At 00:32 09 November 2010, Mike Schumann wrote:

1st impressions make a huge difference. When you are dealing with a new

person who is interested in the sport, you want to make sure that
his/her 1st glider experience is a positive one.

It's not just what kind of glider it is, but also what condition it is
in. A pristine L-13 can make a very good impression, matching a
mediocre K-21. The same goes for a museum quality 2-33. However, a
worn glider that sits outside just, doesn't do it for a lot of people,
including power pilots who are just putting their toes in the water.

I would suggest that the attitude of the ride pilot is just as important,
if not more so, than pure appearances. And a ride pilot is obviously
going to treat a pilot passenger differently than a novice.

Not to mention the attitude of the other people assisting with the flight
or just hanging around the gliders. When I first starting taking lessons
to transition from power to gliders, the club on the field took absolutely
*no* interest in what I was doing, or explaining what the club had to
offer, or attempting to interest me in joining. I practically had to
force myself on them (damn glad I did it, too). We generally present an
unfortunate impression of aloofness and distraction. The gregarious,
outgoing, friendly glider folks are a valuable exception.

Jim Beckman