Hello:
This year I had 46 glider flights. Two of them were winch launches. My glider pilot skills increased and I had fun. No complaints. My annual dues plus tow fees and some instructor costs possibly make me a gold level financial contributor to the club. My other choice this year was to purchase a plane and fly around by myself but that would be very expensive. I have no problem with a one time $400 special assessment (does that bring me to a Platinum level contributor?).
I do have empathy for those that an extra $400 may cause them to rethink their hobby. Not everyone is lucky enough to have stable employment or investments that did well this year. Sometimes things are out of personal control. This year was a damaging year to many due to COVID 19 shutting down jobs. Is there a way to reduce the costs to those that may have a hardship? I saw that Don found a loophole for Tim to utilize to keep his costs lower. Are there any other ideas out there to help those that could use it?
We have a pretty good club. We do need tow plane with a good engine as that is an important part of a glider club. We also have an excellent winch that was underutilized this season. Perhaps we can have scheduled days where our assets are used to their full potential and therefore bring in more club revenue. If instructors are available that can get credits then their share of belonging to the club is reduced. We can find ways to make this work. This should not be a glider club for millionaires only. Thanks for bringing up this topic.
Regards,
Rich