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What i will say is that virtually every EAA'er has slightly different goals, wishes, and objectives. Talk to 100 people and you'll get 99 opinions.
The one time I've knowingly been in the same room with Tom Poberezny I recall him making a comment to the effect of "You show me two EAA members who agree completely and I'll show you two folks who just started talking to one another a few minutes back".
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Chapters- There should be more emphasis on new chapters and new members, there should be more activity among these chapters to promote homebuilding of ALL TYPES, I hear constantly about people attending meetings and being turned away because they aren't building the same type of airplane as the "core" group, and being talked down to about their choice of aircraft.
Agreed 100%. That was a HUGE problem around here at a couple of chapters when people realized I wasn't interested in the latest designs out of Van's or a Sonex (nothing wrong from an aerodynamic standpoint or performance standpoint, just not my type of airplane and lacking some things I am looking for). You tell them you want to design and scratch build and the looks you get are priceless.
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Some chapters don't even have ANY building to speak of.
There are a couple of those around here too. What is funny is that both of those clubs were the first to offer me just about anything short of a donor kidney when I told them I was doing a scratch build. The ones with active builds kind of shrugged and went back to their kits. It is worth noting that out of all of the membership of the clubs around here I am familiar with, I am the first person doing a 'clean sheet' design and build in as long as anyone can recall.
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8. that caters to all socio-economic levels without noticeable distinctions - e.g. an organization of apparent "inclusion";
Even as one of the "unwashed masses", I've never experienced any difference between the way I was treated 20 or so years ago when I was a kid hanging around the local chapter back home and today. Even with the "chalets" (at least the NBAA one last year, since personal issues at the last minute kept me from attending this year), I was welcomed in, handed free drinks and told to enjoy the air conditioning even though I'm not their target clientele. Hell, the only way I was able to see Fifi while she was moving on the ground was because of that vantage point on the last day because of all of the crowds blocking the view from any other perspective. Yeah, there is some catering to the "rich" side of the hobby but I've never gotten a sense of exclusion. Any rational request I've made has been granted and usually, I've gotten more than I asked for.
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I think what we are seeing is a perpetuating cycle. EAA reduces the exposure and support ( ill get to that ) of homebuilding to the aviation world, thus fewer people get motivated to actually homebuild. With fewer homebuilders, EAA does not see the need to devote a high percentage of its work towards that group, and so reduces the investment and exposure again.......just a downward cycle.
I think the phrase you're looking for is "positive feedback loop", i.e. something that accentuates itself as it goes along. A small change results in an increase in the magnitude of the change in the next "cycle" (A produces more of B which in turn produces even more A and so on). Sorry....don't mean to sound snide. Just thought I might point out the term for what you're describing. Hopefully no offense is taken.
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Maybe there's now enough interest to try again.
There's some talk about it over on Homebuilt Airplanes. http://www.homebuiltairplanes.com/fo...sociation.html