Finally......Just joined the PRA!!!

[KDOG]

Been meaning to do that for a while!!! I also sent my info to the yahoo address mentioned in the PRA discussion thread... So, what do I do now? ;)

[Dean_Dolph]

Kevin, glad to see you join the family, as MJ would say! It may be a small step for you and the PRA but it is a step.

I'm not sure what you are talking about when you mention the Yahoo address but I do know that if the rest of the non PRA people here, and those that show up as visitors but never register, would join then it would be more steps in the direction of PRA growth and revitalization.

[KDOG]

Glad to help out. Now I just got to get to some events and maybe bum some free stick time!!! ;)

[Rotornut]

Way to Go KDOG.. Welcome to the Family. If you can make it down to Florida in April 2005 we will get you some stick time. But if you can make ROC in Oct I am sure there will be someone who will let you ride.

Do you have a PRA Chapter in your Area? Clubs are Fun, you get to swap stories once a month, visit with all, and have lunch or breakfast together. Sometimes a member has a new Gizmo for his Gyro, or needs some answers.

WELCOME TO PRA :) MJ :)

ps/Hi Dean, hope all is well with you and yours. :)

[Brent_Brown]

I will not be renewing my PRA membership this year. Why? I do not get the mag anymore. I have emailed, called, sent a letter and my dues are paid up until APR. 05 still no mag. I have every issue all the why back to the mid 80s. I am not happy at all. My last mag was May 2004 what mare can I do but stop sending my money and get nothing back. If anyone is having this trouble too or is it just me?

[automan1223]

Brent, I think there is a pra rotor mag conspiracy, I just got my issue in the mail about 7 days after ron got his.....

Jonathan

[Rando]

I am still waiting for my issue to arrive. :mad:

[GyroRon]

Brent I would call the office, not email or send letters... but to be fair you ain't missing much. The magazine is not that good IMHO. I don't bitch about it, cause I haven't helped to make it better, but I can say you haven't miss much.

Jonathan, your out in BFE or the Boonies, or call it what you will. I am in the outskirts of a major city, so my mail get's here very quick. But perhaps they send the magazine to the PILOTS first then send out the rest to the non pilots! lol

[Rotornut]

Brent Hold On! Help is on the way.

Hey Tom Milton, Tim Blackwell, Tim O'Connor anyone, can we Help find out what the problem is with Brents mail.

GEEZ, to loose a member over this is well stinks! Brent send me your address and I will mail you my Mag, to keep you up to date, till this S--t gets right.

MJ :(

[Brent_Brown]

Ron, if you read my post, I said I did call and they know I am not getting the mags. They confermed my address, I was told to just wait they will get here and that was over a month ago. by this time I was hoping to see the back issuse I missed June_ July, Aug now Sep. And I know the mag is getting bad but I really only renew for the mag. I don't see anything else they PRA offers. So if thay can take my money and forget me I will do the same. It is just the way I am. The weather is getting better I'm going gyro flying.

[GyroRon]

I am going flying too. Sorry they have put you on the back burner. This may be my last year as a member as well.

[Dean_Dolph]

Brent, I too, am sorry that you are having problems getting your magazine. But I would like to remind you, Ron and all other PRA members that the magazine is only the tip of the iceberg as far as how PRA has and will continue to serve you.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, without the PRA most of you would not be flying gyros. There would be no FAA exemption that allows CFIs to train in experimental machines. There would certainly be more fatalities and without the exposure the PRA has given gyros they would be even less visible than they are now. There wouldn't be any LSA gyros or consensus standards without the PRA.

There wouldn't be any RFD, Air Command, RAF, AAI, StarBee or other kit suppliers without the PRA. And if anyone thinks that these manufacturers could continue to exist without the exposure and promotion by the PRA then jump ship, bad mouth the organization and don't do anything to help promote it.

The only other organizations, the EAA, USUA and ASC, that might be of help to gyro enthusiasts haven't shown the same interest in rotorcraft as the PRA, which is understandable. The PRA was founded to promote gyros and then brought in all rotorcraft, while the EAA was founded primarily for home built fixed wing, the USUA to serve the ultralight fixed winger and the ASC picked up the orphan aircraft catagories that no other organizations were serving. All of them will accept your dollar but what you get from them, as far as rotorcraft promotion or service, is a poor return compared to what you get from the PRA.

We all better hope that the PRA grows and grows at a fast rate. We don't want to depend on one of the other organizations to represent and provide for us.

[Dean_Dolph]

Brent, the PRA office staff and the magazine editor works for us, the PRA member by way of the Board of Directors. I personally like the people that serve us but there has to be some accountability and expectations from the staff and the editor. I see no problem with posting our troubles here but I believe there is a need to follow up with email to the BOD.

I use Outlook Express for my email and I have created a group for the BOD which I use to email my concerns. And I have had many and I suspect that they are getting tired of hearing from me but responding to the concerns of the members goes with the territory. BOD members, Tom Milton and Tim Blackwell visit here on a regular basis but if anyone has concerns then I wouldn't wait for Tom or Tim and go ahead and contact the entire BOD.

[Heron]

give'm some extra time, the hurricanes messed up the mail system as well, it took me 10 days do get mail.
Other than that, the PRA needs some serious revamp and I think we can do it!
Heron

[Brent_Brown]

Dean You act like I am the bad guy here. I paid my dues and just want what I paid for. I could go on about the PRA and all but the point is how hard is it to mail the thing after I said I didn't get it????? BTW I did email the Prez of the BOD and got no reply and that was a month ago. I will call again and beg for what is paid for this week.

