Interestingly,
I find myself firmly in your camp only in that I am a recreational
pilot- I own a 1971 Open Cirrus with a really horrible handicap. I do
some sports class racing but really only as an opportunity to learn
more about XC, which it has been instrumental at.
It is fine you have no interest in what for now I call the bread
and butter- badges, contests, etc- but why berate those with an
interest in it? Soaring Magazine, while modest, is our only venue to
read about what is possible in our sport. Honestly, could you read a
magazine devoted to 3 hour local flights? The badges and records, while
obviously a measure against your peers, are also really a baseline for
you to set your own goals. Mine is an out and return 500k. That is how
I want to do my diamond distance. In fact, I was delighted to read
about some of my local peers adventure in Marfa several months ago. A
recreational trip, one I happened to do with them the following year.
(Go to Marfa, it rocks)
But really, you only demean my point which was really to say that
SSA does stuff for us that AOPA and EAA can't. Can you at least admit
that those B & B items are important functions for a large part of our
membership? And if not for that bread and butter, what exactly does the
SSA do for you and if nothing, why are you a member?
Lighten up. The reason we don't have modest performance new gliders
at a medium price is because building a plane is expensive, no matter
what, so not much is being built at all. There is lots of decent glass
out there to be had at a reasonable price, but it is old glass. It is
the glass that was once at the leading edge- We all benefit from the
quick advances in technology and the need by many to stay current.
Keep an eye on what our peers are doing at the leading edge of
our sport- it is inspirational and keeps people motivated. It is great
that people are competing at the top levels of our sport. And guess
what, to compete in anything at the top levels is expensive. Try to get
into road racing, or Formula one? If you think about it, that is really
what our national competitions are about- racing best against the best,
and you are are exactly right it is expensive. Being the best usually
is- in money, time, etc. Some have it, some don't. Oh well. I have my
Cirrus.
Likely in no other sport can recreational pilots get as close to
the "elite" as in our soaring community. Some of the US team are local
to our area, and they have been nothing but an inspiration. If there
is a divide, it is fabricated, and intolerance like yours is part of
the problem. I more often see it from the bitter bottom looking up,
than the top looking down.

Joe in Georgia
Open Cirrus #105


5-BG wrote:
Joe in Georgia wrote "I doubt pursuits like
Badge / Record Claims, Sporting code changes, sailplane handicaps,
conventions, or contest management would be of any interest to them,
and that is our bread and butter."

That MAY BE BREAD AND BUTTER to the contest pilot set, but it is of absolutly no interest to a significant number of recreational pilots who soar just to be flying and who have no interest whatsoever in contests,badges etc. A great deal of SSA resources are spent each month on a glossy magazine which is devoted in large part ( altho I do acknowledge the recent attempts to broaden its scope) to contests and to the "elite " of the sport. I wonder just how many of the 16,000 members actually care about the contest circuit.

It is my opinion that the focus on contests as a measure of whether or not someone is having fun has not only lef to a split in the ranks of the SSA, but has also had a very bad impact on the business of building gliders suitable for the general flying population. I saw this same thing 30 years ago in ocean sailboat racing. The concept of daysailing, cruising and just having a good time was replaced by an emphasis on competition. From the individual yatch club level to the world cup. Boats got much faster AND way more expensive. They became more fragile and were outdated after a couple of seasons.
I believe that the glorification of competition is OK and that it satisfies the ego needs of a significant portion of the pilots who own sailplanes. HOWEVER to say that it is the bread and butter of the SSA is just plain wrong.

we wonder why kids are not coming into a sport that takes a $100,000 hot rod to be competitive. The attitude that if you don't have the latest glass ship that dominated the nationals last month you are somhow a lesser pilot is fostered by this bread and butter attitude. What ever happened to just jumping in a sailplane and losing oneself in the sky for several hours of solitude? Whatever happened to the concept of just trying to improve or develop skills just for personal satisfaction? These concepts are the bread and butter of soaring.
Not only have the finances of SSA been mismanaged, but i believe that the society has become irrevelant to a significant portion of its recreational for fun pilots.
5bg


wrote in message ups.com...
Well,
We have to consider really what SSA does for us- everyone mentions
the big stuff like plane insurance and lobbying, and the clout of AOPA
or EAA would be good there. I just think that these organizations
already have their own inertia to deal with. I doubt pursuits like
Badge / Record Claims, Sporting code changes, sailplane handicaps,
conventions, or contest management would be of any interest to them,
and that is our bread and butter.
I have been thru some corporate mergers and the sum is rarely as
effective as the parts were beforehand. Technically, it seems marrying
these groups would create something better- unfortunately, we are
dealing with folks that can't even get our books straight. Could we
trust them to keep SSA's identity and unique needs seperate and
healthy? I doubt it.
We already have an organization that does this other stuff fairly
well. We need to change the organization to make it more accountable
and less incestuous. Smaller can be better, it just has to be done
right. There is enough in SSA to save, and we don't have to do it all
tomorrow.

Just curious- How long have our dues been 55 clams? Might be time for
Mo' Money anyway. For some reason we expect to get out of a money jam
without raising taxes. Sometimes ya gotta do it.

Joe in Georgia USA
CN Open Cirrus #105