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 |
#51
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
On Sun, 23 Nov 2008 00:03:05 GMT, "Jay Honeck"
wrote: Ah, well -- next time I want to get down to Stuttgart, in the area I *think* my family is from. When you do that, drop me a line. I am not too far away from there and perhaps there is a chance to show you that GA is not THAT bad in Germany after all... Tobias |
#52
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
When you do that, drop me a line. I am not too far away from there and
perhaps there is a chance to show you that GA is not THAT bad in Germany after all... Hey, GA is wonderful EVERYWHERE. It's just the damned cost of it that sucks! :-) Thanks for the offer, though. I don't know when we'll get back, but it'll hopefully be in the next two years. (We were hoping to go back next year, but that's looking less likely since the bottom dropped out of our economy. It's not a good time to own a hotel, that's for sure...) One bright note: A few months ago, it cost over $200 to fill the "Mighty Grape's" 55 gallon transfer tank full of mogas. Today, after a flight to Wisconsin, it cost just $98 -- an incredible savings! Fuel now costs less than half of what it did this summer, which SHOULD help to revive GA (and, hopefully, or economy). -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 Ercoupe N94856 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#53
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
"Jay Honeck" wrote in
news:IYnWk.449100$yE1.23220@attbi_s21: When you do that, drop me a line. I am not too far away from there and perhaps there is a chance to show you that GA is not THAT bad in Germany after all... Hey, GA is wonderful EVERYWHERE. It's just the damned cost of it that sucks! :-) Thanks for the offer, though. I don't know when we'll get back, but it'll hopefully be in the next two years. (We were hoping to go back next year, but that's looking less likely since the bottom dropped out of our economy. It's not a good time to own a hotel, that's for sure...) One bright note: A few months ago, it cost over $200 to fill the "Mighty Grape's" 55 gallon transfer tank full of mogas. Today, after a flight to Wisconsin, it cost just $98 -- an incredible savings! Fuel now costs less than half of what it did this summer, which SHOULD help to revive GA (and, hopefully, or economy). Good grief. Bertie |
#54
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
In article , Bob Noel
wrote: I gather that the Germans are a bit more responsible about drinking. Specifically not getting blitzed. Which leads to the question of how to get that across the pond into the American culture... I worked as a coop student in a printing press factory in Germany from November 1977 until June 1978. Upon entering the manufacturing space, I noticed two bottled drink vending machines. The first was a soft drink machine and the second, a beer machine. That was very interesting. My first day on the job, I watched as my coworkers would purchase a beer at the beginning of the shift (6:30 AM). They would return to their work station and place the unopened bottle on nearby. At break time, around 9:30 AM, they would open the bottle, take a couple swigs, replace the cap, and place the bottle back where it was. During the remainder of the morning, they would take a couple more swigs, usually finishing off the 0.5 l bottle around lunch time. The bottle came out of the machine cold. By the time they took the first drink it had warmed up. They preferred to drink it warm. When I inquired why they drank it warm, I was told that cold was bad for the stomach. |
#55
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
On Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:17:41 +0000, Jay Honeck wrote:
If business keeps declining (okay, crashing) at the rate its been going down since September, we'll all be selling apples on street corners by next July... For what it's worth, I read an interesting editorial recently. It pointed out that business climates like this cause established companies to pull back...which leaves opportunities for "risk takers". It further explained that both Oracle and Microsoft had formed during similar times. As a business owner, this may be food for your thought. I know that it is for me. Unfortunately, at least for me, this is translating to less time flying. - Andrew |
#56
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
On Nov 20, 6:53*pm, "Jay Honeck" wrote:
So I've been contacted by half a dozen folks, telling me that my absence was the topic of a rather lively thread here -- so I thought I'd pop in for a peek at my old stomping ground. *How's everyone been? Well Im just fine Jay and thanks for asking. Germany is cool. Its too bad americans cant drink like Germans do. I spend a bit of time over there and between Octoberfest and the Wine Festival in my parents hometown I have seen alot of drinking over there but no drunk and disorderly conduct. If you ever get the chance do some flying in Germany , the scenery is spectacular and the local pilots have always treated me like royalty. Too bad about the slowdown in travel, hope it turns around soon. Mebee you and Bertie just need to sitdown at Oshfest and chug some brew and hammer things out. Its funny that I only come around this list once every 3 months or so and I usually come across one of your posts. Best holiday wishes, F. Baum |
#57
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
Andrew Gideon wrote:
For what it's worth, I read an interesting editorial recently. It pointed out that business climates like this cause established companies to pull back...which leaves opportunities for "risk takers". It further explained that both Oracle and Microsoft had formed during similar times. Not to mention that outsourcing opportunities often increase when larger businesses pull back. Everything I manage in the course of my job at a biggie is actually completed hands-on by contractors. I used to worry about outsourcing. Now, I realize that I've developed a whole new salable skill set of managing outsourced work. |
