[ Club Chachapoya ] 2024 Annual Meeting, 01-04 April, Meigs

[ViperPilot2]

1 hour ago, Melo965 said:

 

I always run in windowed mode.  Full screen leads to more problems and crashes, at least for me.

 

 

Oh, you really have me thinking now, and that's not good! 

[TomPenDragon]

15 minutes ago, Melo965 said:

I do have strong reservations about getting this serious with any "bad" behavior.  To some degree the forum admins should step in before things ever got to this point.  We are here to have fun and share our flying experiences. 

So do I.  I hate this aspect of running an organization.  The only thing that makes me more comfortable with it is a clear set of rules, so that the process is as objetive as possible.

 

If anything has come out of our meeting for me, it's that I no longer think that more structure and formality is our best way forward at this time.  Perhaps in the future, should more members join and the group dynamic get more complicated, we can revisit this.  For now, I'd suggest that we keep things as informal as we can and still fly together.

 

This presents a challenge to us all then.  No structure = No forum admins = We're all forum admins.  If something offends you, say so without anger.  Don't wait for an administrator to call it out.  If you see someone has offended someone else, chime in - if you think it's offensive, too, say so, and if you think someone's being overly sensitive, mention that, too, in the gentlest possible way.  Just let the process happen organically.

 

And if you've offended, apologize and try not to do it again.  You might feel like you're in the right.  You may see no need to apologize.  Even if you don't, the fact that someone else here felt offended should be enough for an, "I'm sorry."

 

And that's it.

[TomPenDragon]

Great stuff, Wobbie!!  I think that, if you had to pin it down, the Key Differentiator between us and "the competition" is our Culture.  Come in, hang out for a while, run an event or two with us, see what you think.

[jgf]

Yes, we are not a VA, with an office and administration and schedules.  We are more like a group of friends sitting around the bar discussing "what do we do next?"

[ViperPilot2]

13 hours ago, Lazerson said:

hey viperpilot, I've been using ADE for years now! please let me know if you have any questions. Phrogphlyer is also quite knowledgeable. I'd recommend just jumping in and clicking buttons- it's pretty intuitive program.

I run the sim in fullscreen

Many Thanks for your Offer! I'm sure I'll have questions once I dive into the Program! 

 

Alan (vp²)

[taoftedal]

4 hours ago, TomPenDragon said:

The person suggesting an event is responsible for all aspects of it, as well as participating in it.

 

1 hour ago, jgf said:

In that case I withdraw all the flights/routes I've posted.  My organizational skills are non-existent.

 

Sorry ... missed that one TomP ... that may not be good ... thought I saw something about others stepping in given the event and skill sets needed ... and let's not forget that some could be simple as 1).  Here's the route.  2). Try to leave _______ by the ________.  3). Share your experiences along the way.  4). Try to end up in _______ by the ________.  5).  Have Fun!

[PhrogPhlyer]

20 hours ago, jgf said:

Paint.net are free options, not as versatile as PSP but will work with layers and DDS.

I use Paint.net and have never wanted for more features.

So I would not hesitate to suggest its usage.

[PhrogPhlyer]

2 hours ago, jgf said:

just play it by ear, as we've been doing.  Has been fun so far.

I agree with one caveat, one of the most useful functions that assist all of us during these events is a tracking of participants, type A/C and Sim, and a daily update of where we are along the route.

 

This is no easy undertaking due to having to commit to a daily update.

I did this for the Route 66 event, and TomPennDragon did the same, with much more flair, for the Australian Air Rally.

 

So basically, we all want to fly and post, but it is compiling and posting these daily updates that assists us all in keeping track of events.

 

That is the type of admin function that is being asked. It can't just depend on a few to do this, especially for the more major events.

 

Even if someone stepped  up and did this once a year, it would go a long way to easing work load on others.

 

So perhaps an "club" is not the right thing, I believe it was suggested as a way to focus all the loose ends of these events. But, whatever way we go, we all love these events, and the stories and daily tallies that go along with them.

[TomPenDragon]

3 minutes ago, taoftedal said:

Oops ... missed that one TomP ... that may not be good ... thought I saw something about others stepping in given the event and skill sets needed ... and let's not forget that some could be simple as 1).  Here's the route.  2). Try to leave _______ by the ________.  3). Share your experiences along the way.  4). Try to end up in _______ by the ________.  5).  Have Fun!

I'm glad you brought that up, Tao - I felt this point needed more discussion.  A few of us have mentioned that the one who suggests a route should, if adopted, be responsible for both participating in and administering the event.  "Responsible," doesn't mean that you have to do all the work yourself, just that the work gets done.  For example:

• I suggest the Carrera Panamericana.  The choice of timing system, aircraft type, routing, flight rules, and start-finish dates are mine.  But they're not, really - by the time a route is adopted, the group has already opined, probably quite extensively.  While I'm the final arbiter on all things, "my route," if I don't listen to everybody and incorporate in as many suggestions as I can while keeping my concept of the Challenge intact, I'll find myself flying alone.
• The first thing I need to do is flesh out the ideas into some sort of document.  It could be as simple as what you suggest in the quote - most of the minor Challenges probably will not go beyond that.  Something like the GAAG needs a bit more.  Now, if I've never done something like this, I might ask PhrogPhlyer for some help and advice, since he did such a good job with the Route 66.  If he can't help, I'm still on the hook for it.
• When it's time for the event (including the fly-ins) to start, I'll start the thread for it, keeping in mind our branding convention.  As the event progresses, I will moderate the thread.  When everyone's to their chosen destination safely, I'll lock the thread.  This function, at least, should not be delegated.
• I'm lousy at math and even worse at spreadsheets, so I ask Melo if he can give me a hand with Timing&Scoring.  He says Sure.  Should a day pass when he can't post the leaderboard, I'm going to have to do it.  Should someone have a dispute about how their times were reported, if Melo doesn't resolve it, I'm going to have to.

