Name that Puppy

by Ellis Kim

As soon as Matthew posted his suggestion on the listserver, the naming suggestions for the merged club (as if it was a fait-accomplit) started flying. Here are as many of them as I could find:

Doug Henderson suggested to call the club the Soaring Organization of the Atlantic Region. Ralph Sickinger pointed out that the following website names were still available: www.soar.info, www.soarclub.org, www.soarclub.info. Doug Henderson also suggested: CHAPS - Central Hanggliding And Paragliding Society.

Mark Cavanaugh was partial to:
MAPAC - Mid-Atlantic Pilots At Cloudbase,
MAHPA - Mid-Atlantic Hanggliding and Paragliding Association, or
HAPSMA - Hang Gliding and Paragliding Society of the Mid-Atlantic

Steve Pugh seconded MAHPA (as did a number of bagwing pilots)

Christopher McKee liked: Pilots And Paragliders Soaring Mainly in Easy Air Rarely Sinking?
Cragin Shelton replied: Well, gee, in honor of Chris's swabbie background, maybe we should use the Navy acronym formation rules, instead of the Air Force's. Many of you civilian types may not be aware that the Air Force creates acronyms in the simple and understandable method of taking the initial letter of each word in the phrase. The Navy, being a more creative bunch of folks, with lots of time on their hands while at sea, uses several initial letters (mostly 3, but the exact number varies by some hidden rule) from each word.
Thus if we become the Mid-Atlantic Hanggliding & Paragliding Foot Launch Flying Society, we will be MIDATHANPARFOOLAUFLYSOC

Dave Zuchero liked: Maryland And DC Organization of WingS

Cragin had a more serious suggestion after the Navy one earlier and he supplied some rationale, too: The new club needs to be the Basic Aviator Gliding Society (BAGS) Special Interest Groups with in the BAGS will be On Line Discussion OLD BAGS participate in the Listserve Launch Under Normally Calm Horizons LUNCH BAGS don't fly on rowdy days Highway Access- Need Driver HAND BAGS take care of XC retrieves Special Committee Undertaking Maintenance SCUM BAGS do the dirty work cleaning sites Nominations for additional committees and SIGs?

Marc Fink liked it and added another special interest group: FART Bags: Flight Activation Release Technique BAGS (aerotow pilots).

And last, but not least, Matthew Graham proposed:
Chesapeake Appalachian Thermalling Society
His reasons, not only is it descriptive of where we are and what we do, but also consider this: When you're going XC or trying to find a thermal, what do you often do... chase the birds. CATS love to chase birds. Pilots who like to fly in mellow conditions call those conditions what?? Pussy Air. The person on the top of the stack would be the TopCAT. The lady pilots would be the CAT Women. Those pilots who have to get bigger gliders because of their larger size are.. Fat CATS. We could really drive the Hang IIs and P2s crazy by calling them Kittens. A pilot who goes XC and we can't find him or her is a... Stray CAT. And, of course, the current Prez of CHGA is a... Tom CAT.