Soaring – August 2019

THE SOARING SOCIETY OF AMERICA, INC.

The Soaring Society of America (SSA) is a nonprofit organization.

The purpose of the Society is to foster and promote all phases

of soaring. The SSA is a division of the National Aeronautic

Association (NAA), the U.S. National Aero Club, which represents

the U.S. in the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the

world sport aviation body comprising all national aero clubs. NAA

has delegated to the SSA the supervision of FAI related soaring

activities, as follows: Record attempts, competitions, FAI badges,

and selection of the United States Team for the World Gliding

Championships. Soaring magazine is the official journal of the SSA.

SSA OFFICERS

Chairman, Ann Lafford

1st Vice Chairman, Geoff Weck

Vice Chairman, Jim Garrison

Treasurer, Richard Maleady

Secretary & Vice Chair, Frank Whiteley

Ad Hoc Member, Ken Sorenson

SOCIETY STAFF

Executive Director, Denise Layton

Member Services, Alexa Owens

Accounting Manager, Kathey Pope

Convention Coordinator, Gaynell Williams

Editor, Soaring magazine, Eric Bick

Advertising/Member Services, Melinda Hughes

Merchandise, Lucy Herrera

SOCIETY SERVICES

Merchandise: [email protected]

Membership: [email protected]

Advertising: [email protected]

Clubs and Chapters: [email protected]

Sailplane Racing: [email protected]

Donations, Promotion: [email protected]

Press Relations: [email protected]

Web site: [email protected]

Or contact the Society by phone: 575-392-

DIVISIONS

1-26 Association

http://www.126association.org

Vintage Sailplane Association

http://www.vintagesailplane.org

Experimental Soaring Association

http://www.esoaring.com

Women Soaring Pilots Association

http://www.womensoaring.org

Auxiliary-powered Sailplane Association

http://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/the-asa

Freedom’s Wings, International

http://www.freedomswings.org

World Class Soaring Association

http://www.wcsa.org

AFFILIATES

National Soaring Museum

http://www.soaringmuseum.org

Collegiate Soaring Association

http://www.coloradosoaring.org/ssa/coll/home.htm

U.S. Southwest Soaring Museum

http://www.swsoaringmuseum.org

League of Silent Flight, Inc.

http://www.silentflight.org

REGIONAL DIRECTOR CONTACTS

[email protected]

(ME, NH, VT, CT, MA, RI, Northern NY, Western PA)

[email protected]

(NJ, Southern NY, Eastern PA, DE, DC, MD, VA, WV )

[email protected] (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, PR, VI)

[email protected] (IN, KY, MI, OH)

[email protected] (IL, IA, MN, Eastern MO, ND, SD, WI)

[email protected] (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA)

[email protected] (AZ, CO, NM, UT, WY )

[email protected] (AR, KS, LA, Western MO, NE, OK, TX)

[email protected] (Northern CA, GU, HI, NV )

[email protected] (Southern CA)

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 3

M

ember retention – is this a problem in your club? So why do
members leave? There are a multitude of reasons like balancing
family life, finances, loss of interest, or lack of progress in flight train-
ing, etc. It’s important to keep track of the reasons within your club
so that you understand what drives people to leave and just possibly
what you can do about it. Some things you cannot affect but others
you possibly can.
Creating a club environment that fosters learning and ways to en-
hance flying skills for pilots is one way to affect retention.
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derful thing. Soaring tends to be more of a social activity verses power
flying where you train, then fly and leave. Soaring always requires
others to make the operation run smoothly.
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students hit that learning plateau we all seem to have at some point
during our primary training.
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Encourage completion of training. Offering weekday or evening fly-
ing lessons can offer more instruction time. Use Condor to accelerate
learning, reduce cost, and enable practice flying skills on rainy days
and when they can’t get to the field.
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flying, and cross-country. Remind them that there is always another
challenge in soaring. Don’t forget the A, B, C badge program.
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training. Invite other clubs to attend.
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flying. Invite other clubs to join in and learn to fly at some other field
than their own. Some clubs hold regattas. Others offer Wave Camps.
Our club hosts a “Soarfest” which is a weeklong event when members
can sign up for specific training and other fun competition events.
These can be advertised on the SSA Racing Calendar under “Fun
Meets, Camps, & Other Flying Events.”
Creating and maintaining a positive club environment is like any
relationship. It’s constantly changing and needs to be nurtured. You
need to give it your attention. Consider holding a planning session
each year to review training progress and solicit input from pilots on
how their flying skills and desires are being met. Discuss event ideas
for the coming year and get volunteers to coordinate these events. I
know each club has its own unique challenges in this area. Retention
means to “keep and hold on” which requires ongoing focus.
Keep your eye on the goal. Don’t get lost in the clouds. Stay 500 ft
below and ahead of your plan.

CHAIRMAN’S THOUGHTS

BY ANN LAFFORD

CHAIRMAN, SSA