Delphi Comanche Owners Forum

[N3322G]

Al,

I 100% agree with you. It was one of the options I developed last winter as a part of the work Kristin, Scott and I put together for the Fleet Airworthiness presentation to the SBM. I ceased all efforts pending the SBM. To complete the work I started would need Board support for any specific negotiations.

Since I had worked with Piper Owner Society (POS) for 2-3 years wrt the National Air Races I ran, I had contacts there and based on my experience, the company had/has a good set of business ethics in that they appear to deliver what they promise at an economical price.

I had success in using their previous on-staff mechanic to find a part.

POS would be a direct competitor to Village Press and at a minimum would allow ICS to have two options to consider. In my research I looked at the Village Press focus at http://www.villagepress.com/ and found their focus is stated as follows: " Village Press is your single-source for marketing execution. Our industry-leading skills in publishing, food marketing, and customer relationship management produce results .... " I believe they publish the ABS magazine.

In contrast POS is owned by a publishing group that is aviation focused and as you pointed out has synergy because they already have other Piper owners as customers and would provide more GA exposure for our Comanche fleet. They also publish a Cessna owners magazine.

I'm sure there are pros and cons to both companies and I hope the Board chooses to evaluate both options.

[Mike Foster]

Al,

As usual, a well reasoned post. Brings to mind how many Comanche owners I know who have moved up to Comanches from Cherokees and Warriors.

I can think of six right off the top of my pointed head.

These days, all kinds of businesses are doing some pretty creative things to stay profitable, or even in business. Seems that it is worth some investigation to see if an experimental period and/or joint venture could benefit our type and it's needs.

Maybe our new tech committee could be tasked with checking this out?

Mike Foster N8868P

[Tony Scarpelli]

Count me in the group of 1966 Cherokee owners who then bought a Comanche.

To answer a previous question. Yes, I love the flyer. My other flying clubs cost about $29, $39 but I don't mind the $66 of ICS because I like the Magazine. I feel the magazine is half the cost of the membership.

I also feel that everyone doesn't like what "Tony Scarpelli" likes so that I propose that if we could have a site like the one I posted earlier, many of us would start to use it while on the road, away from home, away from our copy of the magazine and eventually move toward that end and perhaps sign up to not receive the magazine knowing that the saved money goes to other good uses at ICS.

In the mean time many people today do not want to be bothered with the magazine or would sign up to not recieve the magazine and that savings is left in the general fund towards other Techinical issues.

So this is a win win for both sides of the argument.

A better website with crisp image and appeal will appeal to the younger than 50 crowd of new buyers of Comanches. I have met many younger, much newer Comanche owners on the AOPA forums.

I am 53years old. My good friends 5 years older than me seem to be a bit more technology challenged yet other friend s5 years younger than me put me to shame. So I feel that about 50 and younger are the new adopters to all this online appeal.

I think it is also possible to push the online version throuh to their PDA's, Ibooks, and such. This isn't something we can do tomorrow but as an organziation we can learn and implement these types of things.

[Tony Scarpelli]

Note that in my suggestions implied is that we do not take anything away from anyone to do something else. I suggest that we offer each member a choice, and not a choice with a kick in the teeth like pay more to receive the magazine as that would be insulting to some.

But to all who don't really read the flyer or who would prefer to read it online or who just want more of their membership dues to go towards technical can voluntarily do that by asking that the flyer not be mailed to them.

if it turns out that 1/4, later 1/3 and later 1/2 of the population turn down the flyer then those savings are kept for other focus of ICS without risk of loosing the group of folks who value the flyer.

We live in a world where all constituencies must be considered.