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#31
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"Bruce Greeff" wrote in message ... Shawn Curry wrote: bt news wrote: In the UK the problems associated with getting a bunch of high school kids onto an airfield are far too challenging for the average club. Health and safety, child protection and the sheer responsibility of having someone else's kids under the control of an unnofficial, untrained, unsupported and potentially 'dangerous' supervisor is enough to make this a non-starter! Nah, its not so hard. Myself and a fellow clubie once flew with about 10 14 year olds. We were in the gliders most of the time. We gave them rules and instructions. Followed up between flights. No problems and no complaints. Shawn Just ran a flying day for some scouts. 9 girls, one boy version turned up and we had a really good day. Started off with a safety lecture at the hangar. Took them to the launch point and got them to follow around with a daily inspection, and then made 30 flights, including taking some of their parents up. The biggest problem we had safety wise was a club member having a senior moment and sending the retrieve vehicle up the runway when we had a cable out. Slowed things down a bit but our procedures worked and no danger incurred. Experience has been similar to Shawn's - Have well thought out rule, explain the rules, be alert to problems, enjoy a really rewarding day. Kids in the 10-16 age group who come out to the field are generally no problem. They were safe, worked hard and were a pleasure to have around, wish I could say the same of some of the adult geniuses we occasionally get turning up for a flight. It is a bit of work, and you have to have the right people on the field but is is a great way to introduce people to the sport. Will be doing this with my scout troop in a few weeks. In the US Boy Scouts there are some permit (two-week lead time) and consent (two signatures for most) requirements Permit http://www.longspeakbsa.org/forms/flight.pdf Consent http://www.scouting.org/pubs/gss/forms/23-673.pdf Plus your local release. You might add a Young Eagles recognition also. Frank Whiteley |
#32
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At the site where I am a part-time instructor, we give rides to troops of boy
scouts perhpas twice a year. They come in troops of 15 - 20 kids, plus adult supervisors. They each get a ride from a 2500-ft tow. To my knowledge, not one of the literally hundreds of kids who were given intros to soaring has ever come back for instruction. Cheers anyhow, Charles |
#33
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"Vorsanger1" wrote in message ... At the site where I am a part-time instructor, we give rides to troops of boy scouts perhpas twice a year. They come in troops of 15 - 20 kids, plus adult supervisors. They each get a ride from a 2500-ft tow. To my knowledge, not one of the literally hundreds of kids who were given intros to soaring has ever come back for instruction. Cheers anyhow, Charles I don't disagree with your sentiment at all. I've promoted soaring at EAA regionals, airport open houses, at school days, shopping malls, and universities. By far the best results have come from universities and several clubs near major universities have been successful at this. Other clubs, with historical roots in university clubs, have distanced themselves somewhat. That being said, most new members in our gaggle have been walk-ons with 2-3 coming in as acquaintances of members. More than half have come with private power tickets and a couple with commercial or higher ratings. Soaring still belongs to the seeker. Most of the churn this past year has been due to work re-location and lay-offs. The only reason I'm organizing my Scout troop is for continuing troop activity through the summer months. The past two Scoutmasters didn't want to meet during the summer months and our troop has dwindled to about half it's original size as a result. A few of these current scouts will make Eagle some day and may find that Scouting, like soaring, is an activity one can be involved with for life if you're willing to stay fit and enjoy the rigors. Plus it dovetails with the Aviation and Bird Study Merit Badges (to be conducted by a locally well-known and world traveled Audobon Society member who has a recognized bird sanctuary in his garden). Perhaps one of these Scouts will get to soar with a hawk, or even a bald eagle. The winch launch will grab their attention anyway. Frank |
#34
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"Marcel Duenner" wrote in message m... wrote in message ... Have to ask yourself if this really is the kind of people you want to involve in soaring... Fair-goers awaiting some new source of entertainment- Admittedly, I want people interested in the sport that are willing to work toward a goal, not be given something that is easily obtained and cheaply advertised. It's a great sport, an amazing gift- I don't want it taken for granted by those seeking entertainment, I want it enjoyed by those seeking joy- Of course we don't really want that kind of people. But don't worry - they won't stay. And don't forget that not all fair-goers are soaring pilots but some might be if you give them the opportunity. I think the idea was to get lots more people to know about our sport and have a little taste of it. As John said: throw enough people into the air, and some of them might stay up. As a side effect we get positive publicity which is another thing the sport needs desperately. Not exactly the same audience but with a higher success rate: At our club we offer an introduction to soaring for about 80US$ three to five times a year, depending on demand. It includes an evening of theory and a day of gliding. One aerotow and one or two winch launches per person. Depends on weather and on how long the flights turn out to be. We take 6 to 10 people a time and require a minimum age of 14 so if they like it they can start next year. We get about 1 or 2 new members each time. Marcel Why walk when you can soar? We offer a three flight mini-course, $200US, which has been a reasonably successful recruitment tool. I can't recall anyone taking a scenic flight that's ever returned for instruction. At one of my former UK civil clubs, we used the longest day of the year for fund-raising by offering an Air Experience Flight (1500ft winch launch) for 14UKP. We did 130 between 7AM and about 8PM on a two drum winch run. It was a lot of effort and generated no members, but that wasn't the goal either. Frank |
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