If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
Closer, shorter, and then I'll be interested. That's one reason you start with local regionals... or just fun flying encampments (which are easier to reschedule if mother nature has other ideas). I support the current trend towards 6 and 7 day regional contests and I'm okay with 10 day Nats. No way in hell do I want to fly *less* for the same drive time and travel cost. Evan Ludeman / T8 |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
On Jun 15, 9:01*pm, Evan Ludeman wrote:
Closer, shorter, and then I'll be interested. That's one reason you start with local regionals... or just fun flying encampments (which are easier to reschedule if mother nature has other ideas). I support the current trend towards 6 and 7 day regional contests and I'm okay with 10 day Nats. *No way in hell do I want to fly *less* for the same drive time and travel cost. Evan Ludeman / T8 I second that. Short contest means a lot of hassle and possibly no flying at all. |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
Maybe in the east Nationals need to be 10 days long to accomodate the greater likelihood of rain days. In the west, 7 days would be plenty by my accounting. Shorter contests would help me make the choice to attend.
Shouldn't the rules provide flexibility so the duration can be sensibly chosen by locale? Something like: 7 days in the West, 8 days for Hobbs and Uvalde, 10 days in the East. |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
I suggest having an EAST/WEST alternating nationals each year.
Sports/Club 15M/Standard 18M/Open PW5/1-26 For Example, with National Contests: In 2013 host the Sports Class at Chilhowee and the Club Class at Parawon In 2014 host the Club Class at Chilhowee and Sports Class at Parawon In 2013 host the Standard at Mifflin and the 15M in Uvalde In 2014 host the 15M at Mifflin and the Standard in Uvalde If you flip flop these 8 classes to have 4 nationals each year on the west side of the country and the other 4 nationals on the east side, this should even things out. If you divide the USA into two halves, then centrally locate the nationals in each half, then driving time should be no more than one day. |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
Some other suggestions I have are these:
1. Eliminate the $200 sanctioning fee with the SSA to help promote clubs to host contests (especially the small or first time contests). This will bring down costs to promote races. 2. Put a max on meal prices of $10. $17 per person is too high. For a family of 4, that's $68 each night! 3. Since Sports class and Club class typically consist of younger pilots with kids in school, host these nationals (maybe regionals too) when school is out for the summer. 4. Consider a "contest stimulus package" from the SSA to clubs who host their very first contest. Give $500 from the SSA to the club ONLY if they yield less than 10 competitors. Now that the SSA is back on their feet financially, time for a give back. 5. Update the list of nation wide towpilots who are willing to act as a tow in a contest. This list is outdated. 6. Form a list of volunteer CD's and CM's who love the sport and donate a weeks worth of time to help host a contest. 7. Develop a guide to understanding the rules, just the basics, maybe a page or two. Too many people get bogged down trying to read the massive rulebook. The rulebook is mundane and hard to read. 8. Eliminate the fixed contest entry fee and just have the variable contest fee. If you pay $430 and the contest gets rained out...that's alot of cash blown. With the variable entry fee you would only be out $200. 9. Explore the possibility of having an remote/online scorer. Running Winscore is tricky if your not familiar with it. Scorers can be hard to come by for a contest, especially a new contest, if there's permission to email your flight logs to a remote scorer each evening and have them email the score sheet right back, this might help enable a contest or give birth to a new contest 10. Get in line with the rest of the world, BRING BACK HIGH SPEED LOW PASS FINISHES!!! |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
There's some logic to that, granted.
