REFLECTOR: Velocity Owners and Builders Association

Reiff Lorenz Reiff at Lorenz.com
Tue May 14 20:33:09 CDT 2013


Chris,

It looks like your registration was (eventually) successful. Sorry for any problems you may have had. If there are still issues, please let me know.

Reiff Lorenz


From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On Behalf Of Chris Barber
Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 6:19 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Velocity Owners and Builders Association


I tried to sign up, got an error.  No, I am unlikely to call the 800 number to report it.  sigh





________________________________
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org<mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org> [reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] on behalf of Reiff Lorenz [Reiff at Lorenz.com]
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 8:53 PM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Velocity Owners and Builders Association

Thank you to everyone who signed up already! The membership ranks are growing quickly.

For the first members: Be sure to check out the Community ==> Interests page. For each appropriate category (fuselage, engine, options, avionics) click on the one that matches your plane and "sign up." We'll end up with a great way for members to find others with the same equipment.

(Members who registered after 10:00 eastern time will be asked automatically as part of the registration process.)

Reiff


From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org<mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org> [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On Behalf Of Reiff Lorenz
Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 3:51 PM
To: reflector at tvbf.org<mailto:reflector at tvbf.org>
Subject: REFLECTOR: Velocity Owners and Builders Association


Announcing the Velocity Owners and Builders Association!
http://www.VelocityOwners.com

The SHORT version

*         We're forming a Velocity association, endorsed by the Factory, run by builders

*         This does not replace the Reflector or the Wiki; both will continue to exist.

*         There are benefits for builders and owners.

*         It gives the Velocity community a voice and vote in many EAA / FAA / AOPA issues.

*         Join now. Dues are only $10 per year if you sign up in the first week. $15 if you sign up before Oshkosh.
http://www.VelocityOwners.com

Velocity Owners and Builders Association (VOBA)
Board of Advisors 2013
Brett Ferrell
Reiff Lorenz
Brian Michalk
Andy Millin
Ken Mishler



The LONG version

The Velocity community has long been blessed with a very active community of owners and lots of builder resources provided by enthusiastic volunteers. What we have lacked is an official organization. One that can represent the Velocity community to the EAA, FAA, or AOPA. One that has the official approval of the Velocity Factory but is  run, managed, and administrated by a group of Velocity owner/builder volunteers. One that provides some legal separation and liability protection for the dedicated individuals who give so much to our community.

For these reasons, we are creating the Velocity Owners and Builders Association (VOBA)

Before detailing what this organization will do for the community, it's important to point out what we're NOT going to do:


1.       Replace or shut down the services and resources that many dedicated builders are already providing, like the Reflector, the Wiki, and the many fantastic builders blogs.

2.       Replace the Velocity Factory as the definitive source of information, parts, or supplies


So what will VOBA do?  Here's what we've ALREADY accomplished:


1.       Received the endorsement from the Velocity factory to establish the official organization for Velocity enthusiasts.

2.       Joined the EAA Type Club Coalition (TCC). This is the official conduit for experimental aircraft type clubs to communicate with the EAA and FAA. When the FAA consults with the EAA on proposed rules and current problems, the EAA will reach the Velocity community through the TCC and VOBA. There are important issues like EAB safety, proposed mandates on builders, and the future of 100LL being decided. We need to ensure the voice of Velocity is at the table.

3.       Set up an LLC to "own" the organization, the domain name, and all associated assets.

4.       Set up a web site at http://www.VelocityOwners.com  It's in the very early stages of development. Please send your suggestions, corrections, or even better, contributions. (Have ideas on what should be there?  Write a few paragraphs and send it to suggestions at velocityowners.com<mailto:suggestions at velocityowners.com>)
Some features of the web-hosting platform that we've selected:

a.       Tracking of members and non-members. Information about members' aircraft is also stored.

b.      Unlimited features for members that want them. All of these can be configured to be public (available to anyone on the internet), private (VOBA members only), or restricted (invitation only, for things like committees that are working on a project together).

                                                               i.      photo albums - these can be personal albums, event-related, or dedicated to a particular topic or construction step

                                                             ii.      events, announcements, and communication lists

                                                            iii.      blogs - again, these can be personal builder blogs or a way to document significant events in the community

                                                           iv.      forums / email groups - would allow members to start/run specialty forums like for auto engines or retractable gear systems

                                                             v.      Unlimited hosting of large files, videos, documents, etc.

c.       A very flexible administrative system so multiple members can be involved in managing /administrating each of the features. This way we're not dependent on any one person if something needs to be changed, fixed, or added.

d.      A tech library where Velocity-specific topics can be addressed, important discussions can be archived, and critical information can reside

e.      Calendar of events and event registration

f.        Spouse / family memberships with their own logins and communication preferences

g.       An online store / shopping cart that we could use in the future for hats, shirts, stickers, etc.

h.      Ability to handle credit card transactions for membership, events, and merchandise
Not all of the features are active or enabled. (For example, we don't currently have any merchandise to sell from the store.)

5.       Established liability insurance for events hosted by Velocity Owners and Builders Association. This does not provide any aviation-related insurance (sorry!) but it can provide some general liability coverage for our cookouts and fly-ins.

What's on our wish list? Here are some of our goals. The more members and volunteers we have, the better our chances of making these happen sooner:


1.       Establish an official list of all owners, builders, and Velocity enthusiasts. There is no current way for the Velocity factory or community to reach all owners and builders with critical information. As VOBA gains in membership, and we compile a list of owners from FAA registration records and other databases, we'll end up with the best Velocity mailing list. This will be important if there are safety-related updates that must reach the whole community.

2.       Build a database of aircraft. We can use this to track completion dates, awards won, purchase/sale data, and incidents. Good information on the fleet of Velocities will boost aircraft value, and provide market information for buyers and sellers. If we can compile usage data we may be able to reduce hull & flight liability insurance costs.

3.       Negotiate group rates for aircraft insurance for any member that wants to participate.

4.       Improve the website. We want to include pages on why future builders should consider a Velocity and how to buy or sell a completed & flying Velocity. Another idea: have an online builders manual side-by-side with suggestions from experienced builders, photos of that construction step and links to other members' blogs on that phase of building.

5.       Re-launch the Velocity Views newsletter. This would not be easy, but if we find a dedicated editor, we'll have the infrastructure in place for collecting subscription fees and distributing printed and digital editions.

6.       Attend the Type Club Coalition. Our organization is already a member, but we have to attend the meetings if we want to fully participate and be heard.

7.       VOBA will donate to the Reflector and Wiki. These are great resources for the community and we want to help cover their costs if we can.

You can help! All it takes is $10 and 10 minutes.

*         Sign up! Dues are only $10 per year if you sign up in the first week. $15 if you sign up before Oshkosh.
http://www.VelocityOwners.com

*         Send a quick note to suggestions at velocityowners.com<mailto:suggestions at velocityowners.com> and let us know if you want to help with one or more of the projects or goals listed above.

Velocity Owners and Builders Association
Board of Advisors 2013
Brett Ferrell
Reiff Lorenz
Brian Michalk
Andy Millin
Ken Mishler

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