flying

[Mike]

to all, l have just been reading 80 odd emails from PPG, Avon, and few others come to mind and l was thinking back about five years ago when l started learning Paragliding and how friendly and helpful pilots and future pilots were. without sounding sarcastic l felt that l belonged to a flying family.

Recently though l am getting a bad taste in my mouth with all the bickering and political claptrap thats going on in other clubs and forum's' The Tip to Tip has yet raised more of this. I had always presumed that we joined this sport for the fun, adventure and being able to get into the air.

I joined the Lambourn Club because this club still has that element of fun, excitement and adventure.

The tip to Tip could have been started by anybody at anytime for any reason. Simon in this case has started it, now (for next August) and one main reason is, its for a good worthwhile charity and it will be an endurance adventure. Its not a competition and it was well advertised within this forum before the pilots were named.

So l am hoping that the 200 odd members of this club forum do not get effected to much by the amount of negative emails that are floating around.

This club in my mind still has that element of excitement and all the pilots l have met within the club have been brilliant and all look forward to their next flight or their next pint with likeminded pilots.

Regards Mike S

[Guest]

Hey Mike,

Nothing negative is happening mate You may notice that we have been very busy

Thanks for the post, and the replies.

Jealousy, also has a hand in play here I think.

SW

[pete_b]

The only negative (if you can call it that) is from one person

and he has been sused by the wording in his e-mails as a bit strange

by other people not on this forum, if you get what I mean.

Pete b

AKA The DWARF

[Guest]

You just know that's your new nick name

Tip to Tip T shirts with pilots & Ground crew names.......

That will keep you away from the media !!

Enough now... moving on...

SW

[slim]

I too have found this group of people to be positive and generally upbeat even when difficult things happen. There is nothing exclusive about Tip to Tip or any of the other projects. Any member of the club is welcome to propose an adventure and gather the necessary team to support it. There are plenty of roles to fill in any project of this kind and yes, I would have loved to be one of the primary pilots but I'm not and so, rather than snipe from the sidelines, I'll help in another way and contribute to the success of a fantastic endeavour. The party at the end will honour all those who helped, not just the glory boys.

In any group of people there are those who feel that their nose is put out for one reason or another - it is human nature. Misunderstandings happen. The difference is one of choice, if your nose is put out you can choose to become negative and destructive or you can choose to respond positively and create a better environment for everyone.

I'm not an officer of the club and I don't claim to speak in any official capacity but here is my view on membership criteria: if you can't contribute positively then you are welcome to leave and find another club to belong to. Petty power politics are games that other people play.

To end I'll quote Theodore Roosevelt:

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

if you are prepared to fail whilst daring greatly you are welcome here. If you would prefer to focus on the stumbles then please join something else.

Yours,

Stuart.