drifterdriver

I'd like to see it go around the eastern capitals (due to cost) with the option of going elsewhere subject to demand etc. A year ago Rod Birrell actually suggested somewhere around Brisbane for the next AGM then Melbourne and so forth but the idea didn't proceed too far.

 

Nick

 

 

I'd have a talk to your broker (and maybe Steve Bell) and get them to clarify in writing the situation but I would be surprised if they didn't see it as an out.

 

Nick

 

 

So does your insurance cover your damages if you have an engine outage past the TBO time?

Bingo! Particularly in a school.

 

 

Hi Wayne,

 

Did you say "The family that plays together stays together", sounds like an interesting concept. I'll look forward to WRITING the article?

 

Nick

 

 

I wonder if the old addage about one generation works for it, the next builds it and the third squanders it, holds true in aviation? Various versions of this addage are related in business management - particularly family owned ventures.

 

Sue

 

Well it looks like Tristan (on the left) won't be getting the family business after all. Anyone want to buy a flying school in about 20 years time?

 

Nick

 

 

what is more unreliable, a high revving four stroke or a rotax 2stroker?

Depends on who makes the engines. I've had a lot more engine failures with 4 strokes from a certain manufacturer than I have in 2 strokes.

 

 

Hey Don,

 

You didn't put it in the top corner so that it stood out did you? Actually the editor should offer a prize for the most inventive magazine placement that enhances sales.

 

Nick

 

 

Although I love them, as a CFI it is hard to operate a Drifter and make a quid. They have a niche but the general demand just isn't there from students any more resulting in low utilisation, this coupled with a low TBO and insurance costs all adds up.

 

Nick

 

 

Hi Wayne,

 

The "identify yourself" comment was aimed at the person that said that they had 4 generations of members in the organisation. I'm real curious how that came about. I suppose that someone could have joined at the age of 70 in the early days, then the next generation at 50 years of age a bit later, then next one at 30, and the last one down the track a decade or two at 20. So it is possible.

 

Nick

 

 

Hi Wayne,

 

I think the old man did your old man's BFRs to start with and I did the last few. I used to love watching him and his co-pilot (what was the dog's name?) coming into YSFD in the Cub, about the only GA aircraft that was game to do so. Is it true that the dog barked when Terry had to flare?

 

I was thinking that "the family that plays together stays together" might make an interesting article for the magazine and that's why I asked the question above.

 

Nick

 

 

Yeah thought about that and I've seen pretty much all that Fyshwick has to offer and don't want to go any further south at that time of year. Toowoomba has the Carnival of Flowers in September but an ASIC is required. How about Townsville, we could all stay with Steve. Plenty of rooms available if we manage to coincide with some Army exercise.

 

 

Hey Wayne, is that your old man's ex-HK cub? If so she looks great. Well we have one vote for 4 generations already, by the way please feel free to identify yourself.

 

Nick

 

 

Hi Colin,

 

Just a suggestion, how about putting a pic of yourself as an avatar so that the members can see who they may want to vote for?

 

Nick

 

 

Just wondering how many out there have the family trait of flying Recreational Aircraft.

 

Nick

 

 

How about a list of ideas on what articles people want in the magazine?

 

Maybe spice it up with some Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll. Sex could be an article on aircraft nose art (as we have junior members I think its better not to have sex covering anything about the contortionism involved in joining a certain club in an RAA aircraft), drugs could be the adventures of someone who has been tested by CASA (and preferably wasn't nailed) and Rock and Roll could be an interview with a flying muso (James Morrison ??).

 

To answer some comments, Brian Bigg may fly GA at times but has owned an RAA aircraft for many years and thanks for your kind words David, effective representation sounds much better to my ego than apathy.

 

 

Nick

 

 

Good luck.

 

 

Hi All,

 

I don't have time at present for a long-winded all encompassing response to all the comments, so don't pick my words to pieces too much. I'll only cover a few points.

 

The Cover

 

Step 1. Take a copy of your old magazine into your local newsagents and place it beside the new one.

