“I’m Back Baby!” – A photo essay of the AS-K21 return:

MSC TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY CAMPAIGN

The MSC Twenty-First Century Campaign strives to project the MSC’s 62-year-history of excellence in soaring pilot training into the second half of the twenty-first century.  Club founders purchased state-of-the-art sailplanes and towplanes. They  not only broke records, they trained students. MSC’s unpaid volunteer instructors have trained hundreds of soaring pilots since the club’s inception. The club’s primary trainer, the ASK 21 has served in this role for 38 years and it is now time to refurbish it so that it can be used to teach future generations of soaring pilots. MSC instructors are now training the third generation of their colleagues who will train future students and instructors. Mid-week soaring, an annual cross-country camp, ACE camp, advances in digital avionics and participation in the OLC are elevating standards of performance among the club’s pilots as indicated by the number of state, regional and national records held by its members and instructors. The projection of the club’s excellence in training into the second half of the twenty-first century necessitates the acquisition of a modern two-seat sailplane in which to train and promote badge and record soaring. Your donation to the Twenty-First Century MSC Campaign will leave your lasting legacy to the future of soaring flight training in the Upper Midwest.

The campaign goal is to raise $250,000 by September 30th 2022. Approximately $75,000 will be required to refurbish the ASK 21 and the cost of a new sailplane, offset by the sale of the Owl, will be approximately $175,000. The progress of the campaign is reported regularly on the website and in the newsletter. We hope that you will feel able to contribute to this effort both in this and next year. By doing so you will leave a legacy of having helped to provide for the continuation of excellent soaring training in the Upper Midwest.

What is an appropriate donation?

This is obviously a very personal question and one you have to answer for yourself.  Every dollar counts and every donation is greatly appreciated.  However, our community is small.  We are not going to be able to make this happen with $100 or $200 donations from club members.  We urge you to consider more.  This is a crossroads for the club, and your contributions will go far in building the glider community around Stanton for the next 25 years.  Our funding goal could be reached if every member family gave $3,500, but we know that won’t happen, so we’ll need some donors to give more.   Please give some thought about what MSC and the local glider community around Stanton means to you personally.  To achieve the vision of the MSC Twenty-First Century campaign, we need $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 donations.  Many have already given at the $5,000 level and a few generous individuals have already given or pledged at the $10,000 level or higher.  Please note, we are not listing individuals on the open website due to privacy concerns with such large donations, but we will be providing regular updates and recognition both at Stanton Airfield and through the newsletter.

Sponsorship levels:

  • 10% Club: $25,000
  • Lennie: $18,000
  • Diamond: $10,000
  • Gold: $5,000
  • Silver: $3,000
  • Bronze: $1,000

MSC 21st Century Fund Pledge Form

MSC Fleet Fund Committee

  • Bob Wander (Chair)
  • Paddy Dale
  • Laura Hohanshelt
  • Marilyn Meline
  • Scott Northard
  • Nicholas Remmes
  • George Underhill
  • Leon Zeug

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Have the Board Members and Fleet Fund Members all made donations?
    • Yes, and most of these donations are well in excess of $1,000.
  • Are my donations tax deductible?
    • No, we have not yet found an acceptable way to make this happen.  If, for some reason, we do find a way to make this happen, we will work with the donors in good faith and make reasonable efforts to re-characterize the donations if possible.  We ask donors to please not hold off on their donations with the expectation that funds will be tax deductible at some later point.
  • Why is the ASK21 work so expensive?
    • Approximately half of the expense is non-negotiable.  It is required by the manufacturer in order to meet airworthiness.  This includes, for example, a new canopy, new rigging, and other fairly expensive work.  However, if we stopped there, we would spend $35,000 or so and get a glider back that still looked fairly old and in need of some work.  The major part of the “optional” work is replacing the gel coat with polyurethane (a more durable finish), but this is an essential piece of glider maintenance that needs to be done.  It would be fiscally irresponsible to do half of the work and then not preserve that work with a new coat on the glider.
  • Why $250,000?  Shouldn’t the work on the Owl be less expensive?
    • The Board and the fleet committee want to go big on this.  We see this as an opportunity to set the club up for the next 25 years.  The details of how we proceed will have to be a club decision (by-laws say 75% vote for new capital expenditures), so the entire club will be part of this decision, but it will be much more fun if we have the money first.  The Board and the Fleet Committee believe reaching a goal of $250,000 will allow us to purchase whatever glider the club decides jointly to be the best new glider for the club.
  • Why is the board not having an assessment?
    • Our club is made up of a membership with very different goals and financial means, all at different points in their life with miscellaneous other obligations and priorities.  We recognize the club and the future success of the club may be less of a priority for some members than for others.  Thus uniform assessment of members is not necessarily as “fair” as it sounds.  Because of the change in structure of the club by-laws, members should feel comfortable that assets are well protected for the long term regardless of membership inflow or outflow.  This is your chance to make a difference if you believe in this long term vision of the club.
  • What if I want to give anonymously?
    • We would welcome your gift.  The best way to manage this is to contact either Bill Gacki or Vicki Chouinard directly.  They will ensure that they are the only ones who know of your donation – unless, of course, you change your mind.  If so, it would be our pleasure to recognize you for that donation.