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topic: Scott Seebass (10 articles)

Our most recent 2022 Supporters/Subscribers

Tue, Mar 8 2022, 6:29:49 am MST

We so very much appreciate them

Alan Crouse|Barney Hallin|Blue Water Hang Gliding|Daniel Lukaszewicz|David Stookey|Gary Solomon|Gerard Lamarche|Gregory Angsten|Jürgen Pollak|John Dullahan|John Pop|John Simon|Ken Seligman|Koos de Keijzer|Michael Howard|Mike Degtoff|Mike McCartney|Patrick Pannese|Peter Cairns|Peter Feneht|Richard "Ric" Caylor|Robert Buchanan|Robert Caldwell|Scott Seebass|Thomas C. Ide|Tiago Worcman|Vince Furrer|Wallace Anderson

https://OzReport.com/supporters.php

  • Alan Crouse
  • Barney Hallin
  • Blue Water Hang Gliding
  • Daniel Lukaszewicz
  • David Stookey
  • Gary Solomon
  • Gerard Lamarche
  • Gregory Angsten
  • John Dullahan
  • John Pop
  • John Simon
  • Jürgen Pollak
  • Koos de Keijzer
  • Ken Seligman
  • Michael Howard
  • Mike Degtoff
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  • Patrick Pannese
  • Peter Cairns
  • Peter Feneht
  • Robert Buchanan
  • Robert Caldwell
  • Richard Caylor
  • Scott Seebass
  • Thomas C. Ide
  • Tiago Worcman
  • Vince Furrer
  • Wallace Anderson

Discuss "Our most recent 2022 Supporters/Subscribers" at the Oz Report forum   link»   »

Supporting the Oz Report »

March 4, 2020, 7:54:52 EST

Supporting the Oz Report

Again thanking those who have been especially generous

Dave Embertson|Gregg "Kim" Ludwig|John Simon|Oz Report|Scott Seebass

Thanks to these special contributors: Christopher Zimmerman, Thomas Curbishley, John Simon, Kinsley Sykes, Scott Seebass, Keven Morlang, Barney Hallin, Dave Embertson, Lake Shore Hang Gliding, and Gregg Ludwig.

This is the month where I ask Oz Report readers for their support.  Your contribution pays for hosting our web site and for Gerry's technical support to keep it running.

Here are our supporters: http://ozreport.com/supporters.php

As you know, all we are asking for is a subscription payment of $20/year.

Seems simple enough.  Like most content on the internet, you get to read the Oz Report for free.  The trouble for us, not you, is that there are not enough hang glider pilots in this world to make advertising pay for our web hosting costs.

Please, help us out.  Support something that you find useful so that it can continue to be there for you.

Options:

1) Click paypal.me/davisstraub.

You should see this:

Type in the amount that you want to send in for your subscription.

Click "Next"

You should see something like this:

If you can contribute from your PayPal Balance or from your bank account that is connected to your PayPal account, please do as this incurs no PayPal fee.

2) If instead you are using a credit card to make this contribution, click this button:

3) Another way to do this is, click here: https://www.paypal.com

With this option please click the "Send&Request" tab.

Type in my email address which you can discern from "davis" and I'm at "davisstraub.com".  (I have to write it this way as we hide email addresses here at the Oz Report.

Click "Next."

You'll see:


If you consider me a friend then click the "Sending to a friend" button.

Enter the amount here:

If you’d rather just send a check for $20 or more (US Dollars only, please), please feel free to do so.

Payable to:

Davis Straub (Not to the Oz Report)
6548 Groveland Airport Road
Groveland, FL 34736

If you send a physical check, be sure to send me your email address so that I can register you as a subscriber.

These are our supporters (if you are not on the list and have donated to the Oz Report, email me and I'll make sure that you are recognized): http://ozreport.com/supporters.php.  Some of you who I've missed in the past did write to me and made sure I knew just how important the Oz Report was to them.  If I've missed you, please do tell me.

4) This last option.  Come over to the Oz Report support web page and sign up to support us: http://ozreport.com/support.php.  Or click here:

Thanks to all our supporters: http://ozreport.com/supporters.php who have kept us going and paying our bills over the last twenty four years.

Oz Report supporters for 2018

April 2, 2018, 8:38:09 EDT

Oz Report supporters for 2018

Tell me if I missed you.