Note that the responsibility for administering an event doesn't have to be overly burdensome, time-wise.  Help in running an event is, however, entirely voluntary, so it behooves one to stay on good terms with those who might assist.

 

The more we all share the burden of running the Club and its events, the less likely it will be that those who've stepped up already drop out because we've become burned out.  Indeed, having the Route Planner, "take the stick," for a little while is in no small part intended to relieve the burden of those who are administering the Club overall.

 

[PhrogPhlyer]

9 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

The first thing I need to do is flesh out the ideas into some sort of document.  It could be as simple as what you suggest in the quote - most of the minor Challenges probably will not go beyond that.  Something like the GAAG needs a bit more. 

One of the best ideas we all basically agree with is that there should be 2 or 3 major events a year, with several mini's between these. The most recent mini, Meigs or Bust, is a great example of how easy these can be. Show up by this date, done!

 

Until one gets involved with the planning of one of the major events, one might not be aware of how much effort can go into the planning.

 

I can speak to this point as I am currently planning an event that will include all sim versions and will have invitations sent to other site beyond FlightSim. Ensuring that all route airports exist in all the various sim versions, what scenery may exist to enhance the route, what scenery can be developed and offered to participants, maintaining interest and coordination with the other sites, are all in addition to the "normal" guidelines and scoring planning. And then to coordinate who will be posting updates between all the sims/sites. Not an easy venture, but hopefully it will be rewarding. I've reached out to several people on three different sites for assistance. The same type of things we are asking here, every little bit helps.

 

So Tom's point of, I believe, is that the ore we share in these necessary admin activities, the easier it is to have these events.

[TomPenDragon]

13 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

So Tom's point of, I believe, is that the ore we share in these necessary admin activities, the easier it is to have these events.

Exactly.  Not only that, but if the burden ends up falliing on the same people all the time, they're going to reach the point where they just can't anymore.

[TomPenDragon]

So, everyone, what are our conclusions?

 

We seem to like the informality.  We will not produce a rules or bylaws set (for that matter, I'll forego a formal results document and simply leave the locked thread as a record of the meeting's results.

 

We will have an unspecified number of Minor (<1 week duration) events and 2-3 Major (2-4 week duration) events in 2024, the administration of which will remain an open question until the events themselves are developed.

 

[ Club Chachapoya ] is the branding for all Club threads.

 

What would you add/delete from the above?  It's now 18:00 in Chicago.  I'm going to leave this question open until 20:00.  Unless we still have things to discuss at that point, I will bring our Annual Meeting for 2024 to an end (and open the bar).

[taoftedal]

20 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

We seem to like the informality.  We will not produce a rules or bylaws set (for that matter, I'll forego a formal results document and simply leave the locked thread as a record of the meeting's results.

 

We will have an unspecified number of Minor (<1 week duration) events and 2-3 Major (2-4 week duration) events in 2024, the administration of which will remain an open question until the events themselves are developed.

 

[ Club Chachapoya ] is the branding for all Club threads.

 

Sounds good to me TomP ... thank you for moderating ... good discussion.  When the bar is open the first round is on me!  

[PhrogPhlyer]

1 minute ago, taoftedal said:

When the bar is open first round is on me!  

Now this is what camaraderie is all about!

[PhrogPhlyer]

5 minutes ago, taoftedal said:

first round is on me! 

taoftedal, 

Put you're virtual wallet away, the drinks are on me tonight.

I just found out that I've reached Super Grand Master (whatever that is), and I so hope that includes a buffalo hat with horns to go with the title.

[taoftedal]

29 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

I just found out that I've reached Super Grand Master (whatever that is) ...

 

Wow ... congratulations PP ... I think it means you're old and wise ...  ... I'll bring the pretzels ... 

[PhrogPhlyer]

Just now, taoftedal said:

it means you're old

Check!

Just now, taoftedal said:

I'll bring the pretzels ... 

Much appreciated.

[taoftedal]

LOL PP ... pretty sure I said 'old and wise' ... 

 

[TomPenDragon]

19 minutes ago, PhrogPhlyer said:

taoftedal, 

Put you're virtual wallet away, the drinks are on me tonight.

I just found out that I've reached Super Grand Master (whatever that is), and I so hope that includes a buffalo hat with horns to go with the title.

Isn't the correct title, "Poobah?"

(seriously, bro, congratulations!)

[Sirrus]

57 minutes ago, TomPenDragon said:

[ Club Chachapoya ] is the branding for all Club threads.

When was this decided?

 

Four days of drivel about rules and regulations and you end up where you started,

The only interesting bits were "how to make scenery" (which will come in handy someday,) and why a helo pilot sits on the right.

The rest was useless, like herding cats, we've ended back where we started, a loose collection of enthusiasts who want to fly, write stories and have fun.

If we wanted rules and regulations we would have joined a Virtual Airline, and to try and squeeze us into a myriad of rules is not to understand us at all and to completely misread the room.

If you want to be "in charge", be a "Commodoor" go away and found your own VA. You won't last long, they never do.

[TomPenDragon]

It's now 20:15 CDT.  The meeting is closed; the bar is open (as soon as I post this I'm locking the thread; all members and new friends should adjourn to https://www.flightsim.com/forums/topic/60177-club-chachapoya-meigs-or-bust ).