Vintage sub-units?

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by scottanlily

Hey Bill ,

Wow how in the world could i have missed that? Not being a member possibly. You would think somehow I would have found out since I live in santa barbara. There is a couple here in town who have a bubble , flying cloud and a weewind . I had asked her a few times about events that we could attend last year and would never get a response . They had done santamaria rally in the past . I gave up ,I guess i was being a bother .That would then be the unit I would want to join . SB must kinda be in the middle of the west coast units


Scott of scottanlily

Scott,

We have an active couple who just moved from Santa Barbara to Solvang, when he retired. We attended the Santa Maria Rally also, it was our first Airstream rally, before our 1979 Safari became vintage, and as a result of the great time we had and the people we met we joined the El Camino Real Unit. PM me with your address and I will send you a copy of our last newsletter. The upcoming rallies are May - Mariposa, Aug - Owens Valley, Sept - Yucaipa, Oct - VAC rally at Newport Dunes, Nov - Mailbu. One of the problems with Region 12 is that there are many units and no explanation of the differences between units.

Bill

[Zeppelinium]

Originally Posted by 59toaster

...Price of some of the ralleys and events, Time and timing is my other big issue. ...Honestly the price is fair on every one I took the time to reseach to see what I was getting but the problem for me is I can't always attend the full durration of the events and in most cases that means well over half of what the money was going to cover is wasted...

This is an issue even when you can afford the whole cost. I know it would be a bookkeeping nightmare for reservations, but even when I stumbled into a small rally up in Wyoming last year, it was "full price" even if we could only stay one night. That seems a little short sighted if you show up without reservations. Oh, well.

But I digress. Insideout vectored me here for some background (thanks, Shari). Lots of good points, but Fred Coldwell hit the mark, I think. In other recent posts I've been musing about "why the VAC" and it looks to me like I should clam up and starting working from the inside to get more maintenance rallies and to get the WBCCI to cough up funds to establish a "VAC skill center " in some as yet unnamed location. Cortez has been suggested--it has an airport, which implies hangars, near to attractions [anasazi, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, skiing, Moab], pretty decent weather...

I'm all for membership taxes, but I want more spent on Vintage!!

After reading this thread, I still like the idea of a global VAC that does more than the Rocky Mountain Rally--the subunit fragments are great (Denver, DC, others I'm sure), but they don't provide the critical mass to get us to the next level of a permanent "Vintage Home." That's a place where the continuing restorations can happen, as well as big maintenance rallies a couple times a year (maybe one optimized for those who still work/have kids, and one for the ones who don't--not for being exclusive, but for being tailored best for that group).

I think of the music festival I pass every year out west of Grand Junction--a farm most of the time, but suddenly for a couple weeks it's transformed late in the season to a venue. Bring your blue tanks and your quiet generators and boondock together! And maintenance together!

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by Zeppelinium

...and it looks to me like I should clam up and starting working from the inside to get more maintenance rallies and to get the WBCCI to cough up funds to establish a "VAC skill center " in some as yet unnamed location.

Therein lies the problem (at least one of them) WHO'S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS?

• WBCCI will never "cough up funds" as the majority of the members would never use it, they have new trailers that wouldn't need the facility.
• VAC certainly doesn't have a budget for a facility like this
• VAC members aren't going to want to make a long trip to the same place every year...to work! Rallys are for fun ~
• Most don't have the time to camp the length of time that would be necessary to get halfway across the country, then stay long enough to accomplish anything. Unlike airplanes at Oshkosh who's travel time is much quicker
• Most trailer restorations are done in a year or two, not a lot of repeat attendees
• Once your restoration is done, no need for the facility...unless you are a multiple trailer owner
• Most DIY'rs are doing it themselves because they don't want to pay to have it done...they most likely won't want to pay to do it somewhere other than at home or a facility close to home either - what if you don't "get done" with your project while at the facility in the timeframe you planned? You know everything takes longer than planned...
• Who are "the experts" that will be teaching the others?
• What about insurance?

I'm all for the concept, I just feel it would be more feasible as a private venture, where those who use it pay for it, than a club facility.

Just my two-cents ~

Shari

[sarichers]

I just joined the vintage club and am also one of the old timers. And I totally agree with Shari. And I think that this is part of the way our club must evolve.

Andy Richers, Past Int Tres

[Zeppelinium]

Shari (and ALL),

Most of your comments imply that the purpose of the facility is to do work on member's vintage Airstreams. That's not practical, as you point out, and not my objective. If you think AS restorations take a long time, you ought to try and build/restore an airplane!!

Yet thousands of airplane nuts gather every year in Oshkosh to

see others' work
see new models
get good ideas
attend technical training
see a bunch of vendors in one place
socialize with others with the same interests
and watch the Air Show (we'd have a hard time competing with that!).

They also "rally" all over the country, but they call them fly-ins.

If VAC had a "home" and some VAC-owned vintage Airstreams that were being restored/remodeled for others to observe, I think that would be a plus for the community. If Pensacola can restore a trailer and raffle it off, it isn't beyond contemplation that the VAC as a whole could, too.

Who are the experts? Most are on this forum. If you look at the Oshkosh example, their "experts" travel each year from their homes to be there and teach.

There are so many great places in this country that offer numerous local travel attractions (which would be a big draw for a quorum of Airstreams to gather around)--take Cortez, CO, for example. It is an easy drive to

Grand Canyon
anasazi country
Moab (Aches, Canyonlands, Goblin Valley, the San Rafael Swell)
Santa Fe and Taos
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Great Sand Dunes
Lake Powell
Petrified Forest
and Monument Valley.

If you're a camper, boondocker, photographer, water person, history buff, or just plain tourist, you could hit the annual technical gathering at Cortez, then take the world's best vacation.

We, as a Vintage community (and many owners of newer Airstreams who love to tinker), are exactly like the flying community that gathers at Oshkosh. We could make this happen.

[klattu]

This is way to complicated to be any fun

[Poprivet]

I should think you would want the vintage club open to all Airstreamers. If you advertize a vintage function, Only those folks with vintage interests are likly to attend even if their unit is new. Having an oportunity to see restored vintage Airstreams certainly interests me. How old does an Airstream need to be to be considered vintage??

[wkerfoot]

Originally Posted by David Alan

I should think you would want the vintage club open to all Airstreamers. If you advertize a vintage function, Only those folks with vintage interests are likly to attend even if their unit is new. Having an oportunity to see restored vintage Airstreams certainly interests me. How old does an Airstream need to be to be considered vintage??

David Alan,

For the Vintage Airstream Club, a sub unit of WBCCI, an Airstream (trailer, motorhome or Argosy trailer or motorhome) must be 25 years or older. Any age Airstream can attend a VAC function.

Bill