 

Step 2. Take 10 steps back (if you can)

 

Step 3. See which magazine name you can read and which cover catches your attention.

 

Remember, as mentioned by someone earlier this is how we get new members. By the way, even after looking at it for months, I still can't decide if I love or hate the propellor.

 

The Name

 

Step 1. Try to pick a good name that is short and sweet refer above, that nobody has already taken (it's impossible so give up).

 

Step 2. Have a competition and ask the members.

 

Step 3. Short list a couple of dozen names and ask the members to decide.

 

Step 4. Find out that since publishing the list, all the names have been copyrighted and any web address remotely similar has been taken (but can obviously be bought for a price, the members won't like that too much 'though).

 

The Adverts

 

Step 1. Pick any RAAus magazine from the last 12 months and count how many pages of adverts, not including the Members Market there are and no cheating (it'll be in the region of 29 to 30 pages).

 

Step 2. Do the same with the new magazine.

 

Step 3. Ask yourself if you prefer to have an article continued on page x and then again on page y etc, etc. Then you may have the answer as to why there appears to be lots of ads.

 

Step 4. The magazine needs advertising revenue to help subsidise the costs - fact. Ask yourself why there was such a variation in the rates certain advertisers (one in particular comes to mind) have previously paid for a spot in OUR magazine (with these rates inherited by the new publisher). No I will not elaborate.

 

The Articles

 

I agree, not enough due to limited space. Too many cheap ads equals not enough revenue, therefore not enough space for articles. I don't think it will be better next month either, with who knows how many pages of election statements but definately many, many more than last time. Although this is a good thing for the organisation and about time, so I for one am not too annoyed about the upcoming lack of articles. (I'll tell you, it bloody annoying to go to the trouble of writing what I thought was a good election statement and have nobody run against you, if I was running next time maybe I could use the same one).

 

If you can give the new editor another couple of editions to get through the problems I think we'll all end up with a better read and a lower cost than under the previous arrangements. By the same token if you're not happy with something get onto his case. The office has his number but remember to add (02) to the number.

 

That's it for now,

 

Nick

 

PS I did suggest the name "Fly Paper" but it didn't stick. I use it for my FTF newsletter but was more than happy to hand it over.

 

 

Thanks Ian,

 

Hopefully we both shortly save a quid and get a much better magazine. The articles look good for a first edition and the reports are also concise. Its great to finally have a pilot as editor. Although it is a shame that the necessary things to make it happen were not always forthcoming in a timely manner.

 

Nick

 

 

Got a call from the editor early this morning and he was relieved to say that it's finally at the printers and should be in the mail tomorrow. The magazine has been ready to go for quite some time so it may not contain all the answers that have been sought elsewhere on this forum but the editor has been working hard under difficult circumstances.

 

Nick

 

 

May I suggest that if Steve is prepared to give up his time to explain the finances by phone to you on an individual basis then you at least extend him the courtesy of giving up some of yours. That is unless you value your time more highly than his.

 

Nick

 

 

What you suggested makes sense to me Don and it'd save money and staff time. To clarify a previous point, we have had a member from NSW (John Gardon) representing Vic as he did not gain sufficient votes in his own region but had the highest amount of votes out of all the unsuccessful contenders and therefore gained the uncontested Vic position.

 

Nick

 

 

John, you hit it on the head. As we discussed at the time, imbalance one way replaced by another way doesn't help the cause. The fixation on state boundaries is in my opinion the problem. If you look at where the membership resides it would for example, seem a reasonable idea to combine far northern NSW with SQ.

 

Nick

 

 

The proposal was actually Sth Qld 2 and Vic 3. This would have made the SQ ratio around 1200 members per BM.

 

 

The board can always benefit from diverse skills.

 

Nick

 

 

No arguements about the domain name etc. On the upside, our new magazine editor, Brian Bigg will be at Natfly gathering material for the next edition, which will be his first. He has been a member for many years, is keen to hear what the members want and will certainly raise the standard. He's a redhead so he shouldn't be too hard to spot. If you run into him be sure to ask about "Big Brother".

 

Nick