Alan Deikman|Allan Phillips|April Mackin|Ben Dunn|Bruce Kavanagh|Bubba Goodman|Chris Boyce|Cragin Shelton|Daniel Gravage|Dara Hogan|Dave Embertson|David Glover|David Williamson|Doug Keller|Dudley Mead|Eric Beckman|Gakuta Toba|Gary Solomon|Geoffrey Rutledge|Glen Volk|Gregg "Kim" Ludwig|Harald Steen|James Bradley|James Lamb|Jason Williams|John Armstrong|John Hesch|John Kennedy|John Simon|Jonathan Dietch|Justinas Pleikys|Ken Howells|Ken Kinzie|Krzysztof "Krys/Kris" Grzyb|Mark Stump|Martin Henry|Martin Jaeger|Maurice Wilson|Mike Barber|Miles Fagerlie|Mitchell "Mitch" Shipley|Niki Longshore|Oz Report|Patrick Schwitter|Paul Voight|Peter Bolton|Quest Air|Raef Mackay|Richard Williams|Riker Davis|Roger Irby|Scott Barrett|Scott Seebass|Scott Smith|Scott Weiner|Stewart Midwinter|supporters|Tom McGowan|Vince Furrer|Vincene Muller|Vrezh Tumanyan|Wayne Ripley|William "Billo" Olive|Wilotree Park|Winfried Oswald

Thanks to all who have helped us out. We could not afford to pay http://pair.com to host the Oz Report without your support. 

Adriel Kind Gregg Ludwig Miles Fagerlie
Alan Crouse Gregory Angsten Mitchell Shipley
Alan Deikman Gregory Pierson Nicholas Palmer
Alexandra Childs Hadewych van Kempen Nicole Longshore
Alf Oppoyen Harald Steen Patrick Halfhill
Allan Phillips Heinz Tagmann Patrick Kruise
Allen Ahl Hubert Jason Williams Patrick Pannese
Angelos Mantas J. Russell Locke Patrick Schwitter
Angry Penguin Inc. James (Dennis) Yeomans Paul Kelley
anonymous James Aden Paul Voight
Anthony Armstrong James Bradley Perry Jones
April Mackin James Gibson Peter Adams
Belcourt Industries James Lamb Peter Bolton
Ben Dunn Jan Snydr-Michal Peter Cairns
Bernard Garvey Jason Smith Peter Kelley
Bill Finn Jeffrey Curtis Peter Swanson
Bill Snyder Jim Kolynich Philip Morgan
Billo Jim Prahl Quest Air
Bruce Kavanagh Jim Ramsden Rachel Allen
Bubba Goodman John "Kip" Stone Raef Mackay
Carlos Alonso de Florida John Armstrong Richard Caylor
Carlos Schmitz John Blank Richard Eunice
Carol Sturtevant John Devorak Richard Larson
Catherine Hunter John Dullahan Richard Milla
Chris Boyce John Haig Thompson Richard Williams
Christian Schelb John Hesch Riker Davis
Christian Williams John Kennedy Robert Bay
Chuck and Gayle Warren John Middleton Robert Bradley
Claude Carlier John Simon Robert Caldwell
Cliff Rice Jon Lindburg Robert Dallas
Clive Beddall Jon Thompson Robert Goodman
Cragin Shelton Jonathan Dietch Roger Irby
Craig Carlson Jorge Cano Ronald P. Gleason
Craig DeMott Jostein Vorkinn Scott Barrett
Daniel Gravage Justin Elliott Scott Seebass
Daniel Lukaszewicz Justinas Pleikys Scott Smith
Danny Utinske Keith Barghahn Scott Weiner
Dara Hogan Ken Cobb Scott Westfall
Darrell Hambley Ken Durstine Scott Whittet
Dave Embertson Ken Howells secret admirer at Seminole
David Davenport Ken Kinzie Sky Sports Flying School Pty. Ltd.
David Fynn Kenneth Durrance Stefan Kern
David Glover Keven Morlang Stephan Mentler
David Goto Kinsley Sykes Stephen Parson
David Lopez Knut Ryerson Steven Blackler
David Stookey Koos de Keijzer Steven Boost
David Williamson Krzysztof Grzyb Stewart Midwinter
Dean Engler LakeShore Hang Gliding SvS Design
Doug Keller Larry Huffman Sydney Hang Gliding Centre
Douglas Brown Larry Omara The Passing Zone, Inc.
Dudley Mead Larry Robinson Thomas C. Ide
Edward Andrews Lee Silver Thomas Curbishley
Edward Saunier Luff Line Ltd. Thomas Eckstein
Elizabeth Rothman Luther Thompson Timothy Delaney
Emiel Jansen M. C. Campanella Toba Gakuta
Eric Beckman Marc Deschenes Tom McGowan
Fernando Milani Marcelo Silva Vince Furrer
Flytec USA Marco Gerber Vincene Muller
Frank Havermeyer Mario Manzo Vincent Collins
Fred Kramer Mark Stump Vrezh Tumanyan
Frode Halse Martin Henry Vuelo Libre
Gary McIntrie Martin Jaeger Walter Nielsen
Gary Solomon Matt Taber Wayne DeVilbiss
Geoffrey Robertson Matt Thoreson Wayne Ripley
Geoffrey Rutledge Maurice Wilson William A. Baker
Giorgos Karachalios Max Tunbridge Wills Wing
Glen Salmon Michael Bomstad Wilotree Park
Glen Volk Michael Duffy Winfried Oswald
Glenn Curran Michael Fitzgerald Wings to Fly ltd.
Glenn Nutt Mick Howard
Greg Fergus Mike Barber

