Thanks to Peter and others involved in EuroGA.org!
I did not renew my membership this time at PPLIR.org which expired a couple days ago. I was member for a year but i rarely logged in there…
I think they are doing a good job, but i can’t find the motivation for continuing paying 90 Euro a year for the forum, since i spend most my time at EuroGA.org ….;) (A couple times a day)
Any thoughts about supporting PPLIR.org anyway? The magazine? IFR lobbying activity? etc..?
Jonas
Jonas,
I am also a member of PPLIR and very rarely use the forum as there is “less going on” compared to EuroGA or the Socata TB web-site. Also, discussions on PPLIR often get into a rather detailed level on issues (e.g. airspace in Southern UK) where I do not feel competent to contribute.
However, I am also a member of AOPA (and certainly not for their web-site) but to support an organisation which provides a lobby for GA. I view PPLIR and the contributions I pay there in the same way.
I think PPL/IR is an excellent organisation – its forum is a fairly technical one but it is a technical organisation. I think it has brought very tangible benefits (in particular recently) to private pilots with instrument qualifications as a lobby organisation. Remember these results are generated by volunteers.
AOPA UK on the other hand (in my personal experience) is unresponsive on particular technical questions I have asked and seems to do a lot of lobbying without particularly tangible results. Strikes me as more of a job creation exercise.
I am a member of both but have no role in either beyond that.
I agree with JasonC that PPL I/R is excellent value.
Amongst other things, what they have done in sorting out of the HPA course and PA46 type rating has been amazing.
Without the work done on this by the certain members of PPL I/R, there would by April next year, probably be an awful lot of PA46 type aircraft on the
market and a lot of pilots looking for another hobby.
AOPA UK appears to be a sensible organisation. They do help pilots if they have potential regulatory infringements, and were instrumental in preserving the IMC rating.
They also help out with Aerobatic standards of training, and FI refresher seminars. In addition you can source liability cover as an FI at reasonable premiums.
They also have good legal services to support members.
Their comfort zone is probably more VFR oriented, but that reflects their demography.
Although I am German I follow the activities of AOPA UK and I must say they do a very good job in downsizing EASA’s insane demands against the small GA …
I’m a member of PPL/IR – though actually I haven’t had one of their newsletters for a while so I wonder if my subscription lapsed. I don’t use the forum but there are a lot of good resources which for me make it good value for money
Thanks for input!
Jonas
I’m member of PPL/IR.
It is not their forum, but the regulatory impact they make which justifies the membership.
Don’t judge it by the forum alone. It is important to have a say in Europe.
I am a member too, and feel that the membership fee is worth it for supporting the people there who do good work on behalf of IFR GA.
