On Sunday, October 26, 2014 10:25:34 PM UTC-4, Nick Kennedy wrote:
I am curious if the SSA Board would support a small expenditure of funds to go out and try to get these already trained HG and PG pilots, that already know how to thermal and glide to join the SSA and to get their Glider Rating.

How does this rough proposal sound?

1. Get the contact information, for the last say 15 years, of the membership of the United Stated Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association.

2. Send out a return postage paid greeting, a welcome to learn to fly sailplanes and a inquiry of their possible interest.
Include generic "Cost to get your rating", some glossy pictures, some actual market costs for used gliders. Include the various major flight schools and major clubs and links to more local clubs.
3. Handle any positive responses professionally and get them a Mentor [ we would need to get some SSA members to do this] and or get a buddy system intact immediately, don't lose them.
Don't try and sell a ride, Sell a Rating, the whole package, books and training.
Explain the FAA is not hanging out with us and we never [ hopefully anyway!] see them or interact with them.
Try and get new prospects hooked up with others newbies in the same area so they have someone to relate to, learn with and maybe share a glider with.

4. As they move into glider ownership, keep the mentor ship going
HELP them get a good ship and trailer, not some POS
HELP them with instruments, and make sure they have good ones and that they work Correctly.
Help them launch at the right time.
Help them get out there on the good days by calling them.
Help them get on the OLC, this is called "setting the hook!" ha!


When I got into Soaring I had 2 awesome mentors, Jeff Campbell and "Glider" Bob Saunders. They helped me then and we have been a team ever since.

Trying to turn GA pilots, CAP Pilots etc. into Glider pilots just ain't working. Learning to soar is like Golf and Skiing; It is expense, takes forever and lots of smart people just don't ever click into it. And you never really master any of these sports, which actually is a major draw for most.
Believe me we have mentored alot of great GA pilots and few are going to or are into gliding today. Some for sure, but not many.
You have to want to go soaring so bad you will sacrifice a lot of stuff; Relationships, time with family, money, ignore the danger, accept spending the whole day to see it OD and rain etc etc.
Real soaring pilots are a rare breed.

I believe that there is a percentage of "soaring junkies" sitting at home that have cycled out out of HG and PG, or are about to, that would be willing to join Gliding IF it were clearly explained to them what it costs, what it takes, where to go and how happening it is in places like Moriarty, Nephi, Minden, Ely, Ridge Soaring, Seminole, Warner, Blairstown etc and all the great clubs out there.
The ease of a 5-6 hour flight, the relative ease of doing 500 km all the time.
The No more chase crew. How easy it is to stay up. Even the top guys who are very good bombout all the time; actually get them into a properly instrumented Ventus LS4, LS3 ASW 19/20 Discus etc and they go nuts.

Amen brother Nick!

Its the taste of going further, the challenge to stay up longer that drives HGing pilots and except for a few tow parks the physical and personal demands take there toll over the years. I flew HGers for 38 years, held regional XC records, placed well in national contests, won and place in regional contests. But to regularly fly with my HGing mates i had to carry my 85 lb glider plus harness up a steep mountain trail and after a while I would only go on the good days. Well in New England there aren't many "good" days. Waiting in a field until 2 in the morning after a 100 mile flight was loosing its luster.

At some point every HGer pilot faces a decision, either detune your equipment and fly less aggressively or quit altogether. Or they can increase their equipment performance and fly more miles and hours then they ever could before. Reach out to them and show them how to work a rudder and they will become excellent pilots.

Dennis