The Oz Report March Fund Raiser »

March 7, 2018, 9:23:05 EST

The Oz Report March Fund Raiser

The silent fund raiser

David Glover|Davis Straub|Mark Stump|Oz Report|Scott Seebass|Winfried Oswald

David Glover|Davis Straub|John Simon|Mark Stump|Oz Report|Scott Seebass|Winfried Oswald

David Glover|Davis Straub|John Simon|Mark Stump|Maurice Wilson|Oz Report|Scott Seebass|Winfried Oswald

This is the month where I ask Oz Report readers for their support.  Your contribution pays for hosting our web site and for Gerry's technical support to keep it running.

Thanks for all the support that you have sent in. I wanted to especially thank those who have been extra generous, including Kip Stone, Winfried Oswald, Stefan Kern, David Glover, John Simon, Kinsley Sykes, Scott Seebass, and Maurice Wilson.

Mark Stump, send me your email address.

You know, all we are asking for is a subscription payment of $20/year.

Seems simple enough. Like most content on the internet, you get to read the Oz Report for free. The trouble for us, not you, is that there are not enough hang glider pilots in this world to make advertising pay for our web hosting costs.

Please, help us out. Support something that you find useful so that it can continue to be there for you.

Options:

1) If you have money in your PayPal account and you are in the US click here: paypal.me/davisstraub and send money as a friend

2) With a credit card click this button:


3) Click here: https://www.paypal.com

With this option please click the "Send&Request" tab to send the money and eliminate credit card fees by clicking  "Send to friends and family in the US," if your PayPal account is connected to your bank account, you are in the US, you have money in your PayPal account, and not just to a credit card:

The email address would be davis and I'm at davisstraub.com

If you’d rather just send a check for $20 or more (US Dollars only, please), please feel free to do so.

Payable to:

Davis Straub (Not to the Oz Report)
6548 Groveland Airport Road
Groveland, FL 34736

If you send a physical check, be sure to send me your email address so that I can register you as a subscriber.

These are our supporters (if you are not on the list and have donated to the Oz Report, email me and I'll make sure that you are recognized): http://ozreport.com/supporters.php. Some of you who I've missed in the past did write to me and made sure I knew just how important the Oz Report was to them. If I've missed you, please do tell me.

4) Come over to the Oz Report support web page and sign up to support us: http://ozreport.com/support.php. Or click here:

Discuss "The Oz Report March Fund Raiser" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Tin Cup

March 11, 2009, 8:29:09 EDT

Tin Cup

The Oz Report Classifieds

Davis Straub|Quest Air|Scott Seebass


Not only do we provide an ongoing blog/newsletter/ezine/forum, we also provide a very active marketplace that allows pilots to buy and sell their equipment.

Thanks for the extra help from Scott Seebass and Benjamin Friedrich.

Please, help us out. Support something that you find useful so that it can continue to be there for you.

You can send $20 or more for a yearly subscription/donation. To pay for your subscription with your credit card or PayPal account:

If you’d rather just send a check for $20 (US Dollars, only please) or more, please feel free to do so. The mail gets forwarded to me wherever I’m at.

