Is this your chapter?

[cub builder]

I sure see a lot of "I want my chapter to be this way", or "I don't want it to be this way". Well guys and girls, all you have to do is step up into the chapter leadership and you will suddenly have a lot of say in how your chapter operates. I'll pick on Steve in Indy as an example here. You say one chapter is nearly dead, so no further comment is necessary. The other chapter you apparently don't like the political slant of some of the members. Then you go on to say that both objected to you designing your own plane. Well, step up to the plate and become a leader in either of those chapters. You can guide where the chapter goes and you can have a huge say in the focus of the chapter and how the chapter operates. Rather than starting a new chapter, how about re-invigorating an existing chapter. I don't know of any chapter that isn't in need of new blood in the leadership positions and willing to accept new leadership. Rather than fragmenting into more cliquish chapters, help re-invigorate the existing chapters and help the leadership fix what is wrong. Often times they either don't realize there is a problem, or don't know how to deal with it.

I have seen many chapters and EAA Tech Counselors that have become what I refer to as "RV Snobs". I don't say that to put down the RV builders out there. They are a fine airplane and I am only citing this as an example. Some chapters have so many RV builders, that anyone building something else becomes an outsider. I have seen that in my own chapter and put an immediate stop to it. It takes a small amount of effort on the part of the chapter leadership to put a stop to that kind of nonsense. All it takes is a word from the chapter leader, which could be you, to fix the issues.

6 years ago I took on the leadership of what was essentially a dead chapter and made a commitment to have an interesting tech program or speaker every month and that we would start having regular chapter events outside of our meetings. I created a meeting structure that includes a social time for the membership to enjoy refreshments and get caught up on all the latest with each other, a business meeting, and a presentation/tech talk. While our chapter isn't big, it is alive, active, and thriving. I plan to retire from the chapter leadership at the end of this year, but our chapter membership is up 400% from where we were just 5 years ago. It takes a little effort, but rather than complaining about how your chapter operates, you can make your chapter work for you and you have the opportunity to fix the things that bother you about it.

-CubBuilder