I want my SSA

I don't think there is any future in joining or affilliating with either the
AOPA or the EAA. Now these are fine organizations to which I have belonged
but the culture is very different from the soaring community and I am sure
there would be issues that would not favor us. Associate yes, but remain
distinct.

Here's are three suggestions I think should be considered to revitalize the
SSA organization.

1. Convert Soaring Magazine to a webzine to save about $300,000 a year.
This would make the articles searchable thus creating a knowledge/culture
base for all of us. Make the webzine open to all.

2. Relocate the headquarters to a city easilly reachable by a significant
part of the membership. i.e. good airline connections with at least three
active local clubs. This would mean that at any moment a rank and file
member could walk in off the street creating a mindset in the paid staff
that, "It would be harder to get away with something." It would also mean
that a large number of vollunteers would be available if needed.

Hobbs is a fine community but it is very isolated from the membership at
large. I remember when the SSA headquarters was located in Santa Monica,
California with a dozen or more local clubs from which help was available.
It was, in my humble opinion, a much better organization then.

3. Create a study group of vollunteers to evaluate other national soaring
clubs like the BGA and DAeC to see if there are features of these
organizations that should be incorporated into a revitalized SSA.

We need an SSA for the 21st Century.

Bill Daniels

Let's all join the BGA - they seem to be thriving (relatively, of
course) and have a way better magazine and website.

Maybe we could qualify as long lost colonials....

They could teach us how to win at the WGC (something we apparently have
lost the knack for).

And they in turn could hold the UK nats at Uvalde. Or better yet, Ely!

It would be like Spain, with bigger cars and about the same proportion
of Spanish and English speakers. Well, probably fewer English speakers
in Ely than in Spain...

66

Seriously, good points.

I would think the Illinois/Indiana/Ohio area would be ideal - midway
between the coasts, lots (!) of club activity, OK summer soaring
weather, relatively close to lots of contest venues, and to Oshkosh...

But Hobbs? WTF?

Kirk
66

Good ideas.

Mike Schumann

"Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote in message
. ..
I don't think there is any future in joining or affilliating with either
the AOPA or the EAA. Now these are fine organizations to which I have
belonged but the culture is very different from the soaring community and I
am sure there would be issues that would not favor us. Associate yes, but
remain distinct.

Here's are three suggestions I think should be considered to revitalize
the SSA organization.

1. Convert Soaring Magazine to a webzine to save about $300,000 a year.
This would make the articles searchable thus creating a knowledge/culture
base for all of us. Make the webzine open to all.

2. Relocate the headquarters to a city easilly reachable by a significant
part of the membership. i.e. good airline connections with at least three
active local clubs. This would mean that at any moment a rank and file
member could walk in off the street creating a mindset in the paid staff
that, "It would be harder to get away with something." It would also mean
that a large number of vollunteers would be available if needed.

Hobbs is a fine community but it is very isolated from the membership at
large. I remember when the SSA headquarters was located in Santa Monica,
California with a dozen or more local clubs from which help was available.
It was, in my humble opinion, a much better organization then.

3. Create a study group of vollunteers to evaluate other national soaring
clubs like the BGA and DAeC to see if there are features of these
organizations that should be incorporated into a revitalized SSA.

We need an SSA for the 21st Century.

Bill Daniels

kirk.stant wrote:
Seriously, good points.

I would think the Illinois/Indiana/Ohio area would be ideal - midway
between the coasts, lots (!) of club activity, OK summer soaring
weather, relatively close to lots of contest venues, and to Oshkosh...

But Hobbs? WTF?


Indeed. Put it in St Louis -- fills all the squares.


Jack

Earlier, Bill Daniels wrote:

...2. Relocate the headquarters to a city easilly reachable by a significant
part of the membership. i.e. good airline connections with at least three
active local clubs. This would mean that at any moment a rank and file
member could walk in off the street creating a mindset in the paid staff
that, "It would be harder to get away with something." It would also mean
that a large number of vollunteers would be available if needed.

Good thinking.

I say, get a cheap steel building at Tehachapi CA. The Experimetnal
Soaring Association and the Vintage Sailplane Association both conduct
annual meets there, they have an active glider FBO and many private
owners, and the site has a strong heritage in sailplane development and
innovation. It's just close enough to LA and Bakersfield and the CA
central valley pilots, and it's one good XC flight away for the Minden
guys.

After the move we can flip the Hobbs HQ on eBay to pay the IRS. Let the
National Association of Correctional Facility Systems Installers have
it, and its computer network.

Bob K.

Bob Kuykendall wrote:

I say, get a cheap steel building at Tehachapi CA.

We don't need one more thing in this world to be in California.

Somewhere near Chicago would make very good sense. If it's good enough
for Boeing it ought to be good enough for the new "Soaring Association
of America".


Jack

Earlier, 588 wrote:

Somewhere near Chicago would make very good sense...

It depends on how near. I think that hell will freeze over and PW-5s
will win an Open Nats before I endorse an SSA move to the city that
gave us the Meigs Field debacle.

Bob K.

Bob Kuykendall wrote:

Somewhere near Chicago would make very good sense...

It depends on how near. I think that hell will freeze over and PW-5s
will win an Open Nats before I endorse an SSA move to the city that
gave us the Meigs Field debacle.

No, no, no -- not IN Chicago. That _would_ be disgusting.

There is plenty of opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the city when
you choose to do so without being subject to its antediluvian politics.

Every resource that could benefit a soaring organization is here in
the surrounding communities, but without the distractions presented by
good soaring weather.

Win/Win!


Jack

kirk.stant wrote:
Seriously, good points.

I would think the Illinois/Indiana/Ohio area would be ideal - midway
between the coasts,
But Hobbs? WTF?

Kirk
66

It's quite "typical" of someone on the east coast to make a statement
like Ohio being "midway between the coasts". :-)
I'm only half way back to the east coast when I'm in mid Missouri
and I'm starting in New Mexico. :-)
...lew...