I think any kind of targeted marketing will always do better
than any generally aimed aviation publicity.

Every single pilot I have ever met, power, glider,
helicopter, etc. all have one thing always in common:
they did SOMETHING in psuedo-aviation before getting
into FAA aviation.

Model aircraft, junior Civil Air Patrol, ultralights,
NASA space camp, visiting aviation museums, subscriptions
to aviation magazines/organization newsletter,
aviation related school courses, working the fuel truck
at the airport, etc.

I have recruited students from each one of these places
and gotten them to fly in an actual aircraft.

Sure, the walk-ins are important too. We had a family of
5 walk in yesterday, and we took one of the kids and
stuck him in the PW-2 with the goggles on and the family
laughed a lot and took a picture. And we gave a ride to
another friend who came with a pilot. Because all the
instructors were booked, we had her fly with one of our
Private Pilot - glider guys who'd been checked out for
backseat. They split the cost ( $37/2 ) and both had
a blast.

I worked the angles hard yesterday trying to get as
many people in the air as I could. I've noticed a LOT
of times people are just milling about. Like any
social setting, it just takes a catalyst. I say "how
'bout you go up with me," or I say "hey, I'm still
workin' with ground prep, why don't you get together
with Jerry/Jonathan/Roque/Mike/Joe and they'll
show you how it's done?"

Do you have 5 guys hangin' out a lot who are pilots but
not instructors? Have you checked them out in the
back seat? Do they understand how to brief brand
new passengers who've never flown in anything before?
Do they take airsick bags, keep the flights short,
do flights in nice smooth air, let the passenger pull the
release so it doesn't go unexpectedly BANG?
Can they give a nice, short, enjoyable flight?

Do these guys appreciate that they can fly twice as
much because they can split the direct cost with a passenger?

Then get them up there! I think they're more
impressed when they go up with a regular ol' license
holder than a CFIG anyway. I think because some people
have their first flight with a CFI they subconsciously
think only CFIs can carry passengers.
I know it sounds silly, but I've noticed a difference...

Get 'em in the air!

In article ,
plasticguy wrote:
In another thread it was noted that Television
drives (apparently) many sports. The sad fact
is that unless there is an extreme element to it,
most of those "sports" have reached critical
mass as far as participation levels are concerned.
The exceptions, indoor motocross freestyle jumping,
street luge and such all seem to have a few common
threads. You can get seriously messed up doing it, there is
a way to know,attach yourself to the participant and
get a rush vicariously thru the actions of others.

Soaring needs TV time. To get it it is goint to
have to compete with stuff like I mentioned until
it gets to a critical mass of participation.

I can think of no better example then PROFESSIONAL
DART TOSSING, live from Ceasars Palace....

Why on earth does this work? Because of the HUGE
installed base of 25cent a game dart boards in almost
any bar/pool hall I've seen. There are a BUNCH
of people doing it.

Soaring doesn't have this installed base of viewers, so it needs
to get extreme or edgy. REVIVE the Smirnov derby. Cross country
racing gliders is really no different than cross country racing antique
cars.
There is the equipment story, the pilot story, the where an I going to land
story all of which can be twisted into TV drama. THATS what needs to
happen to get the exposure. Give an advertiser a vehicle to hook a
viewer to sell his stuff.

Sorry to be so long winded.

Scott.




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Mark J. Boyd