Andreas Maurer wrote:

In all the (European) clubs I know of a winch launch costs between $0
and $5 (less for student pilots, I'd estimate the average is $2.50),
making the flying itself very cheap. Income from winch launching is
certainly not the factor why European clubs own all that nice glass.


Isn't the cost for the launch THE major factor of gliding's total cost
and needs to be kept as low as possible in order to attract new
members (and keep them)?


Well i have just checked the tarifs at Bunno-Bonnevaux, and i can see
that a complete membership (including unlimited number of flying hours)
is about 1700 euros per year. This is of course a very good club,
equipped with fine glass gliders, and which uses paid employees, so
providing a hassle free solution. Also the soaring conditions are
generally good, and the distance to Paris is reasonable. I suppose that
the other large clubs of the Paris region (Beynes, Chartres, etc.) have
similar conditions.
Unfortunately they don't have a winch, hence you must add to that the
cost of aerotows, but this has always been for me a much smaller
expense. Using winches will reduce costs for sure, but this will be a
marginal reduction. I am still convinced that the cost of gliders is
number one factor for the sport problems.





Bye
Andreas

--

Michel TALON