How would YOU design an international soaring center?

Something for the family to do when you are out and soaring:
- Playroom for the kids
- Outdoor play area
- Pool
- Mini Golf
- Etc

If if is a true international soaring center do you need:
- Availability for maintenance and small repairs.
- Area for long term parking of trailers
- Briefing room (daily held by pilots with local experience

Facilities for living, cooking cleaning are mentioned, but you all missed the Barbecue. Soaring is nice! Food, bear and stories about soaring in the evening are almost equally important!

Area for international shipping containers.

One or two versatile open trailers allowing gliders from abroad to ship
without their trailers.

4 - 6 glider in a container may afford the organization some additional
rental kit as owners shipping from aboard my wish to cover some expense by
renting their gliders for part of the season.

Responsible person take charge of and to oversee the use of privately
owned rental glider.

I hope this is successful. Well done.

Facilities for a commercial food establishment (commercial kitchen in addition to a kitchen area for pilots), with easy access to inside and outside seating. Some of the most pleasant sites I've visited have full-time commercial eateries serving food and of course cool refreshing beverages, with the eateries frequented by glider bums and families even on non-flying days.

I think all Comforts and hard assets really nice - but - I believe the most critical thing you can do for a new center is to spend the huge amount of time required to develop a business model that make it self sustainable.

You can have all the great stuff put in, but to be here in 50 years and to be maintained to the level I am sure you would want it kept, requires money/man power/................

Getting that part correct is not as easy as it sounds. I came from an Olympic Sport that had centers and all kinds of cool ideas and potential (some time I dislike that word.. potential lol). Many times they can never find the right funding/programs/people business model to make them survive and fourish.

There are some place like Harris Hill which sure seem to have done much right - but every venue has demands that are unique.

It is a win win for all Soaring pilots if you get it right Can't wait to fly there! I am sure it will be excellent!

WH1