Why is Soaring declining

18 minutes? $38? Yep that's a typical short training
flight...

Hmm...Dang. As I think about it, soaring (once one gets
over the airsickness) is a blast. But in my experience,
he's right: LEARNING how to soar is kind of a big
pain in the butt...

Lennie the Lurker wrote:
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Mark Boyd
Avenal, California, USA

Bill Gribble wrote in message ...

Compare that to the $7000 financial cost and clear personal trauma

Change the word trauma to "personal disgust with the human race", and
it might be more accurate.

Approximately 1/3 of that cost was tiedown fees, annual inspection,
and insurance, but still money that I should have put somewhere else.

Instructors, I flew all but four flights with the same perfectly
lovely lady in the back seat. Had everyone else been half as good as
she, I would probably still be flying. Unfortunately, there is an
extremely egocentric and vocal minority to deal with. I chose not to.

The problem in soaring is not attracting new people, the problem is in
keeping them. The work of many can be undone by a few that think
their opinion carries more weight than just being their opinion. IOW,
"there's one in every crowd", but that one is more than enough.
"Sorry if my lack of sophistication has offended your champaigne
tastes. If I take my toys and don't return, will that make you
happy?"

The time to stop the irritating idiot is before he starts grinding on
someone, once he's made even a scratch, nothing anyone says or does
will make any difference. You've lost that one, and it's only a
matter of time.

"John H. Campbell" wrote in message
...
...but isn't it embarrassing how feebly we have tackled the
fourth, the easiest one to address? [Elitism]

Review Wander's "GrowBook",
http://acro.harvard.edu/SOARING/books/growbook.htm . Let's make soaring
friendlier, less private, less mysterious.

I'm a bit confused by this "elitism" sub-thread.

Seven years ago when I first wandered onto the field, I saw the sleek glass
ships grid and I wanted to fly one.

I started training in the 2-33, solo'ed, and struggled to stay aloft for my
alotted hour. I saw the glass owners drive up, assemble and fly off. Only
on my duty days or if I hung around till the end of the day did I see their
high speed returns. I wasn't resentful of them, I was inspired. I wanted
to do that too. They were what we marketing types call 'my aspirant group'.
When I had enough training and experience to ask an intelligent question, I
found that they were very approachable folks and were eager to share what
they knew.

I bought a PW-5 with several partners and learned to stay up and to go
places.

I bought a 303 with a partner and go farther and faster.

Maybe some day I'll have a '28 or a Diana or a Duo to fly with my daughter
when she grows up a bit.

The reason I'm writing this is that the other week I was thinking that to
some extent, I've become one of those guys I aspired to be (humble
disclaimer: I'm well over #400 in the pilots ranking; I'm not a highly
experienced xc pilot or top of the leader board racer). But these days I do
drive up, assemble and fly off. I fly home late in the day. I put my ship
back in her box and drive home. Have I become an elitist? I don't think
so.

It isn't that I've become less friendly, more private and more mysterious.
It is that actual flying takes up more of my time around the club. Like
those who passed wisdom on to me, I'm happy to pass along what I know.

You've just got to catch me early or late.

Brent

'...but still money that I should have put somewhere
else.'

That is what most wives say too. Maybe you would be
happier if you had spent all that money at the mall
on new dresses. But, then, likely not...most of those
dresses would just make you look fat.

Money spent is sunk cost and should never be considered
again in the future.

Shawn Curry wrote in message news:GVSfc.153187$K91.403198@attbi_s02...

I having these qualities is elitism, well that can be used to our
benefit too.

Elitism is thinking wrongly that soaring is the only thing that
requires them. Many other activities require them in far greater
amounts.

Lennie the Lurker wrote:
Shawn Curry wrote in message news:GVSfc.153187$K91.403198@attbi_s02...

If having these qualities is elitism, well that can be used to our
benefit too.


Elitism is thinking wrongly that soaring is the only thing that
requires them. Many other activities require them in far greater
amounts.

Never claimed to think that. Didn't read it here either.
Many activities only require a Visa card. Maybe its not milling a new
u-joint, or receiver for an M1 ;-), but soaring takes more effort than
reaching into your wallet at the mall.

Shawn

Tony Verhulst wrote in message ...

Whatever. It was a poor post.

IT was also addressed to finley, and a bit milder than I could have
been, while not even feeling bad about it.

Soaring has left you bitter and that's unfortunate.

Don't blame the activity, a minority of fatheaded soaring people are
to blame. For two and a half years I put up with and tried to fight
off the snide comments about my plane and where it would lead me, then
decided being in a bad mood all the time wasn't worth it. No sense in
thinking about a good day, when you knew there was a 90% chance that a
fat ego with a big mouth was going to destroy it for you. Better to
have an average day and not go anywhere.

I'm damn proud of the things I do and do well, even more so that if
someone has a real need, and no money, I can do it as a freebie. I
feel far better having the skills and being able to use them to
benefit than I do about having the skill to fly, and knowing that
there is no benefit.

(Mark James Boyd) wrote in message news:408012fd$1@darkstar...
18 minutes? $38? Yep that's a typical short training
flight...

Typical in that respect.

Not so typical in that when I looked down, on downwind and saw the
planes being towed to the hangar that they were stored in for the
winter, I knew that it was my last one. I don't think anyone else had
any indication of my intentions until the first day of ground school
when I took all my books in and told our beloved Pawnee Pat to give
them to anyone that could use them. Abandoned my radio and somewhat
over $100 in block time, don't know what happened to them. Took me
until July or August to decide that the plane was just draining me by
sitting under the tree in the backyard.

Typical short training flight.

Shawn Curry wrote in message ...

but soaring takes more effort than
reaching into your wallet at the mall.

So does playing the Pachelbel Canon in D on a keyboard, but when I'm
done, that cup of coffee is still gonna cost me 69 cents.

Get the guy that has to talk down any particular plane or class of
planes below what he has, to shut his mouth, and the perceptions of
elitism might go away a little, as well as boost retention, neither of
which would be a bad thing. Trying to capitalize on what's very
plainly a false image would be a mistake. "Fun and affordable" might
have better success, but there seems to be a problem with affordable.

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