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The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?



 
 
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  #111  
Old April 2nd 21, 02:47 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Gregg Ballou[_2_]
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Posts: 63
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 9:06:25 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 8:21:09 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Gliding is not in decline because it has become too expensive. It is in decline because it has failed to adapt to the needs and demands of society as it is today.

"I know what I'm going to do for fun this weekend....I'll spend my Saturday hanging around with 85 year olds, pushing heavy gliders about all day and hopefully I'll get a 20 min flight in return for my efforts".


Anyone who thinks finances are NOT a factor in the decline of gliding, has their head up their a$$. It may not be the only factor, but it most definitely is a major contributor. Most successful clubs are large. With large clubs comes significantly more dues, thus padding the bottom line, and thus enabling them to operate nicer equipment. How much $ do you think that club has invested in their equipment that operates 5 tugs and 5 K21s? Where did that money come from? There is this concept of critical mass, where you need a certain number of paying members to support the success of the operation. Below that, things start to dwindle and die. I did my training at a club that had a 2-33 and a Lark. Members hated flying the Lark. The instructor did not teach XC because he had no personal experience in it, and if the 2-33 landed out, it was a HUGE deal to trailer it back to the club. After getting my license in the 2-33, I bought my own glass ship, but they refused to tow me because I hadn't been checked out in it. But they also couldn't offer training to transition me from a 2-33 into a glass ship because the club didn't have one. They couldn't afford it. So I had to go elsewhere to get the training I needed to transition into my own glider. But that hasn't happened yet. I had to go to a commercial operation that charges SIGNIFICANTLY more than what the club charges. One 2-days weekend cost me almost as much as my entire ab-initio training cost me at the club. This has further delayed my training because I've had to take breaks from my training to save up money, often going 2 months between lessons during a limited soaring season (May to September). Now I will be the first to admit that the commercial operation is giving me excellent, quality training, and is making me a better pilot. But the financial aspect of it has been the biggest limiting factor in my development as a glider pilot. I live in a part of the country where there are no active soaring operations. I've had to travel 4hrs one way just to get training, and I see tremendous potential for soaring in my immediate area. I dream of starting a local club. But again, the biggest hinderance to that dream is the financial aspect of it. There just isn't enough of an interest locally to support the necessary financial investment needed to start something and "get it off the ground". I do agree with G2 that Condor has tremendous potential at generating interest among young people, particularly when it is used with the immersion of VR. I hope that one day this can be my reality of working with young people locally to set up an operation that is both affordable and captivating. I believe it is doable. But it will take a significant capital investment that I just don't have at this time. So please, don't say that gliding is not too expensive. Expense is the single biggest barrier I'm facing in my own personal development, and in moving forward with my vision.

If there was interest in soaring the money would follow. I heard every 2022 snowmobile is already sold by pre order. RVs, ATVs, boats and such are flying off the shelves. It ain't a lack of money, in your area it might be a lack of population density, but that is different.
  #112  
Old April 2nd 21, 03:14 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Wallace Berry[_2_]
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Posts: 122
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 8:06:25 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 8:21:09 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Gliding is not in decline because it has become too expensive. It is in decline because it has failed to adapt to the needs and demands of society as it is today.

"I know what I'm going to do for fun this weekend....I'll spend my Saturday hanging around with 85 year olds, pushing heavy gliders about all day and hopefully I'll get a 20 min flight in return for my efforts".


Anyone who thinks finances are NOT a factor in the decline of gliding, has their head up their a$$. It may not be the only factor, but it most definitely is a major contributor. Most successful clubs are large. With large clubs comes significantly more dues, thus padding the bottom line, and thus enabling them to operate nicer equipment. How much $ do you think that club has invested in their equipment that operates 5 tugs and 5 K21s? Where did that money come from? There is this concept of critical mass, where you need a certain number of paying members to support the success of the operation. Below that, things start to dwindle and die. I did my training at a club that had a 2-33 and a Lark. Members hated flying the Lark. The instructor did not teach XC because he had no personal experience in it, and if the 2-33 landed out, it was a HUGE deal to trailer it back to the club. After getting my license in the 2-33, I bought my own glass ship, but they refused to tow me because I hadn't been checked out in it. But they also couldn't offer training to transition me from a 2-33 into a glass ship because the club didn't have one. They couldn't afford it. So I had to go elsewhere to get the training I needed to transition into my own glider. But that hasn't happened yet. I had to go to a commercial operation that charges SIGNIFICANTLY more than what the club charges. One 2-days weekend cost me almost as much as my entire ab-initio training cost me at the club. This has further delayed my training because I've had to take breaks from my training to save up money, often going 2 months between lessons during a limited soaring season (May to September). Now I will be the first to admit that the commercial operation is giving me excellent, quality training, and is making me a better pilot. But the financial aspect of it has been the biggest limiting factor in my development as a glider pilot. I live in a part of the country where there are no active soaring operations. I've had to travel 4hrs one way just to get training, and I see tremendous potential for soaring in my immediate area. I dream of starting a local club. But again, the biggest hinderance to that dream is the financial aspect of it. There just isn't enough of an interest locally to support the necessary financial investment needed to start something and "get it off the ground". I do agree with G2 that Condor has tremendous potential at generating interest among young people, particularly when it is used with the immersion of VR. I hope that one day this can be my reality of working with young people locally to set up an operation that is both affordable and captivating. I believe it is doable. But it will take a significant capital investment that I just don't have at this time. So please, don't say that gliding is not too expensive. Expense is the single biggest barrier I'm facing in my own personal development, and in moving forward with my vision.




