Tow Pilots and CFIG Wanted at Sandhill Soaring Club (Michigan)

On Tuesday, July 14, 2020 at 9:51:46 PM UTC-4, Charles Longley wrote:
There is no reason your club can’t stay a 501 (c) 3 and still have the CFI’s be paid. I am associated with two clubs in the PNW. One insists that there will be no remuneration for the CFI’s. The other says the students shall pay the CFI’s a set hourly rate. Which club do you think has no issues having multiple CFI’s available each weekend and which club is lucky to have one? Which club do you think puts out more rated pilots? How many prospective students have left the club that doesn’t have available CFI’s?

Charlie

Our club like so many has been faced with the same scenario, shall CFIG's be paid. I will only speak for myself, when I started the club this issue came up at our first meeting. Seemed that only one or two were insistent on being financially rewarded for their so called professional services. Our club BOD at the time consisted of our CFIG and he along with the remaining members said that no payment for CFIG's. We only lost one or two prospective members that felt that they could not be part of the club without being compensated.
What about the tow pilots, if you compensate the CFIG, then what does the tow pilot get? Our very first year one tow pilot did over one thousand tows and never asked for a penny.
We have a CFIG that drives from Ocala to Vero for the purpose of helping our club, when he gives power instruction at his own airport or flight reviews he ask the recipient to make a donation to TCSC, now can you get any better than that?
So, I guess the whole point is club vs commercial operation, I too learned to fly gliders at a commercial operation, afterwards moved over to Thermal Research and learned how to soar. Commercial operations do a lot to keep soaring viable, my hat is off to all of these operations. They can deal with personalities much differently than a club. They put their money on the line for their business, much to be said for that. People sometimes forget and lose perspective as to what a club is all about, giving back. I hope when I decide to walk away I can say that I made a difference. Bob