#58
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
For what it's worth, I read an interesting editorial recently. It
pointed out that business climates like this cause established companies to pull back...which leaves opportunities for "risk takers". It further explained that both Oracle and Microsoft had formed during similar times. Not to mention that outsourcing opportunities often increase when larger businesses pull back. All of these things make perfect sense -- but don't translate well into the hotel biz. Right now we're seeing the perfect storm in our biz. First, personal flying is down to the point of being almost immeasurable. In fact, if our fly-in business went away tomorrow, I'm not sure how we'd even measure the loss -- sad to say. This is the single most disheartening part of the downturn, since we never set out to be innkeepers in the traditional sense. Rather, we created this place to be the ultimate pilot hang-out, and finished it -- apparently just in time to see the demise of personal flying in America. Of course, we can't blame that entirely on this particular downturn, as GA has been declining precipitously since at least 2005, and has dropped 50% or more in the last 12 months. Combine this with businesses cutting back or eliminating their travel budgets since September, and we've lost two important parts of our business. All we're left with is the weekend "getaway with your honey in a hot tub" business, which -- while significant -- is insufficient to support a hotel in the long run. As with all downturns, it's a temporary thing -- everything is cyclical -- but it still sucks, especially since we were having a record year until October hit like a big, wet blanket, making the change appear all the more stark. -- Jay Honeck Iowa City, IA Pathfinder N56993 Ercoupe N94856 www.AlexisParkInn.com "Your Aviation Destination" |
#59
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
"Jay Honeck" wrote:
Right now we're seeing the perfect storm in our biz. First, personal flying is down to the point of being almost immeasurable. In fact, if our fly-in business went away tomorrow, I'm not sure how we'd even measure the loss -- sad to say. This is the single most disheartening part of the downturn, since we never set out to be innkeepers in the traditional sense. Rather, we created this place to be the ultimate pilot hang-out, and finished it -- apparently just in time to see the demise of personal flying in America. Of course, we can't blame that entirely on this particular downturn, as GA has been declining precipitously since at least 2005, and has dropped 50% or more in the last 12 months. Combine this with businesses cutting back or eliminating their travel budgets since September, and we've lost two important parts of our business. All we're left with is the weekend "getaway with your honey in a hot tub" business, which -- while significant -- is insufficient to support a hotel in the long run. This current economic situation has everyone pretty scared. It isn't only "businesses cutting back or eliminating travel budgets" ... FAMILIES are cutting back, not taking time off work for getaways, and eliminating travel budgets ... and rightly so. With all the talk about higher taxes, retirement becoming a thing of the past, jobs being eliminated right and left, and zero social security, people are not taking vacations and are spending weekends with family right there at home visiting local attractions that don't require hotel stays. If it weren't associated with an economic crisis, returning the focus on family/home life isn't a bad thing, though businesses like yours will obviously take a huge hit, sad to say. The other thing is that people who are already retired are going back to work, IF they can find jobs. My own flying frequency is down. It isn't because of the fuel costs (which have now come down considerably), it's because of the instinct to keep nose to the grindstone and work while there IS work vs. opting to go "play". Call it "guilty conscience," but while the passion for it is still there, it's harder and harder to rationalize the expense. Lastly, lots of people have lost a huge part of their nest-egg, if not all of it, so money they'd allotted for extras like flying, vacations, or "weekend getaways with honey in a hot tub" is now not "extra", and the tub in the upstairs bathroom is looking pretty attractive! Scary times. |
#60
|
|||
|
|||
Just checking in...how's everyone been?
On Sun, 30 Nov 2008 08:43:39 -0700, Shirl wrote:
people are not taking vacations and are spending weekends with family right there at home visiting local attractions that don't require hotel stays Well, I'm obviously not in - or anywhere near - the hotel business. But I've this sense that, somehow, there's perhaps some small opportunity here. For example, what if Jay's hotel manages to become a "local attraction". Certainly, he's invested enough money being a unique hotel. What would it take to be an attraction to locals? I vaguely recall that there's a nice simulator setup there; nice enough that it's better than what most people would afford on their own. Perhaps he could expand this and introduce something like "league play" in air combat? I also recall reading here about what might be as sophisticated as a "simulated aviation world" available via the Internet; perhaps access to this with high-end gear has value? Again, I'm no expert so I'm probably nowhere near the mark. But I like the idea of no crisis going unexploited grin. Best of luck to you, Jay. - Andrew |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
O-200 Crankshaft STC for the C85 Continental ---- How's It Going? | jls | Home Built | 3 | September 30th 11 04:09 PM |
This is worth checking out for pilots | MOD | Piloting | 4 | February 16th 07 08:59 PM |
How's the Composites holding up? | Jeff | Home Built | 9 | August 15th 06 11:04 PM |
Checking O-360-A4A Vernatherm | Mike Noel | Owning | 3 | July 22nd 04 05:15 AM |
How's the Flu Hitting You? | Jay Honeck | Piloting | 39 | December 16th 03 03:41 AM |