I want my SSA

Another excellent idea. You don't even need a computer if you use a web
hosting company. My corporate web site costs me less than $50 / month.

Mike Schumann

wrote in message
oups.com...
My vote is for Elmira. Put SSA in a broom closet at the NSM. Once an
organization owns a building then they tend start hiring employees to
fill it. All SSA needs in a location is a computer and a file cabinet.
Let the manufacturers/dealers put on the convention. Merchandise can
be drop shipped from the supplier or perhaps the soaring vendors could
handle it. As I understand it the magazine isn't published on site.
All we need from the SSA is: Group insurance; FAI racing compliance and
badges; and lobbying. And I reckon that if we didn't have a building
and a bunch of employees we might be able to afford a proper lobbying
firm if it was ever needed(let's hope it is never needed at that
level).
Another internet opinion-worth what you paid for it.
Nyal Williams wrote:
Read No. 3 again, your geography is woefully lacking!


At 13:30 09 September 2006, 588 wrote:
Wayne Paul wrote:

So where is the center of the US? I use to live
in
Omaha, Nebraska and know that Omaha is closer to Washington,
DC then it is
to Boise Idaho. So my guess is that it is somewhere
in western Nebraska or
eastern Colorado.

1) GEOGRAPHIC CENTER, Contiguous 48 States: near Lebanon
KS


2) MEAN CENTER OF POPULATION (1990 Census): in Crawford
County,
Missouri

3) MEDIAN CENTER OF POPULATION: (38 deg 57' 55' N,
86 deg, 31' 53'
W), in Marshall township, Lawrence County, Indiana,
about 14 miles
south of Bloomington, Kansas.

4) Center of soaring: ? -- the SSA may have info from
which that could
be derived, but Kansas City is about half way between
#1 and #2 above.


Jack




















City is about half way between
the 48-State
Geographic center and the Mean Center of Population,
so it can't be
far off.



Jack

Minden! Minden! Oh, Pick Minden!!!


While not the population center or geographic center, it could be argued
that it is the "soaring center". And if it's not, it should be!

SSA would also be most welcome here, as would anyone who wants to visit.

Minden is less than an hour drive south of Reno (international airport), and
with good highway access too. Plus soaring pilots will have one more excuse
to visit and soar here!

all the best,

bumper

The future home of Der Amerikanische Segelfliegergruppe or whatever
you want to call it should be close to where soaring is, preferably
year round.
Denver is as close to the middle of the country as you can get with a
decent sized active-year-round flying community and airline choices. A
similar organization to ours, the United States Hang Gliding
Association, relocated their offices to Colorado Springs. They could be
consulted as to how their choice of location has worked out.
I like the closet at Harris Hill idea. And the E-Magazine. This
brought up...
In this age of wireless connectivity, why not put the office in a
trailer. Park it at Harris Hill or the USHGA parking lot. Then it could
be towed to contests, conventions, flying camps, instructor clinics,
etc. Hire the excellent services of Charlies Spratt and Minner to put
the office where we are, flying.
So the staff would be a band of gypsies. What are the rest of us,
bouncing from contest to contest in RVs with trailers behind? I'll be
living in an RV for the next two weeks, working at 10 places throughout
Scandinavia. Keeps things interesting.
Jim

bumper wrote:
Minden! Minden! Oh, Pick Minden!!!



Minden. Phoenix. Tehachapi. Prudhoe Bay. McMurdo Station.
ANYWHERE BUT CHICAGO!

Don't let anyone ever reward Chicago with anything aviation related,
after that fiasco with that goomba daley and Meigs Field.

Being located in Hobbs, NM is a major contributor to the general
inefficiencies of SSA let alone the serious mistakes. I would suggest
the previous posts might be missing the point. It's irrelevant that
SSA HQ be located in a good soaring location; and it's slightly less
relevant that it's in a central location. What is vitally important
is that it is located in an area where it can draw on professional
association talent. That means the general Washington, DC area or
surrounding locals. Washington is the center of the universe for
associations. Having 30 highly qualified applicants for each position,
plus easy availability to critical association resources, would put SSA
miles ahead. A move into the concentrated heart of the association
world would be the best thing the members could ever demand.

Bob

I'd say throw the D.C./MD/Northern VA region into the mix too. It's not
the soaring capitol of the USA, but it is the association capitol of
the world, lots of association-experienced staff are available, and if
you want a lobbying presence on the hill to help protect us from the
bureaucrats, well then...

Bob

Nyal Williams wrote:

Read No. 3 again, your geography is woefully lacking!

----------

How true, that my cut-and-paste geography was hasty -- and thanks for
the reminder.

Here's the URL for those who like their government info straight from
the horse's mouth:

http://tinyurl.com/rwpat

And thanks for not wasting any of your own precious time to add a
corrective cite to support your accusation. This way you managed to
waste all the other NG readers' time as well. But I'll take
responsibility for that, too, and add it to my penance. Mea Culpa.


Jack

If Alaska and Hawaii are considered the geographic center is probably
just off the west coast.





Any thoughts on working with the Canada Soaring association SAC! If
it was not for our friends in Canada we would not have a region 8
contest.

We would have a much larger membership base to work common issues with.


Jeff Banks

Alaska

Seems to me that when it was moved to Hobbs, the other competing choice
was Dallas. Several clubs around, 3 good airports, hundreds of soaring
pilots, etc. There's plenty of soaring talent as well as administrative
talent in the area. Real estate prices are pretty good compared to lots
of other places I've been. No retoric here, I think the D/FW area is
the place to put it... and I live only 95 miles from Hobbs...

The truth is it's actually fine in Hobbs and would me much less
expensive to keep it there... let's get it out of the ditch and get the
tire changed. It'll be back on the road in no time.

Jack Womack
PIK-20B N77MA (TE)
Jeffrey Banks wrote:
If Alaska and Hawaii are considered the geographic center is probably
just off the west coast.





Any thoughts on working with the Canada Soaring association SAC! If
it was not for our friends in Canada we would not have a region 8
contest.

We would have a much larger membership base to work common issues with.


Jeff Banks

Alaska

The truth is it's actually fine in Hobbs and would me much less
expensive to keep it there... let's get it out of the ditch and get the
tire changed. It'll be back on the road in no time.

This is not my original idea - a former director mentioned the basics to
me. Why have a physical building? Out source membership, computer
services, and merchandise, The 3 (max) paid employees can work from home
and teleconference. That broom closet at the NSM sounds about right.

Tony V