Time to make in some changes
Time to make in some changes
Let’s cut to the chase here. The PRA is dying a slow death, and so is the sport. The “PRA” Mentone Airport’s property value is rising each year at the obvious expense of the PRA organization. The PRA membership has paid a substantial sum ($65,000?)Paving the airport without any return except the one week use per year. I’m assuming 95-97 percent or more of the dues paying members will never fly at Mentone any given year. Is this a good expenditure for PRA members as a whole? Or does this benefit only a small number of mostly local pilots on a year round basis? The fact of the matter is the “convention” could be run out of any decent smooth grass strip available in any state. Moving it around and securing yearly sites should be the main goal of PRA so all pilots and interested people could regionally attend every few years.
I have never meet Gary G. He has over the years contributed much time and effort to the PRA, which is undisputed. However, there has also been some interesting decision making that has occurred during that time. The decision to purchase the Airport was made in good faith, no doubt. It has risen in value a few hundred thousand dollars as real estate values have gone up. The wisdom of the purchase at the time can’t be disputed, but it is time (like any business) to reevaluate that purchase now. The transferring it out of the PRA assets to a separate organization is very questionable. Let’s face it; the PRA barely has enough money to meet operating expenses. Why would anyone be worried about a lawsuit and the PRA loosing assets, which was the main reason given for the transfer? Now PRA Mentone Airport is worth far more money than the PRA itself. Why don’t most of you see anything wrong with that? There is nothing to get from the PRA (asset-wise) except Pam’s old office equipment. When Gary G steps away from the PRA board, so should he do the same from PRA Mentone, and let the Airport rejoin the PRA organization. Doing anything less will be reason to raise suspicions and conjecture. Remember, it took a very long time to even come up with the documents regarding what would happen to the airport if PRA Mentone should be dissolved. A lot of smoke and mirrors have already occurred here.
I have attended the Mentone ”convention”. As a newbie at the time, it seemed just like a large fly-in, no more. It is hardly Oshkosh. Some of the expenditures have been self serving. Skip the fireworks guys and save the money, I came to see the gyros fly, period. The PRA needs money. Maybe some of it could be contributed to a safety fund or supporting the few gyro CFI’s that we have. The PRA could contribute to each CFI some money when the student gets a PPL, just a idea to help make the sport grow and get healthy. I just don’t see why it is so damn important to hold on to an airport that is used by so few. If there is still resistance to sell Mentone fine. But. …. PRA MENTONE, GIVE PRA THE MONEY BACK you used for paving and other airport related projects. Get a loan on the land value, I will even show you how. All the money used on a mortgage loan to help the PRA could not be seized in a lawsuit. That’s what this whole transfer thing was supposed to accomplish anyways. The airport has the necessary equity to do this. PRA is sick, help it out. The reluctance to do this is what smells rotten here. The foot dragging to disclose the facts regarding the Airport’s ownership and control made many rightfully nervous. It is easy to look back and criticize those actions. Everyone will forgive and forget if it gets fixed in a hurry, but not till then. I am not excited about dumping any more money into the PRA till change occurs. I am not a life member, but I can vote with my wallet. The money is not important; the support of wasteful follies like the airport is another thing that I do not choose to support until PRA is healthy again. This forum is far more important and informative to the average flying gyro pilot, or want-to-be than the PRA, which seems to be stuck in a time warp. It is becoming so detached to its membership, and the magazines are nice, but untimely. PRA should concentrate on the safety massage and recruiting to get healthy again. I hope something happens real soon. The argument that we need an airport so that we can also have a business office to run the PRA with is an unbelievably stupid argument. That is like saying PRA also needs a hotel at the Airport so we can hold a fly-in. They are not necessarilly attached issues. Last year I offered to give the PRA a business office to work out of for two years, rent free in California. This offer still stands to help out. Now how is that for a put up or shut up help. I believe it is time for some real change to occur now before nothing is left of the PRA. Well at least a very expensive airport in the middle of Indiana will still be around for the chosen few to use. Is that what serves the PRA membership the best? Of course not, BOD wake up, and get your priorites straight for the larger membership. Hey, I may even rejoin PRA sooner. Every year when I go to the Ken Brock freedom El Mirage fly-in, I donate 50 bucks to Chapter 1 to help them in their efforts to hold the event. At least that money is better spent. Remember, that "airport" is nearly free and is 10,000 feet wide by 30,000 feet long. "Airport" cost consist of putting down a chalk line for the flight line. Ok it is not exactly JFK, but the porta-potties help. Get back to the roots of the sport gentleman. A permanent airport is a expensive folly.
Scott Heger, Laguna Niguel, Ca N86SH