[Dean_Dolph]

No, Brent, I don't think you are the bad guy and I'm sorry that you took it that way. But all the BOD are busy volunteers with a life outside the PRA just like you and me. So, mailing the prez won't always get you a response since it has been understanding that the prez doesn't handle email at his place. That is why I cover my bases by emailing the whole BOD. I figure one of them will take it to heart.

I was just pointing out, again, that the mag isn't the only reason to belong but I certainly understand the frustration of being ignored. Lets hope your problem gets solved quickly.

[Hognose]

I haven't bitched to anyone at PRA yet but I joined in, I believe, June and have yet to receive a mag. I'm really looking forward to seeing it, as I just busted a medical for a new reason and can only hangar fly and read & write stuff till I get some surgery.

cheers

-=K=-

[PRA]

Dear Brent,
As you may know we here at the office, Pam Bundy and myself, Kristina Rayburn have spoke to you on different occations. When you called the office on September 3, 2004 we had already had your change of address entered into the database, and I even confirmed your address, telephone and credit card number as well. You had also asked when you were due and I told you where in good standing with the PRA until 04/15/05. You were told to give the postal system time to let your magazines find you since you had moved from Fayetteville to Linden North Carolina. You only pay for second class mailing of the magazine and the postal system will drag there feet on second class mailings. You can upgrade your membership to first class mailing which will speed up the delievery of your magazines whenever you move. We here at the office try to make sure that if someones magazines get returned we ensure that we contact the member and get a correct address and forward their magazines to them. As for your magazines, they have not been returned back here at the office, so they are still in the postal system trying to find you. If we can be of any further assistance please feel free to contact us here at the office instead of this site, as this is not a PRA site and we do not mann this site. We were forwarded your post by Mary Jane.

Thank You,
Pam Bundy
Kristina Rayburn
Office Managers

[gyroplanes]

I'm glad to see the headquarters represented here. We don't need you to "man" the site, just come and visit once and a while. It will do wonders to improve communications.

[gyromike]

I'm glad to see the headquarters represented here. We don't need you to "man" the site, just come and visit once and a while. It will do wonders to improve communications.

Indeed.

It would be nice to know that someone is occasionally peeking in.

[Heron]

Hi Pam and Kristina, glad to see you both here, don't take my comments too seriously, I like to make waves . . .
Could you elaborate a little on the mailing system? (prices and all)
thanks and welcome
Heron

[Brent_Brown]

Pam Thank you for posting here. I did send a email with my new address to the PRA office form the PRA web site, back in July. I am posting here hoping I can get help the PRA web site didn't do that. I will call the office to get more info. What I would like to see happen is I get the Mags I paid for this year. I don't know what logistics are but I would like to have some.

Thank You again. I'm just a hot head or so my wife siad so.

[PRA]

Brent,
Would you do me a favor and try to get me the phone number to your old post office and your new post office so I can call them and try and find out what they are doing with your magazines, since they are not returning them back to the PRA office for forwarding. I have received so much interruption as a result of this post today, that I was not able to do my own work. It is now 6:30 p.m. and I'm leaving for the day so I can finally go eat some lunch-dinner.
I hope we can take care of this matter, further, by direct contact.
Sincerely,
Pam Bundy
Office Manager/P.R.A.

[Brent_Brown]

I will get the numbers. Sorry

[GyroRon]

Some corn farmer up the street from Brent has his issues by the commode!

[bogman]

Yooou got it Ron, bet that's exactly what happened to them.:D

[Hognose]

Indeed.

It would be nice to know that someone is occasionally peeking in.


They definitely are, because I got email from Pam asking me to confirm my address (which they did have right). Like I said, I hadn''t complained to anyone at PRA HQ -- I figured that they had other woes to deal with right now, and it isn't the most important problem in my life.

cheers

-=K=-

[Rotornut]

Thank You Pam. MJ :)

[Heron]

This is one of the ways our site can be interactive, reducing the work load for the girls at the office. the PRA.ORG
WE have real time shipping and tracking from 3 sources USPS, Fedex and UPS, you pick and choose, then you track you stuff.
Heron

[Brent_Brown]

I got a letter from Rick Gilley he sent me the missing mags. What a great guy.

Thank You Rick I will renew when the time comes. I live on a runway now and don't plan on moving for years if ever so I hope the PRA mail room can find me.

[KDOG]

Whoa, whoa, whoa!! Hold on a minute! We get a magazine? COOL!!! I didn't realize we got a magazine. I just joined to support the PRA and my fellow rotor addicts. LOL!!! You'll have to forgive me guys, I've been out for a while, since I started this thread as a matter of fact!! Lots of overtime, working on my bee, etc, etc.

Anyway, if we get a magazine - great! But thats not why we should have joined. As far as merchandise goes, are there any cool shirts, hats etc.?

[Dean_Dolph]

Kevin, there is usually an ad inside the mag that shows you what PRA merchandise is available. I say usually because the last issue didn't have it for some reason.

[PRA]

Brent,
I'm glad to hear that you received magazines from Rick. I hope the postal system has their act together when it comes time to mail out the next issue of Rotorcraft.
I hope the next time anything like this happens to anyone else, that we can get it resolved right here at the PRA office. I don't usually have the time to frequent the forum during the day.
So on that note, everyone have a good weekend, cause I'm going home.
Good night,
Pam Bundy

[Rotornut]

Way to go Rick. Thanks for helping Brent. Gosh what a life Brent, home on a run-way.

Rick wants to sell and move out to Muse were Ora and Ann Cook live and have a very nice grass strip. But I love my property here, creek runs thru it lots of wildlife visit. But I am sure he will get his way in time.

MJ :)