Why is Soaring declining

Agreed. But my intended point was that the vision was wrong. The focus
of the article was "how can we get the SSA to grow" where the focus
should have been "how can we get the sport to grow".

Point taken, and I am among those constantly lobbying for SSA to shoulder
systematic PR for the sport (staff member, press room,...). However,
consider Bob Wander's point from years ago already that SSA membership is
the most convenient tool there is to draw people in! For a mere $64 (less
than the cost of a one-time ride at many operations) and a few clicks online
or moments filling out a card, new prospects get 12 months of propaganda.
Like the HYCBAGP tri-fold says (originally written back in 1978 or so IIRC)
"There's more, but there isn't room to say it here. What do you do next?
We suggest... you become a member of (SSA)..."

"John H. Campbell" wrote in message
...
Agreed. But my intended point was that the vision was wrong. The focus
of the article was "how can we get the SSA to grow" where the focus
should have been "how can we get the sport to grow".

Point taken, and I am among those constantly lobbying for SSA to shoulder
systematic PR for the sport (staff member, press room,...). However,
consider Bob Wander's point from years ago already that SSA membership is
the most convenient tool there is to draw people in! For a mere $64 (less
than the cost of a one-time ride at many operations) and a few clicks
online
or moments filling out a card, new prospects get 12 months of propaganda.
Like the HYCBAGP tri-fold says (originally written back in 1978 or so
IIRC)
"There's more, but there isn't room to say it here. What do you do next?
We suggest... you become a member of (SSA)..."




So, John, SSA membership causes soaring to grow? Isn't it the other way
around?

I don't think I have ever known of even one new glider pilot to come to the
sport through the SSA. On the other hand, hard working commercial soaring
operations promoting rides to the public are probably responsible for 90% of
the few new pilots we get. If they could get a little help with that
promotion from the SSA, they could do an even better job.

Bill Daniels

Bill Daniels

Speaking from the standpoint of someone relatively new to soaring (September
2003), I can offer these observations:

1. SSA had *nothing* to do with my becoming involved in soaring. Not only
that -- during my days as a student pilot (and newly licensed pilot), it was
never suggested me to join SSA. In fact, when I eventually did join SSA, it
was to become a member of the ASA, so I could fly their club Grob. Four
months later, I can testify that being an SSA (and ASA!) member has
important things to offer that I was not aware of before, and I now
encourage other student and new pilots to become a member because of the
critical functions SSA performs for the protection and furtherance of our
sport. (Can you say *airspace*? I knew you could.)

2. I *did* become involved in soaring after (a) witnessing a soaring
operation at Wiener-Neustadt, Austria while attending a skydiving
competition in summer 2002, and (commercial operations take note!) (b)
having an aerobatic glider ride given to me as a birthday gift in February
2003 by a friend who heard an advertisement by Turf Soaring in Arizona. I
had always had an interesting in soaring, but those two events stand out.

3. I recall reading somewhere, pardon for not remembering specifically, that
a large part of the popularity of soaring in the 1960s, '70s and '80s was
due to the large number of military-trained pilots, trained for WWII, Korea
and Vietnam, who after their service turned to soaring as an economic
alternative for getting in the air. Quite simply, these pilots have been
retiring while the military has been down-sizing. It's logical that this is
at least part of the current decline.

4. I also read this somewhere, and it made sense too: access and exposure to
general aviation (small-market airports) by the average middle-class family
is much less than it used to be. Many small airports have been closed or
blocked off to walk-up spectators. We are simply not being seen as much as
before, and being seen is key.

5. The litigious turn our society has taken since the 1970s, especially in
the aviation industry, has simply priced too many people out of it.

-tcw
H304CZ "2NO"

As a newcomer to soaring (I have a grand total of 0.5 hours under my
belt), I was turned off to SSA simply by the (what I consider) high
membership dues. Yes, I can afford it, but having never seen an SSA
magazine, I am reluctant to fork out the cash to see if I like their
publication. Maybe they should offer a trial membership, something like
$10 for 3 months (a one-time deal). EAA has done this and I think it is
working. I don't really need to pay $64 for the privilege of soaring,
so there has to be some incentive to join. Just a thought...

Scott


Bill Daniels wrote:
"John H. Campbell" wrote in message
...

