As you get ready for the new year ahead, be sure to put these dates in your calendar! If you are in South Australia (or would like to come over for a visit), we would love to see you at Indoor Flying, which is held on the third Thursday of every month from 7:30-9:30pm. The location is ETSA Park (155 Railway Terrace, Mile End). It only costs $10 to fly and there is no charge for spectators! Here are the dates for 2015:
- 15 January
- 19 February
- 26 March
- 16 April
- 21 May
- 11 June
- 23 July
- 20 August
- 17 September
- 15 October
- 19 November
- 17 December
Please also make note of this important message from Phoenix:
To all my flying friends, the situation at ETSA Park Netball Stadium has really put some pressure on we who have been flying there and to any others, and I hope there are lots of you, who intend joining us in 2015.
The sad news is that Netball SA, to whom we have been paying the rent each month for the last 11 years has seen the need to raise the rental rates for us by quite some significant amount. In case some of you who enjoy these indoor flying facilities are unaware, of late, our flying numbers have fallen short of the amount that covers our rent payment each month. SSL (Southern Soaring League) is the recipient of any surplus receipts each month.
This lets me hark back many years to the situation when the Late Leo O'Reilly carried the banner for us, regardless of whether we had fielded sufficient numbers to cover the rent and he would make up the deficit to enable us to keep our flying site. In those days, it was the Blackwood Community Centre and the models were all rubber powered.
Today our models are much more sophisticated and, I might add, some quite expensive. Michael O'Reilly who has taken over from his dad IN ALL WAYS, quite often in recent months has found the need to reach into his pocket to enable us to maintain our booking at ETSA Park. Mike has agreed that you will not pay more in coming months and that the deficit will again be covered by Model Flight. OK you might say - it cuts both ways whereas a huge number of our models come to us via Model Flight's store on Goodwood Road and you are quite correct. But, if we are unable to field sufficient numbers to pay the monthly rent, not only will Model Flight lose our business but WE MAY LOSE OUR INDOOR FLYING venue. The answer, or one of them is, to try and interest all of our friends who have flown with us from way back. I shant name the missing fliers for I do not doubt that some have quite legitimate reasons for not being able to make it each month. I am one who is appealing to all of you to speak with your mates and try and bring them back to ETSA to enable us to keep our indoor flying venue. The times for 2015 are all attractive, being 7.30p.m. to 9.30p.m. every month and this time slot was well received by most of our fliers when the change was made early in 2014. Please help us to rebuild the interest in ETSA Park before we lose the venue all together. I hope that our first night on January 15th will see a considerable improvement on the last few months.
Sincerely,
La Fenice.