I want my SSA

588 wrote:
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".

I thought Boeing moved management to Chicago so they could fire workers
in WA and not worry about their houses being blown up.

Shawn

I vote for Las Vegas.


588 wrote:
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

588 wrote:

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

You wouldn't want good soaring weather.
Didn't Boeing move it's management to Chicago to get away from those
pesky people who actually build the aircraft? More or less like
relocating the SSA to Hobbs.
Sarcasm aside (tough for me), the Chicago area is a good idea, and I
live in Tehachapi, California... Where we hold the "Open Cockpit
Regatta" on January 1st.
OK, sarcasm not too far aside.
Chicago O'Hare has:
The Billy Goat Tavern on Concourse C (United T1).
The no-name Greek place on Concourse F (USAir T2).
The Chicago Department of Airports hidden behind McDonalds between E and F in T2, where you can dole out grief about Miegs.
Good connections from anywhere.
But South African Airways doesn't fly into ORD.
Jim

OK, everybody gets a vote - mine is for Denver. Several active clubs,
hundreds of local glider pilots, great soaring year 'round, located near the
geographic center of the USA and with good airline connections.

Bill Daniels

wrote in message
oups.com...
I vote for Las Vegas.


588 wrote:
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

"Lew Hartswick" wrote in message
ink.net...

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...

About a week ago there was a discussion on the Yahoo hp-gliders news group
about having a Schreder sailplane reunion. Marfa was the fist suggestion
followed by Chilhowie. 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.

It definitely isn't Illinois, Indiana or Ohio!

Wayne
HP-14 N990 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/

"Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote in message
...
OK, everybody gets a vote - mine is for Denver. Several active clubs,
hundreds of local glider pilots, great soaring year 'round, located near
the geographic center of the USA and with good airline connections.

Bill Daniels

That is the closest major city with a major soaring presence to the center
of the US.

I live in Idaho and it is still an 850 mile drive.

Wayne
HP-14 N990 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/

The geographic center of the US is in Kansas.
http://ludb.clui.org/ex/i/KS3129/

Wayne
HP-14 N990 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/


"Wayne Paul" wrote in message
...
"Lew Hartswick" wrote in message
ink.net...

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...

About a week ago there was a discussion on the Yahoo hp-gliders news group
about having a Schreder sailplane reunion. Marfa was the fist suggestion
followed by Chilhowie. 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.

It definitely isn't Illinois, Indiana or Ohio!

Wayne
HP-14 N990 "6F"
http://www.soaridaho.com/

Lew Hartswick wrote:
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. :-)

Actually I split my time between Phoenix and St Louis. Having lived on
all three coasts in the past, I have a vague idea of where most stuff
is...

A better way to judge the soaring "center" of the US would be chart of
pilots and/or clubs. Might make a big difference...Sure is a lot of
empty unlandable desert out west.

Anyway, Ohio crept in because of the great time I had at Region 6
(CCSC) recently - an easy drive from StL. Something you can't say
about Hobbs!

Kirk
66

Bill, I agree that moving the organization HQ would be an important
symbolic step as well. We may have to sell the building anyway to cover
our losses.

Boulder CO is a good choice now that Denver is a "Southwest (Airlines)
City" so it has low air fares and good access to most of the
continental US. Another Southwet City is Albuquerque, NM. A smart
strategy would be to play carrot and stick with NM on unpaid taxes, and
keep the organization in-state if significant concessions were
received. Another possible site would be Dallas, TX, if the Wright
Amendment repeal goes through.

Bill Daniels wrote:
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

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
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php3?tip_AttractionNo==7032

2) MEAN CENTER OF POPULATION (1990 Census): in Crawford County,
Missouri http://tinyurl.com/rwpat

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