Agreed. But my intended point was that the vision was wrong. The focus
of the article was "how can we get the SSA to grow" where the focus
should have been "how can we get the sport to grow".

Point taken, and I am among those constantly lobbying for SSA to shoulder
systematic PR for the sport (staff member, press room,...). However,
consider Bob Wander's point from years ago already that SSA membership is
the most convenient tool there is to draw people in! For a mere $64 (less
than the cost of a one-time ride at many operations) and a few clicks

online

or moments filling out a card, new prospects get 12 months of propaganda.
Like the HYCBAGP tri-fold says (originally written back in 1978 or so

IIRC)

"There's more, but there isn't room to say it here. What do you do next?
We suggest... you become a member of (SSA)..."





So, John, SSA membership causes soaring to grow? Isn't it the other way
around?

I don't think I have ever known of even one new glider pilot to come to the
sport through the SSA. On the other hand, hard working commercial soaring
operations promoting rides to the public are probably responsible for 90% of
the few new pilots we get. If they could get a little help with that
promotion from the SSA, they could do an even better job.

Bill Daniels

Bill Daniels

Bill Daniels wrote:
"John H. Campbell" wrote in message
...

Agreed. But my intended point was that the vision was wrong. The focus
of the article was "how can we get the SSA to grow" where the focus
should have been "how can we get the sport to grow".

Point taken, and I am among those constantly lobbying for SSA to shoulder
systematic PR for the sport (staff member, press room,...). However,
consider Bob Wander's point from years ago already that SSA membership is
the most convenient tool there is to draw people in! For a mere $64 (less
than the cost of a one-time ride at many operations) and a few clicks

online

or moments filling out a card, new prospects get 12 months of propaganda.
Like the HYCBAGP tri-fold says (originally written back in 1978 or so

IIRC)

"There's more, but there isn't room to say it here. What do you do next?
We suggest... you become a member of (SSA)..."





So, John, SSA membership causes soaring to grow? Isn't it the other way
around?

I don't think I have ever known of even one new glider pilot to come to the
sport through the SSA. On the other hand, hard working commercial soaring
operations promoting rides to the public are probably responsible for 90% of
the few new pilots we get. If they could get a little help with that
promotion from the SSA, they could do an even better job.

Bill you got me thinking (remembering really). I was an SSA member when
I was 15 for one year, intending to learn to fly. Even with a glider
operation within bike riding distance at that time (Old Black Forest) I
didn't start to fly until I was in my late 20's. Money wasn't the
issue, I was an industrious teen. Such an easy catch and they still
missed me for a dozen years.

Shawn

writes:

I don't think I have ever known of even one new glider pilot to come to the
sport through the SSA.

I became an active pilot after my wife (girlfriend at the time) gave my an SSA
membership for my birthday.

Steve
OK, so I was flying hang gliders at the time and sometimes bought Soaring at
the newsstand. (You can't do that anymore.)