On Jun 15, 9:01*pm, Evan Ludeman wrote: Closer, shorter, and then I'll be interested. That's one reason you start with local regionals... or just fun flying encampments (which are easier to reschedule if mother nature has other ideas). I support the current trend towards 6 and 7 day regional contests and I'm okay with 10 day Nats. *No way in hell do I want to fly *less* for the same drive time and travel cost. Evan Ludeman / T8 |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
Having managed four consecutive contests at Cordele, two Nationals,
and 4 Regionals (the nationals had concurrent Regionals), I like some of your ideas, but others show evidence of unfamiliarity with the subject. Especially the financial aspects. We spent a great deal of time before and during the contests trying very hard to break even. Cordele has no ongoing soaring operation, so all towpilots must be imported, as must the towplanes. Thus ferry fuel and housing are an expense. No tow operation will give up their Pawnee for a week and two weekends without a guaranteed income--tow or no tow. Are you aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, per tow? As to meals, well, for $10 what can you get? Do you import volunteers to cook burgers? Every day? On the ground you need a CD, CM, Dir Ops. These people must be fully familiar with glider contest operations. You might be able to get WX and Scorer remotely, but on site is much better. So--food and housing for these. You must have a competent Retrieve Office. They need an office, phone lines, internet I could go on and on, but my fingers are tired, and you get the idea. We filtered a lot of money, and worked hard for very little profit. If we got paid $1.00 per hour we would be way ahead! Go talk at length to someone who has done this a few times. On Jun 16, 1:43*am, wrote: Some other suggestions I have are these: 1. *Eliminate the $200 sanctioning fee with the SSA to help promote clubs to host contests (especially the small or first time contests). *This will bring down costs to promote races. 2. *Put a max on meal prices of $10. *$17 per person is too high. *For a family of 4, that's $68 each night! 3. *Since Sports class and Club class typically consist of younger pilots with kids in school, host these nationals (maybe regionals too) when school is out for the summer. 4. *Consider a "contest stimulus package" from the SSA to clubs who host their very first contest. *Give $500 from the SSA to the club ONLY if they yield less than 10 competitors. *Now that the SSA is back on their feet financially, time for a give back. 5. *Update the list of nation wide towpilots who are willing to act as a tow in a contest. *This list is outdated. 6. *Form a list of volunteer CD's and CM's who love the sport and donate a weeks worth of time to help host a contest. 7. *Develop a guide to understanding the rules, just the basics, maybe a page or two. *Too many people get bogged down trying to read the massive rulebook. *The rulebook is mundane and hard to read. 8. *Eliminate the fixed contest entry fee and just have the variable contest fee. *If you pay $430 and the contest gets rained out...that's alot of cash blown. *With the variable entry fee you would only be out $200. 9. *Explore the possibility of having an remote/online scorer. *Running Winscore is tricky if your not familiar with it. *Scorers can be hard to come by for a contest, especially a new contest, if there's permission to email your flight logs to a remote scorer each evening and have them email the score sheet right back, this might help enable a contest or give birth to a new contest 10. *Get in line with the rest of the world, BRING BACK HIGH SPEED LOW PASS FINISHES!!! |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
On Jun 16, 9:25*pm, Hartley Falbaum wrote:
Having managed four consecutive contests at Cordele, two Nationals, and 4 Regionals (the nationals had concurrent Regionals), I like some of your ideas, but others show evidence of unfamiliarity with the subject. Especially the financial aspects. We spent a great deal of time before and during the contests trying very hard to break even. Cordele has no ongoing soaring operation, so all towpilots must be imported, as must the towplanes. Thus ferry fuel and housing are an expense. No tow operation will give up their Pawnee for a week and two weekends without a guaranteed income--tow or no tow. Are you aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, per tow? Hartley, having created and co-managed a small first time contest with 19 pilots that profited over $5,000 in one week, I do in fact understand the process very well. Sounds like Cordele is in a location that ends up being a costly event. Glad it has somebody like you to iron out the wrinkles. GTA races continue on and on without any cost other than tows. Does that surprise you? Yet everyone has a blast, and they have been going on now for over a decade. Contests should be the money maker event of the year, not a loss and not a break even. Creativity and a penny pinching mindset is key. Yes I am fully aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, and fully aware that the contest tow rate of $52 is much higher than most soaring clubs in the USA. As to meals, well, for $10 what can you get? Do you import volunteers to cook burgers? Every day? Think outside the box. What do you spend on a normal meal? Be realistic. Try this approach: get a head count at the pilot meeting for total number of people that will attend the dinner. Send someone in to town to pick up a pre-ordered carry out catering meal. Don't go to Texas De Brazil, go to a Mom and Pops inexpensive restaurant. I did this at a pilot safety meeting I hosted and it cost $5.25 per person for a total of 40 people ($210 total). We had BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, toast, french fries and a drink from the local BBQ restaurant. Charging $10 ($400 total revenue) and it's a $190 profit. With a meal purchase of a large quantity that all 40 meals are the same order, there is typically a discount from the normal price. Other nights you can do a potluck dinner. For my family of 4, we could bring a a homecooked tray from the RV of something for a cost of $15-20 perhaps....much less than $68. And just like GTA events do occasionally is reserve a room at a nearby restaurant. Remeber this from the Sunship Game? Then each person can order food that they have options to pick from. Burger, fries, & a tall glass of ice water typically cost no more than $10. Call up the local Golden Corral or Mexican joint, ask them what night has the least amount of business. Then work out a deal to reserve a section for your group. People like me on a budget will order something waaay less than $17 per person. On the ground you need a CD, CM, Dir Ops. These people must be fully familiar with glider contest operations. You might be able to get WX and Scorer remotely, but on site is much better. So--food and housing for these. I agree for a nationals. For a regional, you can get by with much less. It's been said many times before, that having a weatherman is for pure entertainment. Your going to launch the sniffer anyway, then go from there. Now that everyone has XCSkies and Dr Jacks Blipmap via their iPhone, we all know what the weather forecast is. And even if the forecast is no good, were going to attempt to get in a contest day anyway! Dir Ops? Do you really truly need one? You must have a competent Retrieve Office. They need an office, phone lines, internet While this is very charming and super cool to have this. The smartphone is an office, phone line & internet. This is in everyones pocket. You really can do without it thanks to SPOT tracking. This sport has kind of outgrown this as a need. Now it's a luxury. Now every pilot has a GPS, cell phone and SPOT tracker connected to Facebook. The SPOT tracker lets the social media website Facebook know where you landed and if you need help. Also, with GlidePath, my flight is uploaded to the OLC and posted to facebook before I even climb out of the cockpit (takes about 5 seconds). Just about every car has a GPS too, so it's easy to text message your Lat & Long for a seamless transition from the gliderport to your off field landing site. While there isn't a need to develop turnpoint photographs all night long to verify correctly rounding each turnpoint, there isn't much need for a retrieve office anymore either. Technology is freeing up the retrieve office personell. I could go on and on, but my fingers are tired, and you get the idea. We filtered a lot of money, and worked hard for very little profit. If we got paid $1.00 per hour we would be way ahead! Hartley, sorry you didn't make that much money, you deserve waaay more. Your contest prevailed $18,685 in entry fees and probably more revenue considering T-shirts, RV hookup fees, meals, extra tows, aero- retrieves, etc. It's sad to hear that with all that revenue your contest barely broke even. But glad that your able to make it happen. Go talk at length to someone who has done this a few times. Why don't you talk to me to find out how our contest was so profitable? Come on over and I'll grill you a steak on the gianormous stainless steel grill that was bought and given to me as a thank you gift for all of my hardwork to run the contest. I joined the SSA in 1996 and have attended 2 nationals, and a half dozen regionals varying as a pilot, crew and once co-manager. Charlie & Micky Minner were gracious enough to bring me under their wing and teach me to have a mindset of penny pinching. The GTA racing community has this mindset and all they charge is for tows, yet they keep on having races! Keep in mind, this is a volunteer sport and needs to be encouraged to stay that way. When I'm called upon to volunteer a weeks time to help operate a race, I will be happy to do so. |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
Good effort Scott!!
At 06:37 17 June 2012, Scott Alexander wrote: On Jun 16, 9:25=A0pm, Hartley Falbaum wrote: Having managed four consecutive contests at Cordele, two Nationals, and 4 Regionals (the nationals had concurrent Regionals), I like some of your ideas, but others show evidence of unfamiliarity with the subject. Especially the financial aspects. We spent a great deal of time before and during the contests trying very hard to break even. Cordele has no ongoing soaring operation, so all towpilots must be imported, as must the towplanes. Thus ferry fuel and housing are an expense. No tow operation will give up their Pawnee for a week and two weekends without a guaranteed income--tow or no tow. Are you aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, per tow? Hartley, having created and co-managed a small first time contest with 19 pilots that profited over $5,000 in one week, I do in fact understand the process very well. Sounds like Cordele is in a location that ends up being a costly event. Glad it has somebody like you to iron out the wrinkles. GTA races continue on and on without any cost other than tows. Does that surprise you? Yet everyone has a blast, and they have been going on now for over a decade. Contests should be the money maker event of the year, not a loss and not a break even. Creativity and a penny pinching mindset is key. Yes I am fully aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, and fully aware that the contest tow rate of $52 is much higher than most soaring clubs in the USA. As to meals, well, for $10 what can you get? Do you import volunteers to cook burgers? Every day? Think outside the box. What do you spend on a normal meal? Be