Payable to:

Davis Straub (Not to the Oz Report)
PMB 1889 PO Box 2430
Pensacola, FL 32513

These are our supporters (if you are not on the list and have donated to the Oz Report, email me and I'll make sure that you are recognized): http://ozreport.com/supporters.php. Some of you who I've missed in the past did write to me and made sure I knew just how important the Oz Report was to them. If I've missed you, please do tell me.

Come over to the Oz Report support web page and sign up to support us: http://ozreport.com/support.php. Or click here:

Discuss Tin Cup at the Oz Report forum   link»

The old Tin Cup »

Fri, Feb 13 2004, 11:00:00 am EST

Getting out more Oz Reports, and putting more material into each of them presents a problem. Maybe it is too much. Maybe I need to be more selective so that readers aren't overwhelmed. I want readers to look forward to reading the Oz Report, not to feel that they have to wade through it to find what they want.

John Kennedy|Lee Gardner|Robert Franklin|Scott Seebass|Stephen Rudy

Scroll down to near the bottom of this issue to see how to support the Oz Report or click here.

I'll be looking more at RSS feeds in the near future to see if that solves the problem of too much Oz Report, which some of you may be feeling. Check out our beta test at https://ozreport.com/rss.php.xml if you have an RSS reader. Gerry (see below) is a very creative guy.

Thanks to: John Haywood, Vincent Collins, Paul Henderson, Lee Gardner, the very generous Robert Franklin, John Kennedy, Brendan Miller, Stephen Rudy, Scott Seebass, felipe amunateguii, JACO HERBST, and Michael Dufty who set us up as a referral to his site of Cafe Press - very cool

Berkeley Hang Gliding Club

Thu, Nov 6 2003, 3:00:01 pm EST

Scott Seebass|USHGA|video

Scott Seebass «scott» Berkeley Hang Gliding Club writes:

The Berkeley Hang Gliding club operates quite a bit differently from most other USHGA chapters. We are a cooperative, in that the club owns a significant amount of equipment, and our focus is on being a teaching club. The idea is that people should be able to join and learn to hang glide affordably, and in exchange some number of them will stick with the club and provide the effort to teach people later. This has been working pretty well with minor changes over the last 25 years.

The way we attract new members is we stick a glider on the local university campus one day in the fall. We invite people to come to a presentation on hang gliding that evening that lasts about an hour. We show a video of people in our club flying then talk about the sport in general, then about joining our club. It costs $359 to join our club initially and then $100 a semester after (we charge slightly higher fees for non-students).

Joining the club gives you an initial 3 weekends of lessons, the first semester of membership, 1 year of USHGA membership, and use of the club's equipment. After that, you pay the membership fee for continued instruction and equipment use. We generally have many more people than we can teach (we usually teach 18 people) so we have a lottery to let people in. Those who don't get in can come back the next year and get in automatically. Our recruitment policies make our club probably the youngest and most diverse in the nation.

All of the instruction is performed by volunteer club instructors (we have 8 certified right now) and apprentices. The club owns about 40 gliders, split into trainers and intermediate gliders. The club rents a hanger where we keep the club gliders and many members store their personal gliders and we have full facilities for repair of gliders. We also own a full set of training harnesses, a wide selection of altitude harnesses and parachutes, good helmets, and racks to put gliders on cars.

We start off students on our training gliders (we are slowly moving from an all-Dream training fleet to an all-Falcon training fleet). When they move up to a larger hills they move to one of our intermediate gliders (Mostly Vision Mark IV's and Pulses). The vast majority of the trainers were bought with club funds on the used market, filled in with some generous donations from local pilots and shops.

The main thing that allows us to get people flying is that there is always access to people to fly with at all levels, and instruction available without cost. For introductory lessons we probably spend slightly less time per student (because they are sharing gliders) but for novice and intermediate training we spend a lot more time than any commercial shop can because we are always out flying with them.

The club will generally have at least one group going out every week all year, and in the summer we will often have two (one to the Owens or some other big air site, another to a more intermediate friendly spot). Instruction continues indefinitely, with the pilots that continue slowly switching from students to basic instructors to advanced instructors.

We maintain only one site ourselves (a very small training hill) but participate in the activities of other local clubs (and use their sites). We generally can be counted on to provide labor for work parties at any of the sites we fly.

Some of the things that make a club like ours work:

Fostering a cooperative attitude in our students from the start.

Standardizing on a few models of club gliders to make repairs and spares less expensive.

Having a cooperative rather than competitive relationship with the local shops.

Getting along and participating with the other local clubs.

Donations of harnesses, chutes, and intermediate gliders from pilots

Some of the things that make it hard to keep our club running:

USHGA requiring us to use an outside source for ICPs. This makes instructorships very expensive, and since the club pays for our instructorships this makes us have to charge higher fees. This has been the single biggest negative for our club in recent years.

Lack of training sites. We luckily have the great Ed Levin site right now run by WOR but access to training sites in the congested Bay Area is very tough and several times we were stuck driving long distances to train. The further the drive the lower our student retention rate has been. We spend a lot of time trying to open new sites but it is a very difficult and time consuming process. We have seen several of our training sites consumed by development.

The high cost of rent for our hanger in the expensive Bay Area

Overall, the club produces a pretty significant number of pilots, most of them young with a long potential flying career ahead of them. While they don't consume much equipment when they are learning, they end up being good consumers of gliders and harnesses when they become advanced and get their own equipment (as evidenced by all the topless gliders in our hanger).

If a club like ours is large enough, it can run effectively without too much effort by any one person. If it size (especially the number of instructor caliber people) drops too low it would be very hard to maintain. I am sure it would require quite a bit of effort and dedication to start a new club like ours from scratch, and that effort would have to be maintained for at least four years before the club would be self-sufficient.

Discuss clubs at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

USHGA instructors

Fri, Oct 10 2003, 4:00:04 am EDT

Bill Bolosky|Bob McFee|John Matylonek|Larry Jorgensen|Scott Seebass|USHGA

I published a few days ago the flow chart of the tasks required for becoming a USHGA instructor (https://ozreport.com/pub/Ozv7n261.shtml).

John Matylonek, Oregon Hang Gliding School, USHGA Certified Instructor, http://www.oregonhanggliding.com  #55568. 541 913 1339 writes:

The best way to improve the basic certification clinics is to emphasize the actual hill-training first and later provide the intellectual chalk-talks. Not only does this teach the proper methods more realistically, but also represents its challenges more completely.

Basic foot launched hang gliding instruction is a physical activity for the instructor as well as the student. Many potential instructors may not realize the magnitude of the work required in directly interacting with student at the time of need during their initial flight events. This means running with the student, physically correcting with in-flight wire assistance, and providing command/reminders during the whole process. Even when a student becomes rudimentarily proficient, the instructor must continually position themselves at launch, mid hill, and at the landing zone to observe, solve problems, and break bad habits before they get imprinted.

The ICP's I have been to have abstractly emphasized the proper methods but the actual work involved better illustrates the nature of basic instruction. The apprenticeship should come first: self-qualifying (or self-disqualifying) the prospective instructor.

I have heard of other instructors whose idea of instruction is to stand behind the student, let them prance off, and then provide critique in their easy chairs.

This method relies too much on the student's trial and error process and results in broken aluminum or worse. The amount of work in directly interacting with students during all phases of the flight-events begins to eliminate these errors. However, the price is more much work on the instructor's part and soul-searching whether the instructor is physically up to it.

The measure of how good an instructor is not so much how much one knows, but how willing or able they are to provide some assistance in developing basic physical skills. That requires calorie expenditure!

Bill Bolosky bolosky@microsoft.com writes:

Bob McFee was appointed as an Aerotow Supervisor. He can now sign off ATP (aero-tow pilot) ratings, and can also appoint Aerotow Administrators, who can also sign off ATP ratings. We've needed someone who can do this in the Northwest for a long time, so it's great that this got approved.

I believe that Bob plans on appointing Larry Jorgensen as an Aerotow Administrator so Larry and Bob will both be able to do ATP ratings once he does.

Scott Seebass «scott» writes:

Your flow chart was quite interesting. What I think would make it more interesting is attaching dollar values (I know these vary from place to place but one could guess ) to the various steps. As a member of a club where the instructors don't get paid, it ends up being quite a financial burden to keep up with being certified. It is even worse to create new instructors.