This sounds like an excellent idea. Perhaps we could
coordinate nationally for one specific Saturday or
Sunday. That might get some national news attention.At 02:18 19 April 2004, Lennie The Lurker (JohnD) wrote in message news:... In my area clubs are having a hard time due to decreasing
membership.I can offer a half dozen things that I've never seen
triedconsistantly, and they don't depend on waiting for
any nationalorganization to move, or depend on a commercial concern
that is moreinterested in their own survival.Get permission first, go to as many parks as you can
that you knowpeople visit, set up a SIMPLE glider, not something
that has a panellike a 747. If there's another activity happening
at the time, somuch the better, but set up someplace where you won't
interfere withthat activity. You don't want to try to intercept
everyone, only bewhere you can be seen and heard by people that had
enough interest to come and look.You don't want to send the club, (or commercial operation's)
hotshot,or the guy that won't fly anything below (insert L/D
here), send anaverage pilot, armed with enough paperwork to be able
to answer mostof the questions. Send two of them, easier to put
the plane together,and you might have an audience while you're doing it.
(2-33 or Lark,bad choice, small committee needed.)Sure, someone's going to have to give up part of a
day, or a day, butthe next week it will be someone else's turn to do
the same thing. Ifthe first time gives no results, keep trying, once
is usually notenough. I've been doing it for thirteen years in amateur
astronomy,but we've been having a slow growth of people that
come back everyweek now. We've also had a slow growth of people that
come back withtelescopes of their own, ('Can you help me with this?')By being consistant, and by being there, we bring in
converts, butthen we also realize that at night, there isn't a lot
of competitionfor the audience. We also work with the park admin,
and have postersall over the place saying when and where we are and
at what time. (Usually sunset.) You also have to tie in with an
activity theyunderstand, such as 'Hmmm, birdwatchers, constellations
that are namedafter birds,' (Corvus, Aquila, Cygnus) and do anything
you can to grabtheir interest, if only for a few minutes. We've even
been known tocapitalize on the mysticism practiced by Tycho or the
dedication ofKeppler, depending on if we're talking to serious students
or UFOfreaks. You have to be flexible, have some knowledge
of what they'reinterested in, although just enough to know a little
on the subject,and above all, be willing to answer question after
question, eventhough it may seem like you just answered the same
thing fifteenseconds ago. Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, YMCA, School
groups, we welcomethem all, fully knowing that gaining even one is unlikely,
but wedon't know when that one will show up. LIke soaring,
we can't affordto miss that one.In the thirteen years, we've seen our number grow from
just the two ofus to the seven or eight that we can count on seeing
on a halfwayconsistant basis. That's what two can do, think of
what could be donewith a dozen clubs doing the same thing, and I'm not
a member of anyclub. As we get people from all over, we don't know
how many lookedup the local astronomy club when they got home, but
it's nice to thinkthat maybe we did make a difference.If anyone can tell me why it wouldn't work with soaring,
I'd beinterested in hearing it.

Nyal Williams wrote in message ...
To give SSA its due; membership numbers are as good
a sampling as any to show the decline in the sport.

As with any other hobby, membership in the central organization
indicates what is happening in the hobby, not the other way around.

Soaring requires a lot of investment of time across
several years to make it more than a passing fancy.

Look at this statement, soaring is another hobby, nothing more, a way
to entertaining ones inner child. It, like any other hobby, can
become obsessive, and the "one" the "all" when it's really only
important to the one that's doing it. When it becomes an obsession,
it ceases to be fun unless the reason one does it is satisfied.

As far as investment in time and money, I have 44 years as a
metalworker, and I'm still learning, I'll never know it all. In
money, I probably have as much invested in hobby type machines as I
had in that waste of money called a 1-26. (I _know_ I have, and
probably three times as much.)

Never before has so much been available to people that wanted to try
something but found it "just out of reach" for them, and with the
notable exception of soaring, never has there been so much serviceable
equipment available as cheaply as it is now.


So far, all of the arguments I've read here are, "sit back and hope
SSA does it for us." It ain't gonna happen. Every hobby that's now
flourishing is doing so because the materials and equipment are
readily and cheaply available. Interest in many, the ones that are a
continuous drain on resources, is declining, as is the amount of
disposable income. Look at the situation as it is, not as you want to
see it. Soaring doesn't need another $80k custom built hand made by
gnomes or trolls in der black forest, but anything that doesn't
measure up to some peoples wishes will be met with a blast of badmouth
right away. Almost every sailplane made today is made with the
competitor in mind, and the manufacturers aren't going to listen to
any suggestion that maybe something more pedestrian might sell. Which
suits the competitors quite well, and insures that the number of new
people will remain small, and declining.

Saying that people are "too lazy" to soar is like me saying soaring
people are too lazy to try metalworking. I just made a skid plate for
a 2-33 out of 1/4 inch AR plate, 3 1/2 hours pushing it through the
saw to cut to size. Call me lazy if you will, but I'd rather push the
steel than pay through the nose for what soaring costs, and it's just
as interesting.

At the risk of encouraging him, Lennie's recent post to this thread is the
most logical and reasoned of any of his (and most everyone else's) that I
have read recently. Thanks Leninie, good points.

--
bobgreenblattATmsnDOTcom --fix this before responding

Bob Greenblatt wrote:
At the risk of encouraging him, Lennie's recent post to this thread is the
most logical and reasoned of any of his (and most everyone else's) that I
have read recently. Thanks Leninie, good points.

Lennie's actually pressed this point before, but too many of us are
defensive, and don't look past the tactlessness to see the the truth of
what he is saying.

--
-----
change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA