Is this your chapter?

[Jim Heffelfinger]

I frequently have had excellent perspective chapter members mention to me, when approached for chapter affiliation, that they don't want to hang around angry old men spouting right wing politics... or words to that effect. It is very sad that one or two personalities in a chapter has painted the whole of EAA. But there has to be a bit of truth in there somewhere.
Is this your chapter and what are you doing about it?

[CarlOrton]

Hi, Jim; I think it's part of the "normal" cycle. We had quite a few, but they're advancing in age and not attending much anymore. Right now, we have the youngest chapter makeup I've known in my entire (gasp) 6 years with the chapter. Lots of 40 YO, plus some in their 20's. There is hope;

[cub builder]

We have a pretty interesting mix in our chapter. Our chapter includes Los Alamos, NM (home of the Manhatten project and Los Alamos National Lab), and Santa Fe, NM (Home of many anti-nuke groups and a liberal bastion). The members of our chapter love aviation and airplanes. While I occasionally hear a political barb in either direction, for the most part, we are tolerant of each others beliefs and leave the politics for another time and place. As the chapter president, I won't allow political rants in the meetings. It's just not the right place for it. As diverse of a group as we have, politics has never been a problem as we work towards common goals in aviation. Wish the same could be said for our political leaders.

-CubBuilder

[Frank Giger]

I guess we're a bit too Southern for the rudeness of political discourse in public beyond a bumper sticker.

We tend to have a few too many digression moments when going around the room before the official program for the meeting....but often they turn out to be more informative than the class (especially if I'm presenting). Though sometimes I go glassy-eyed at the tech speak.

We're an older chapter - I'm pushing 50 and am one of the young ones - but that's okay, too, as I get to sponge off of a whole lot of experience and know-how.

[Jim Heffelfinger]

Carl - Sounds like your chapter has turned a VERY important corner for keeping the chapter alive. I pass on this advice - don't stop recruitment efforts. To not back fill with younger members will lead to the state of many - collapsing very slowly.

[cub builder]

Wow. This thread is incredibly revealing about the folks that haunt these blogs. Lots of complaining about chapters or chapter members. Some bickering over just the hint of politics. With the exception of the two Jims, no positive comments about the EAA or EAA chapters. Hopefully I'm wrong here, but I perceive a complete unwillingness to step up and attempt to address any of the issues listed.

-CubBuilder

[Mike Switzer]

Wow. This thread is incredibly revealing about the folks that haunt these blogs. Lots of complaining about chapters or chapter members. Some bickering over just the hint of politics. With the exception of the two Jims, no positive comments about the EAA or EAA chapters.

Hey now - I believe I made a positive comment about the chapter in Bloomington. If I didn't live over an hour away I would join that chapter. Actually, I know of people that live farther away than I do that are members of that chapter - but my truck gets 15 mpg max & diesel is well over $4/gallon around here. Plus, being self employed I tend to work at least 12 hours per day.

[steveinindy]

Wow. This thread is incredibly revealing about the folks that haunt these blogs. Lots of complaining about chapters or chapter members. Some bickering over just the hint of politics. With the exception of the two Jims, no positive comments about the EAA or EAA chapters. Hopefully I'm wrong here, but I perceive a complete unwillingness to step up and attempt to address any of the issues listed.

-CubBuilder

If you look back over my posts, you will find that I have plenty of good things to say about the EAA and I have been a contributor to The Experimenter. My issue is mostly with the local chapters which I long ago recognized as immovable objects and I wish to attempt to address the issues in a way that is likely to yield results. Trying to dislodge entrenched troublemakers is next to impossible so I am being positive and trying to find a beneficial way to help the local homebuilding community.

[1600vw]

Wow. This thread is incredibly revealing about the folks that haunt these blogs. Lots of complaining about chapters or chapter members. Some bickering over just the hint of politics. With the exception of the two Jims, no positive comments about the EAA or EAA chapters. Hopefully I'm wrong here, but I perceive a complete unwillingness to step up and attempt to address any of the issues listed.

-CubBuilder

Just because we bring up issues that are holding back these clubs does not make us " negative " as you state. So with your way of thinking if you see a problem and bring it up you are " Negative"

My Dad told me....You do not need to know all the answers, just know where to find the answers....

I have tried and tried to find the answers I seek for the problems I am having with my airplane. Without support I am done. I have tried and tried with no luck to solve this problem.

You want to talk negative, go to some of these clubs we mention here and mention you want to change the way they do things...You will hear nothing but negative this and negative that. They will give you a 100 reasons why they do what they do and it will all be negative about aviation. When I heard this after joining a club after buying my first airplane, I thought to myself, why are these guys even doing this if non fly for fear of flying...Everyone had a story as to why they do not fly...and fear was the common word or thought.

One man whom is way over weight today, I asked why not loose some weight and fly again. He then tells me about a flight where he put her in the corn field after about 7 tries trying to land in a crosswind. You could see it when he was talking about this he was scared of flying. Every member of this club had a similar story.

In my mind I thought..This is a training problem for these folks and I am not letting this be me or my story.

So I have been plugging along and trying to deal with this. The man whom can build anything and work on anything really does not need the club. Its folks like me whom never build but want to fly a homebuilt whom need the help, and then man whom builds kinda looks down his nose at us whom do not have that knowledge to build. All you have to do is follow some of my posts on not only this forum but others and you will see this.

So do not call me negative for bringing up problems I see but call me proactive in trying to change things. But I gave up on this and am about ready to give up on aviation all together, sell my airplane and move on.

The president of this club told me..Quote..You see and hear enough about people dieing doing this and you will not want to fly either.

[Bill Berson]

Yeh, I was reading FLYING yesterday and half the issue was about death in aviation. Why would anyone want to get involved?
If you can't find a fun EAA chapter, go to the local RC model club.
When our grumpy EAA chapter shut down, most of the active members moved to the RC club, where all things aviation are discussed, and RC crashing is expected and part of the fun.