This got a lot worse when clubs like ours (who have 9 certified instructors and a whole lot more lapsed instructors) are not allowed to teach our own ICP programs. Admittedly, it got better with the slightly easier re-certification of long-term instructors, but the fact is adding new instructors is hard and expensive.

Unfortunately, this program does very little (if anything) to ensure that the instructors that are certified are any good (especially for the cost and burden). It is quite understandable why a lot of people teaching are not certified, and I am sure if we did not want to teach at sites that require certification we would not be either.

Parts of the program are baffling. For example, do I really need to pay $20-$50 every 3 years for the Red Cross to tell me how to dial 911?.

Discuss instructors at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2

Readers respond to my proposal to add ads

Tue, Mar 18 2003, 8:00:10 pm GMT

advertising|Brook Rice|Icaro 2000|Joe Balbona|Jon Straub|Paul Voight|Perry Jones|Peter Smart|Rob Rademeyer|Scott Seebass|Tom McFarland

First, let me say that I have had all the concerns that the readers below raise. I am as concerned as any of you. Icaro 2000 has approached me about an ad. I would be experimenting with their ad and see what happens. I have no idea what to charge them (they have offered $10/issue). I’ll send back a short proposal to them tonight and see where it goes. I await further feedback, and we’ll see what everyone thinks if and when the ad comes out. If it all goes up in smoke, well that’s fine also.

Peter Smart <psmart@tycoint.com> writes:

Simple answer really - ads for the freeloaders (of which I am shamefully one) and no ads for the subscribers (of which I intend to become one shortly - maybe when the ads get too much!)

Joe Balbona <joe@cheapcalls.net> writes:

No ads from hang glider manufacturers please. You lose your editorial purity that way.

Rob Rademeyer <eRex@rsp.co.za> writes:

As one of your most ardent non-payers (but still trying), it's almost farcical to be mouthing opinions and suggesting policy. However, I do feel strongly about advertising content and would prefer NOT to have it cluttering the Oz Report.

Apart from the annoyance of having your reading pleasure disturbed by gratuitous content, you have to take into account the fact that a lot of the world still works on dialup connections - thus, bandwidth is a problem.

My suggestion would be to accept advertising for products reviewed and other associated articles but at the most, to include a URL to your website where both the article (possibly reviewed in more depth) plus the advertising, can appear. This gives the reader the choice (which is what our idiosyncratic bunch of aviators appears to crave the most).

I guess the only thing is, you'd have to adjust your rates viz. you could probably charge more for inline ads.

Scott Seebass <scott@xinet.com> writes:

As a daily reader (and subscriber) I would voice my opinion that running ads is a bad idea. You say "The Oz Report definitely needs the income from the ads." If that is true, once you start relying on them you will have a hard time giving up the income, which makes it hard (not impossible but hard) to be openly critical of your income source.

Look at the magazine and its years of completely catering to their advertisers. Don't you think Wills Wing would have fixed their Mylar pockets a lot earlier if the magazine was willing to come out and say "this design is dangerous and is killing people?"

However, since they were a big advertiser, it never happened. What I enjoy about your report is that I am pretty convinced that your opinions (whether I agree with them or not) are your own. Once you start taking ads I lose that conviction.

Paul Voight <flyhigh@frontiernet.net> writes:

The idea of ads in your report would necessitate weeding out the "news items" you constantly get (ads) from flight parks and glider importers etc. :-) Sounds like a can of worms. On the other hand with the size & frequency of your readership… you could justifiably charge a decent price for ad space and get these competitive entities all clamoring (and paying) for ad space! And then there is the potential for racy / sexy Fly Tec style photos in the ads! An amusing experiment at the very least :-)

Jon Straub <jon@jonstraub.com> writes:

I think you should advertise on the web site, not in the e-zine.

Brook Rice <brookr_1@yahoo.com> writes:

I would hate to have to navigate around ads in the Oz Report or turn on my Ad Killer to eliminate the pop ups. However, there may be a way to generate income for the Oz Report while "promoting" a product.

Become a test reviewer for these products. Here are the advantages:

1. You could generate revenue by charging manufacturers to review their products (whether it be by test flying a glider or reporting on a new pair of bar mitts).

2. You could still be honest in your review as long as you warn the manufacturers up front that you're going to be honest with your feedback. Hey…if they send you junk and expect to sell the junk to pilots, they deserve to get slammed.

