Peking Duck ...
99% of glider pilots belong to the BGA because all clubs have to be affilliated and by default so do their pilots. The PFA has no "captive" membership and relies solely on people wanting to be join. You don't even "have" to be a member to own a PFA permit aeroplane! ... so let's not get too hung up on membership comparisons. Also the days of 2000 aircraft attending the rally are not long gone as over 2000 attended last year. This year you would expect a lot less due to the weather, but even so, I believe over 1000 dropped in ... so not bad considering; do you not think?
I've been a member since I was 17 and as I'm easily pleased and not too fussy I always enjoy the rally. That said, I can see why some might find it a bit lack-lustre. But for those of us interested in the engineering side as much as the flying side, there is plenty to see and do. I do see the rally as the main recruiting tool though, and think we do need to do a lot more to promote ourselves ... but can't the same be said of general aviation in general?
I think the Northside parking area should be for club types or at least for those not stopping overnight ... my shoes got very wet walking over for breakfast Saturday morning
I think the mini airshows of previous years should be reinstated as we all know that airshows help draw a crowd. The most important thing though, should be the promotions and opportunities to join. Entrance fees reduced for people joining on the day would go a long way to increasing membership and hopefully a reasonable percentage of those who join might stay.
SS