realistic. Try this approach: get a head count at the pilot meeting for total number of people that will attend the dinner. Send someone in to town to pick up a pre-ordered carry out catering meal. Don't go to Texas De Brazil, go to a Mom and Pops inexpensive restaurant. I did this at a pilot safety meeting I hosted and it cost $5.25 per person for a total of 40 people ($210 total). We had BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, toast, french fries and a drink from the local BBQ restaurant. Charging $10 ($400 total revenue) and it's a $190 profit. With a meal purchase of a large quantity that all 40 meals are the same order, there is typically a discount from the normal price. Other nights you can do a potluck dinner. For my family of 4, we could bring a a homecooked tray from the RV of something for a cost of $15-20 perhaps....much less than $68. And just like GTA events do occasionally is reserve a room at a nearby restaurant. Remeber this from the Sunship Game? Then each person can order food that they have options to pick from. Burger, fries, & a tall glass of ice water typically cost no more than $10. Call up the local Golden Corral or Mexican joint, ask them what night has the least amount of business. Then work out a deal to reserve a section for your group. People like me on a budget will order something waaay less than $17 per person. On the ground you need a CD, CM, Dir Ops. These people must be fully familiar with glider contest operations. You might be able to get WX and Scorer remotely, but on site is much better. So--food and housing for these. I agree for a nationals. For a regional, you can get by with much less. It's been said many times before, that having a weatherman is for pure entertainment. Your going to launch the sniffer anyway, then go from there. Now that everyone has XCSkies and Dr Jacks Blipmap via their iPhone, we all know what the weather forecast is. And even if the forecast is no good, were going to attempt to get in a contest day anyway! Dir Ops? Do you really truly need one? You must have a competent Retrieve Office. They need an office, phone lines, internet While this is very charming and super cool to have this. The smartphone is an office, phone line & internet. This is in everyones pocket. You really can do without it thanks to SPOT tracking. This sport has kind of outgrown this as a need. Now it's a luxury. Now every pilot has a GPS, cell phone and SPOT tracker connected to Facebook. The SPOT tracker lets the social media website Facebook know where you landed and if you need help. Also, with GlidePath, my flight is uploaded to the OLC and posted to facebook before I even climb out of the cockpit (takes about 5 seconds). Just about every car has a GPS too, so it's easy to text message your Lat & Long for a seamless transition from the gliderport to your off field landing site. While there isn't a need to develop turnpoint photographs all night long to verify correctly rounding each turnpoint, there isn't much need for a retrieve office anymore either. Technology is freeing up the retrieve office personell. I could go on and on, but my fingers are tired, and you get the idea. We filtered a lot of money, and worked hard for very little profit. If we got paid $1.00 per hour we would be way ahead! Hartley, sorry you didn't make that much money, you deserve waaay more. Your contest prevailed $18,685 in entry fees and probably more revenue considering T-shirts, RV hookup fees, meals, extra tows, aero- retrieves, etc. It's sad to hear that with all that revenue your contest barely broke even. But glad that your able to make it happen. Go talk at length to someone who has done this a few times. Why don't you talk to me to find out how our contest was so profitable? Come on over and I'll grill you a steak on the gianormous stainless steel grill that was bought and given to me as a thank you gift for all of my hardwork to run the contest. I joined the SSA in 1996 and have attended 2 nationals, and a half dozen regionals varying as a pilot, crew and once co-manager. Charlie & Micky Minner were gracious enough to bring me under their wing and teach me to have a mindset of penny pinching. The GTA racing community has this mindset and all they charge is for tows, yet they keep on having races! Keep in mind, this is a volunteer sport and needs to be encouraged to stay that way. When I'm called upon to volunteer a weeks time to help operate a race, I will be happy to do so. |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Participation
Scott;
$5000 profit from 19 pilots? That is $263 per contestant profit! Sounds like we could benefit from a private conversation. Comparing the Cherry Valley contest with Cordele (and many others) may be like comparing hunting rabbits with hunting tigers. I have flown many GTAs since 1995, so I am very familiar with the format. Let's talk---send me an email and I'll send my phone # back to you. On Jun 17, 2:37*am, Scott Alexander wrote: On Jun 16, 9:25*pm, Hartley Falbaum wrote: Having managed four consecutive contests at Cordele, two Nationals, and 4 Regionals (the nationals had concurrent Regionals), I like some of your ideas, but others show evidence of unfamiliarity with the subject. Especially the financial aspects. We spent a great deal of time before and during the contests trying very hard to break even. Cordele has no ongoing soaring operation, so all towpilots must be imported, as must the towplanes. Thus ferry fuel and housing are an expense. No tow operation will give up their Pawnee for a week and two weekends without a guaranteed income--tow or no tow. Are you aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, per tow? Hartley, having created and co-managed a small first time contest with 19 pilots that profited over $5,000 in one week, I do in