3. It would provide your readers with a great service…sort of like the "Consumer Reports" of hang gliding equipment. Hang Gliding magazine just prints material from the manufacturer's brochures and provides no useful feedback. It's hit or miss when you buy a product that has been advertised in HG magazine.

4. You could get a lot of cool free stuff from the manufacturers…like a pair of those sexy Flytec goggles.

Your honesty is what draws people to the Oz Report. It's your brand and image and your readers respect you for it. A good manufacturer with a good product could parlay this into increased sales. If you get soft, and only write fluff pieces about your products, then this could backfire on you and you could lose the respect of your readership.

Perry Jones <pjones@state.mt.us> writes:

First of all, just a brief note to let you know how much I appreciate the work you do to maintain the one site I feel compelled to check daily (well, OK, I check the DOW on Yahoo at least daily to watch the value of my nest egg shrink).

The idea of ads in the world of OZ is OK with me, but I'd like to see the ad section accessed via an "ad link", accessible from your home page. Ads shouldn't clutter the daily stuff you do. It takes time and $ to keep up the OZ report, and any revenue you can generate from posting ads is well-deserved and proper. Manufacturers probably wouldn't like my idea, because the "ad hits" would certainly be less frequent than the "Oz Report" hits. But think about it. Posting links to various manufacturers web sites and ads is a useful service to the readership and to the vendors of flying products and services. I enjoy reading ads in the USHGA mag, but I wish the USHGA mag would put all the ads in an "ad section" so I don't have to jump around from page to page when reading an article. You are in a position to fix this problem but I'd bet the manufacturers wouldn't tolerate my "ad section" idea for the mag.

No matter what you decide to do, I'll continue to enjoy your site. And the nature/wildlife shots remain a personal favorite. Sometimes I share these with my wife and kids. Yep, you are now hitting the highly coveted younger

Tom McFarland <tmcfarla@mtsac.edu> writes:

It is a tough question because it is a big line to cross. I don’t think it is a matter of your readers trusting your objectivity once the big advertising bucks roll in, just that it may change the flavor of the Oz Report.

Discuss "Readers respond to my proposal to add ads" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Will fly for subscriptions »

Tue, Feb 25 2003, 9:00:00 pm GMT

Angelo Crapanzano|Flemming Lauridsen|Gary Collier|Jairo Carvalho Jr|James "Dennis" Yeomans|Jeff Busbee|Joe Balbona|magazine|Ralph Hyde|Scott Seebass|USHGA

Oz Report readers who have helped out starting late Monday and Tuesday: Gary Collier (snail mail), Jeff Busbee (“Thanks for the varied content and format. I am able to zero in on the articles that interest me, or read the entire report at my leisure. Being a recreational pilot with limited time to fly, I would appreciate some info on upgrading my equipment--radio, vario--so that I can enhance the time that I do fly. Better communications will allow me to stay closer to my high airtime friends when we do fly together. When it comes to upgrading the vario/GPS combo, I don't need the extra complexity that I think would be there. I just want an easy to use deck that gives me useful info in an understandable format. So, articles on that topic would be helpful.”), Joe Balbona (pledge), James Yeomans, Flemming Lauridsen (Denmark), Angelo Crapanzano (an aerodynamics book, “You did right reminding us we owe you a lot for all your efforts. Some will envy you for all your air time and competitions, some will hate you for your hard comments but the hang gliding world really needs a "megaphone" like you and this "same day info" you give us.”), Scott Seebass, Ralph Hyde (snail mail, “I've told many people over the years that I think the Oz Report "is the best thing out there. You've done a great service for the sport we love. It's hard to imagine what we did without you.”), Jairo Carvalho Jr (Brazil, “I just wish to tell you that there is no e-zine in the world like the excellent Oz Report”)

Comparing the Oz Report and Hang Gliding/Paragliding Magazine from the USHGA:

Oz Report HG/PG Magazine
Income (approx) $3,000/year $200,000/year
Delivery 6 days/week Once a month
Articles per issue 6 to 10 12 to 15
High resolution photos None a couple of dozen
Low resolution photos 5 or 10 a week None
USHGA minutes Yes No
CIVL minutes Yes No
Discussion of controversial issues Yes No
Only happy talk No Yes
Timely competition results Yes No
Readers 3,000 11,000
Price per reader $10 (donation) $15

You can see how to send in $10 for a yearly subscription to the Oz Report below.

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