Soaring and Critical Mass of Participation.

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.

At 16:30 30 January 2005, 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,

You should go back and read John Shelton's posts.
He tried very hard to take us down that path and he
hit a stone wall.

My own observation is that those sports are not overseen
by the FAA or other governmental agencies. We can't
get too edgy and yet proclaim to the world and the
bureaucracy that we are a safe, sane sport that doesn't
need to be regulated out of the sky. Those sports
are localized within boundaries that everyone recognizes
(if you are threatened or frightened by them, stay
out of the building). We fly over the heads of an
unsuspecting public and they get paranoid and demand
that the politicians protect them from us.

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.




--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd

Well, ultralights are just barely regulated by the federal
government, and their numbers are perhaps roughly the
same as soaring. The difference is that they hand out
"Basic Flight Instructor" certifications much more
readily.

If there is one part of the FAA regulation that has really
confounded this whole thing, it has been the barriers to entry for
instructors. And the barriers to Airplane instructors are
important too, because there is a lot of instructor spillover.

Sport pilot fixes this, some.

Befo
------------------
Airplane SEL Private Pilot Practical Test
Airplane SEL Instrument Practical Test
Airplane SEL Commercial Practical Test
Airplane SEL Instructor Practical Test
Glider Private Pilot Practical Test
Glider Commercial Practical Test
Glider Instructor Practical Test

Airplane SEL Private Pilot written test
Airplane Commercial written test
Airplane Instrument written test
Airplane Instructor written test
Glider instructor written test


After Sport Pilot:
------------------
Sport, Recreational, or Private Practical Test in any cat/class
Sport Pilot Instructor Practical Test in any cat/class

SP written test in any cat/class
SP Instructor written test in any cat/class

Add any new cat/class to your Sport Pilot instructor privileges
by flying with 2 CFIs and having them endorse you.

Seven practical tests with a DPE, and five written tests?
vs.
2 practical tests and two written tests.

There's a lot of crossover from airplane instructors to
glider instructors, so this is relevant.

If you're reading this and you can't see how reducing
the number of tests to about one-third is a significant
reduction to barriers to entry, then I'm surprised.

I for one see this as an opportunity to get the
younger crowds who like less "hassle" into flying.
And in slow, easy to fly aircraft, it doesn't bother me
a bit that they won't go through 12 FAA mandated tests to
get there.

Grow your pool of instructors! If you have to, snatch them
from the 80,000 airplane CFIs, and transition them to glider instructors
under the sport pilot rules without taking a practical test.
And get them a 2-33 or SZD 50-3 to fly.

I know, I know, it's kind of like asking the grass to grow faster

In article ,
Nyal Williams wrote:
At 16:30 30 January 2005, 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,

You should go back and read John Shelton's posts.
He tried very hard to take us down that path and he
hit a stone wall.

My own observation is that those sports are not overseen
by the FAA or other governmental agencies. We can't
get too edgy and yet proclaim to the world and the
bureaucracy that we are a safe, sane sport that doesn't
need to be regulated out of the sky. Those sports
are localized within boundaries that everyone recognizes
(if you are threatened or frightened by them, stay
out of the building). We fly over the heads of an
unsuspecting public and they get paranoid and demand
that the politicians protect them from us.





--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd

I don't think that the current procedures and regs should be viewed as a
"barrier" for new instructors. I worked very hard to become an Instructor
and want new Instructors to have the same type of training. Even with all
my work and continual studying, I still know that there are things that I
can improve on.

Lessening the requirements would only lead to bad training and more
accidents. The goal is not to have more people in the air, but more well
trained people in the air.

Fred Blair

same as soaring. The difference is that they hand out
"Basic Flight Instructor" certifications much more
readily.

If there is one part of the FAA regulation that has really
confounded this whole thing, it has been the barriers to entry for
instructors. And the barriers to Airplane instructors are
important too, because there is a lot of instructor spillover.

Mark James Boyd wrote:

** Snipped **

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?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is a very interesting point. I've been flying for almost 20 years,
been an airline pilot and flying instructor, but never been passenger rated
in a glider. Everything else you mentioned I sat here nodding knowingly
(been there, done that, cleaned the chunder from the panel...), until the
point about the cable release.

Have to remember that when I get pax rated soon Or at least make sure
they (the punters) know exactly what to expect if club policy wont allow a
"non-pilot" to pull the bung.

Cheers,

James
--
You've been leading a dog's life. Stay off the furniture.

"Centurion" wrote in message
...
Mark James Boyd wrote:

** Snipped **

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?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is a very interesting point. I've been flying for almost 20 years,
been an airline pilot and flying instructor, but never been passenger
rated
in a glider. Everything else you mentioned I sat here nodding knowingly
(been there, done that, cleaned the chunder from the panel...), until the
point about the cable release.

Have to remember that when I get pax rated soon Or at least make sure
they (the punters) know exactly what to expect if club policy wont allow a
"non-pilot" to pull the bung.
Cheers,
James
You've been leading a dog's life. Stay off the furniture.

Most clubs and insurance companies would look at this type of operation as a
"Demo" flight and require a Commercial rated glider pilot to "give the ride"
as stated in the insurance policy. I think the only way you could actually
do a "shared expense ride" with a Private Pilot, would be if the Pvt PIC
actually knew the person before that day, and was not taking the "ride" for
a flight except at the suggestion of someone else and not have it questioned
by the insurance company in the event of an incident.

I'll agree that the original suggestion did not differentiate between Comm
or Pvt, just the "back seat checkout", and yes.. we also require back seat
checkouts on all our pilots who wish to exercise PIC privileges from the aft
pilot compartment.

When flying the SGS 2-33, the release is a BANG if "soft release techniques"
are not used
with the Grob103, it is more of a thud.. but then again.. soft release and
almost nothing is heard.

BT

Sometimes I wonder if soaring hasn't already reached a kind of critical
mass.

Apart from other competing interests and local availability factors,
the cost will always limit many people in their endeavours to become a
soaring pilot.

To get the costs down sufficiently to really interest a new kind of
public, you would have to multiply the number of sailplanes and pilots
so much, that our already cluttered airspace would be completely
saturated.


--
stephanevdv
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted via OziPilots Online [ http://www.OziPilotsOnline.com.au ]
- A website for Australian Pilots regardless of when, why, or what they fly -

stephanevdv wrote:
Sometimes I wonder if soaring hasn't already reached a kind of critical
mass.

Apart from other competing interests and local availability factors,
the cost will always limit many people in their endeavours to become a
soaring pilot.

To get the costs down sufficiently to really interest a new kind of
public, you would have to multiply the number of sailplanes and pilots
so much, that our already cluttered airspace would be completely
saturated.

Surely you aren't talking about Australian airspace? Or USA airspace for
that matter. Europe maybe?


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

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

At 12:00 01 February 2005, Stephanevdv wrote:

Sometimes I wonder if soaring hasn't already reached
a kind of critical
mass.

Apart from other competing interests and local availability
factors,
the cost will always limit many people in their endeavours
to become a
soaring pilot.

To get the costs down sufficiently to really interest
a new kind of
public, you would have to multiply the number of sailplanes
and pilots
so much, that our already cluttered airspace would
be completely
saturated.


--
stephanevdv

Lots of truth in that statment; we can't expect the
numbers to quadruple.
------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Posted via OziPilots Online [ http://www.OziPilotsOnline.com.au
]
- A website for Australian Pilots regardless of when,
why, or what they fly -