fact understand the process very well. *Sounds like Cordele is in a location that ends up being a costly event. *Glad it has somebody like you to iron out the wrinkles. *GTA races continue on and on without any cost other than tows. *Does that surprise you? *Yet everyone has a blast, and they have been going on now for over a decade. *Contests should be the money maker event of the year, not a loss and not a break even. *Creativity and a penny pinching mindset is key. *Yes I am fully aware of the cost of operating a Pawnee, and fully aware that the contest tow rate of $52 is much higher than most soaring clubs in the USA. As to meals, well, for $10 what can you get? Do you import volunteers to cook burgers? Every day? Think outside the box. *What do you spend on a normal meal? *Be realistic. *Try this approach: get a head count at the pilot meeting for total number of people that will attend the dinner. *Send someone in to town to pick up a pre-ordered carry out catering meal. *Don't go to Texas De Brazil, go to a Mom and Pops inexpensive restaurant. *I did this at a pilot safety meeting I hosted and it cost $5.25 per person for a total of 40 people ($210 total). *We had BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, toast, french fries and a drink from the local BBQ restaurant. *Charging $10 ($400 total revenue) and it's a $190 profit. *With a meal purchase of a large quantity that all 40 meals are the same order, there is typically a discount from the normal price. Other nights you can do a potluck dinner. *For my family of 4, we could bring a a homecooked tray from the RV of something for a cost of $15-20 perhaps....much less than $68. And just like GTA events do occasionally is reserve a room at a nearby restaurant. *Remeber this from the Sunship Game? *Then each person can order food that they have options to pick from. *Burger, fries, & a tall glass of ice water typically cost no more than $10. *Call up the local Golden Corral or Mexican joint, ask them what night has the least amount of business. *Then work out a deal to reserve a section for your group. *People like me on a budget will order something waaay less than $17 per person. On the ground you need a CD, CM, Dir Ops. These people must be fully familiar with glider contest operations. You might be able to get WX and Scorer remotely, but on site is much better. So--food and housing for these. I agree for a nationals. *For a regional, you can get by with much less. *It's been said many times before, that having a weatherman is for pure entertainment. *Your going to launch the sniffer anyway, then go from there. *Now that everyone has XCSkies and Dr Jacks Blipmap via their iPhone, we all know what the weather forecast is. *And even if the forecast is no good, were going to attempt to get in a contest day anyway! *Dir Ops? *Do you really truly need one? You must have a competent Retrieve Office. They need an office, phone lines, internet While this is very charming and super cool to have this. *The smartphone is an office, phone line & internet. *This is in everyones pocket. *You really can do without it thanks to SPOT tracking. *This sport has kind of outgrown this as a need. *Now it's a luxury. *Now every pilot has a GPS, cell phone and SPOT tracker connected to Facebook. *The SPOT tracker lets the social media website Facebook know where you landed and if you need help. *Also, with GlidePath, my flight is uploaded to the OLC and posted to facebook before I even climb out of the cockpit (takes about 5 seconds). *Just about every car has a GPS too, so it's easy to text message your Lat & Long for a seamless transition from the gliderport to your off field landing site. *While there isn't a need to develop turnpoint photographs all night long to verify correctly rounding each turnpoint, there isn't much need for a retrieve office anymore either. *Technology is freeing up the retrieve office personell. I could go on and on, but my fingers are tired, and you get the idea. We filtered a lot of money, and worked hard for very little profit. If we got paid $1.00 per hour we would be way ahead! Hartley, sorry you didn't make that much money, you deserve waaay more. Your contest prevailed $18,685 in entry fees and probably more revenue considering T-shirts, RV hookup fees, meals, extra tows, aero- retrieves, etc. *It's sad to hear that with all that revenue your contest barely broke even. *But glad that your able to make it happen. Go talk at length to someone who has done this a few times. Why don't you talk to me to find out how our contest was so profitable? *Come on over and I'll grill you a steak on the gianormous stainless steel grill that was bought and given to me as a thank you gift for all of my hardwork to run the contest. *I joined the SSA in 1996 and have attended 2 nationals, and a half dozen regionals varying as a pilot, crew and once co-manager. *Charlie & Micky Minner were gracious enough to bring me under their wing and teach me to have a mindset of penny pinching. *The GTA racing community has this mindset and all they charge is for tows, yet they keep on having races! Keep in mind, this is a volunteer sport and needs to be encouraged to stay that way. *When I'm called upon to volunteer a weeks time to help operate a race, I will be happy to do so. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
2008 SRA Poll participation | Frank[_1_] | Soaring | 2 | January 2nd 09 12:37 AM |
US Club Class Participation | [email protected] | Soaring | 20 | October 30th 08 04:45 AM |
Participation in contest | Sam Giltner[_1_] | Soaring | 0 | October 4th 08 02:52 AM |
Soaring and Critical Mass of Participation. | plasticguy | Soaring | 30 | February 8th 05 10:47 PM |
Motorglider participation in USA contests | Eric Greenwell | Soaring | 0 | October 11th 03 02:17 AM |