Why is Soaring declining

As we all know, the decline has been
happening during several administrations,
your inference that it is related to anything political just shows the lunacy
of your original post.

RHWOODY wrote:
As we all know, the decline has been
happening during several administrations,
your inference that it is related to anything political just shows the lunacy
of your original post.

Um, I thought I agreed with you. Go figure.

Shawn

Yeah - right - just like it "rebounded
during Clinton's administration"

actually, it did, at least as far as the youth particpation goes:

YEAR SSA Youth members* Fraction of SSA membership**
1993 362 2.6%
1994 364 2.7%
1995 365 2.8%
1996 377 3.0%
1997 482 3.8%
1998 542 4.2%
1999 550 4.3%
2000 660 5.2%

*formerly called "Student" members. Age 22 and under, does not include
Family member youth.
** (Youth members)/(Life + Full + Family + Youth members)

John H. Campbell
SSA Youth Committee

(Jim Buckridge) wrote:

Why is soaring declining? That's an easy one. Because of Bush.

It was a joke, folks.

I agree with much of what you say Lennie but the reality
is that the eogotists and the competion pilots are
just as important to the sport as the people who fly
the club hack. I know it is different over here in
the UK where we have very few commercial clubs but
everyone has a contibution to make. Without the egotists
with more money than brains and the competition pilots
trying to keep up with the Jones's (UK joke) the second
hand glider market would die, how else, apart from
their cast offs would I be able to buy a glider which
won four world championships.
It is the balance that maybe wrong and if people feel
disillusioned with something they will stop doing it,
how to stop them getting that way is the rub. I don't
have an answer for that but knocking any particular
faction within soaring won't do do anything to make
the disillusioned any happier. I do know that the more
new gliders bought by those that can afford it will
mean more gliders for those of us who cannot afford
the latest kit.

At 07:36 18 April 2004, Lennie The Lurker wrote:
'Ian Johnston' wrote in message news:...
On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 16:55:45 UTC,
(Lennie
the Lurker) wrote:

: What part of 'This is as much as I'm willing to
spend' do you
: have a problem understanding? 'You will soon get
tired of it and want
: something better.'

Martin seems to be talking about buying a second hand
glass glider and
keeping it for ten years, so I don't think he can
be accused of the
snobbery which undeniably exists...

And I wasn't addressing Martin, sorry if it sounded
like it, but taken
as a general dialogue with others as it had happened.
More like a
sarcastic statement that I wish I had more than just
thought. I doubt
that any at the local field saw it coming, I don't
show anything
bothering me until I explode, then I destroy everything
in sight. And
I know, (Sorry, Judy) that there were many times that
I belonged in my
truck headed for home, not in the cockpit behind the
Pawnee.
Needless to say, on those days I did not fly well.

The number of new people is probably controlled by
outside forces, but
retaining them is controlled from within. there is
no 'magic bullet'
that will cure it, it's going to take a lot of bullets
from individual
effort.

Don Johnstone wrote in message ...
I agree with much of what you say Lennie but the reality
is that the eogotists and the competion pilots are
just as important to the sport as the people who fly
the club hack.

Don, it took several people nearly three months before I decided to
even take an introductory ride, and that was more to see if I was
going to have problems with my sinus, something I've had as long as I
can remember. It took one of the mouths that couldn't shut exactly
three weeks to give me an indication that the remarks and derision of
the plane, and where it would take me, would never stop. A lot of
good people did what they could to counteract the poison tongues, but
once that first scratch is made in the enthusiasm, it's only a matter
of time before it crumbles. The big ego doesn't see him or herself as
they are, and it seems to them, or so I imagine, that they're only
offering "sage advice". "Sage advice" would have been for them to
keep their mouths shut.

As far as the gliders go, I had my 1-26 and was happy with it, I was
even happy with it after I had flown it.

It makes no difference really, three people worked very hard to get me
to try it, two more joined them in trying to counteract the badmouth,
only to meet with failure because of a small number of people with fat
heads and huge egos. The end result, Egotist, one, soaring, zero.
Not the total cause, but enough that I decided the expense I was
paying wasn't worth it. I can stay at home and be ignored, which sure
beats going to the field and being irritated.

One of the "Michaels", don't remember which, once declared me as a
"total loss". Guess he was right, but I'm still the one that came out
on top.

On 18 Apr 2004 23:11:00 -0700, (Lennie the
Lurker) wrote:

As far as the gliders go, I had my 1-26 and was happy with it, I was
even happy with it after I had flown it.

Dammit, Lennie, you keep putting reasons in front of me to visit the
States again - I really must fly a 1-26 to see why so many pilots like
them.


--
martin@ : Martin Gregorie
gregorie : Harlow, UK
demon :
co : Zappa fan & glider pilot
uk :

Martin Gregorie wrote in message . ..
On 18 Apr 2004 23:11:00 -0700, (Lennie the
Lurker) wrote:

As far as the gliders go, I had my 1-26 and was happy with it, I was
even happy with it after I had flown it.

Dammit, Lennie, you keep putting reasons in front of me to visit the
States again - I really must fly a 1-26 to see why so many pilots like
them.


That's funny, Martin picked up on the positive note! AND..he will
spend some pounds in the US to fly our beloved 1-26! BTW, There is a
good chance that most altitude Diamonds were flown in that type of
ship. 30 Years ago droves of people from all over the world, picked up
their diamonds in the Mine at Black Forrest Gliderport in Colorado
Springs.

Guess there is a reason Lennie calls himself the Lurker. He initially
meant to
just DO that. If he would just keep away from that keyboard unless he
had some positive thoughts? I learned something about Steel!

Lets all be very positive and the sport will SOAR.

(soarski) wrote in message . com...

Guess there is a reason Lennie calls himself the Lurker. He initially
meant to
just DO that.

Ummmm, Lennie the Lurker was created specifically for good old
fashioned flame fests on alt.aviation.safety. With one thing or
another, such as the increase in spam everytime I used my real email
addy, it didn't take long before letting the spam go to the lycos box,
or at that time the Deja box, began to make sense. Since then one ISP
went belly up, another lost their news server, and my present one
never had or offered one, so Google is what's left. Makes sense to
use the Lycos addy, one click and the whole page of headers is marked
for deleting. One more and they're gone. My real email addy is my
real name, but there are five other people in this state with the same
first and last names, and if I have to change it, I won't be able to
use the other abbreviations. IT's also set up with a "reverse
killfile", if your name isn't in the book, "Delete from server."

Lennie the Lurker
President and Public Relations Officer
Whack-A-Loon, Ink.
Makers and Purveyors of Fine Quality Loon Mallets

Martin Gregorie wrote in message . ..
On 18 Apr 2004 23:11:00 -0700, (Lennie the
Lurker) wrote:

As far as the gliders go, I had my 1-26 and was happy with it, I was
even happy with it after I had flown it.

Dammit, Lennie, you keep putting reasons in front of me to visit the
States again - I really must fly a 1-26 to see why so many pilots like
them.

Think it appeals to those that like to keep things simple. It's a
simple plane, rigging it takes two people maybe 20 minutes, the second
time, and, mine anyhow, the cockpit was pretty uncluttered. Rudder
inputs are more like what one would expect from a powered plane,
pressures instead of movements, but other than being more responsive
than the 2-33 was, it flew about the same.

Then there's the possibility that some of them just like thumbing
their noses at the glassholes and cranking out some pretty darn
impressive flights. Not a world beater or record setter, but for
puttering in the "house thermal" just a fun little plane.