"Al Gerharter" wrote in message
s.com...
John is correct, and this is good advice.

Once established a bit, get the flight school to lend you a 150 for a
weekend. Park it at a shopping center, or fairgrounds, or whatever for a
weekend, and handout Introductory flight coupons. I used a business
exposition, the sheriff flagged off the entry driveway for 15 minutes at
6:00am, and I flew it in. The school flourished for two years after that,
I
had more students than I could fly, and I ran out of Intro coupons that
weekend. I just set up a table under the wing, displayed a "Cessna red bag
of obvious value", the training kit, and talked with folks.
Bring pictures of successful students and the local area. 18 months
later, the school slowed down, and the charter side picked up with all of
the students that never finished, or did not have the time/money to pursue
after the license. We flew business people for years after the "Expo".
Much like barnstorming, bring the airplane to the people. Let the kids
sit in it, and go home to tell dad about it. Send them home with a
Polaroid
that has your name & number on it. Print business cards with a flight plan
form on the back, and hand them out at the airport. Sell the thrill, it's
your strongest card. Have fun doing it, it rubs off. Good Luck.

Al Gerharter CFIAMI

I couldn't agree with this more. Take it to the people and get them
excited. Join the local EAA chapter and do so Young Eagle flights (possibly
in a borrowed airplane or with the flying school's airplane). Find a ride
operator in your area and hook up with them. We do biplane rides and aerial
sightseeing in our area. A lot of people get out of the airplane asking
about learning to fly. We refer people to some young but enthusiastic CFI's
in our area all the time.

Our city is the headquarters for "Ducks Unlimited". Every year they have
"The Great Outdoors Festival". We always take the airplane and we do really
well.

Rick Pellicciotti, Belle Aire Tours, Inc.
http://www.belleairetours.com