bb= bulletin board
From the time pre-internet where a site like PPRuNe, i.e a bulletin board, had a phone number and you dialed in directly to us and us alone.
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I've been a PFA member since 1977 and I think there is genuine reason to believe that the elected leadership has been both factionalised and dysfunctional for a considerable time. The parallel goings on at Australian Aopa are far more public and indicate what may well be going on behind closed doors in the UK. The website and bulletin board in Australia is always the first victim of purges, bannings and even writs.
Would anyone of you have the text of the good Lord Trefgarne's farewell letter to hand? I'm downroute at the moment and perhaps it really should have a wider audience.
As to the leadership being sniffy and sniping regarding PPRuNe that's just a feature of committee psychology - everyone feels they have to maintain 'standards' they don't actually believe in or follow themselves. The whole concept of PPRuNe was offered to Balpa but the committee creatures all swore it couldn't succeed - how right they were. Far more worrying is if there are other readers who feel the same attitude of looking down their elected noses at the hoi polloi rank and file PFAers is felt to the same degree as I experienced.
I won't be losing any sleep over their reactions - they however have to consider this. More traffic and UK PPL's here in a day than they manage in a 100 days - and I'm being very generous to them there.
Just to really get them really thinking - only 7% of PPRuNers post messages. The PFA are really losing out on a huge audience of actual and potential members. We have a policy of allowing permit group aircraft shares to be traded and not binned as advertising. It looks like, at the moment, we're doing more for the association than they are for themselves. It's a great pity - I'm a huge believer in the PFA and its full time staff, operate a permit Jodel (my 4th) and think the quality of the magazine is such that it should now be on the newsstands.
Regards
Rob Lloyd
Member 31099
Last edited by PPRuNe Towers; 7th March 2004 at 17:23.