING IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE ASA!

As far as your claim that the ASA is just a private little racing club
for those with expensive sailplanes, the truth is that the ASA
supports racing for all types of gliders - we race handicapped, by the
way - and actively encourages new racing pilots to participate, with
tasks tailored to their ability and glider performance.

But again, over the years (I've been racing with the ASA for the last
7 years, starting in the ASA's 1-34, moving to the Grob 102, and now
in my own LS6) the quantity of participation by new racing pilots has
diminished somewhat, and most of the diehard ASA racers have been
bitten by the bug hard and have moved up to the best they could
afford. We are now seeing some new blood in the contest series, and
we average perhaps 15 to 20 gliders during each contest weekend,
ranging from Jantar Std, ASW-19, and LS-4s to Ventus 2s, LS8s, and
ASW-27s. And we task accordingly, and have parties and BBQ's, etc.

And when we aren't racing, we are going XC, and anyone who wants to
come along is welcome, and we are more than willing to show them the
ropes - as we have demonstrated in the crosscountry seminars the ASA
has conducted in the past. And at the end of the day, the clubhouse
is cool and the beer is cold - for members, guests, and anyone
remotely associated with aviation.

So, Glen, come on out and fly with us - we won't bite, I promise. Get
a signoff in a 2-seat glass (at Turf or Estrella, or anywhere you
want), give us a call, and get checked out in AS, our G-102. Then pay
the annual $500 fee and fly 100 hours at $5/hour. The poor thing is
just sitting there begging to be flown!

Then tell us how you really feel!

Seriously, our next general membership meeting is tonight at 6:30 at
the Deer Valley airport restaurant - if you get this in time please
drop by and talk to us.

Kirk
LS6 "66"
ASA Vice President and Safety Officer
(real nospam address)