How do you know that there is not enough local interest? More likely the problem is not enough local awareness of the existence of soaring. Motorless flying is WAY outside what most people even believe is possible. Knowledge coupled with access (that’s what clubs are for) can really change that. So, how many people does it really take to start a club? Same as for nearly everything that gets done: one committed individual. Oh, but aviation is different, it is expensive! Yes it is. But there are ways. Oh, yes, there are ways!

So, here’s one way to do it:

Get a glider. How does one individual afford that? Get a loan with the option to only pay interest. My club was started by one guy who bought a Ka-7 and a Ka-8 and financed them with just such a loan. Our monthly payment on the Ka-7 was $50 if we elected to only pay interest. We had months when that’s all we could afford. But, guess what? The club that coalesced around those two old gliders actually ended up paying off that Ka-7 and Ka-8 early.

Get a ground launch rig: 1000 meters of Dacron, or Dyneema rope, a tow pulley setup, and a tow vehicle with a trailer hitch. You can launch without a pulley setup, but you will get better launches with the pulley and it's easier on the tow vehicle. I can give you details on where to get this stuff.

Find a place to fly. With the pulley launch system, you don’t even need completely smooth ground since the tow car will never have to go faster than 30 mph. If it's smooth enough to land the glider on, you are good.

Get ground launch qualified. You might have to travel to some place where they do auto or winch launch. Sooner, rather than later your club will need a ground launch qualified instructor. Get your CFI! SSA has scholarships to help you do that. I got my CFI-G cert that way.

By the time you have found a glider, you should be able to cultivate sufficient interest in a couple others who will chip in to get the club going.

My club started this way back in 1990-91 and today we have over 50 members, 5 club gliders (soon to be 6 with addition of a second glass 2-seater), and a Pawnee towplane with recently refurbed like new engine and airframe.

Establishing a club is a lot of work and it requires committed individuals who will do whatever it takes to keep it going. With luck, you will find that there are more like-minded folks around than you think.
  #113  
Old April 6th 21, 07:43 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Frank Whiteley
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Posts: 2,099
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 7:47:02 PM UTC-6, Gregg Ballou wrote:
On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 9:06:25 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 8:21:09 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Gliding is not in decline because it has become too expensive. It is in decline because it has failed to adapt to the needs and demands of society as it is today.

"I know what I'm going to do for fun this weekend....I'll spend my Saturday hanging around with 85 year olds, pushing heavy gliders about all day and hopefully I'll get a 20 min flight in return for my efforts".


Anyone who thinks finances are NOT a factor in the decline of gliding, has their head up their a$$. It may not be the only factor, but it most definitely is a major contributor. Most successful clubs are large. With large clubs comes significantly more dues, thus padding the bottom line, and thus enabling them to operate nicer equipment. How much $ do you think that club has invested in their equipment that operates 5 tugs and 5 K21s? Where did that money come from? There is this concept of critical mass, where you need a certain number of paying members to support the success of the operation. Below that, things start to dwindle and die. I did my training at a club that had a 2-33 and a Lark. Members hated flying the Lark. The instructor did not teach XC because he had no personal experience in it, and if the 2-33 landed out, it was a HUGE deal to trailer it back to the club. After getting my license in the 2-33, I bought my own glass ship, but they refused to tow me because I hadn't been checked out in it. But they also couldn't offer training to transition me from a 2-33 into a glass ship because the club didn't have one. They couldn't afford it. So I had to go elsewhere to get the training I needed to transition into my own glider. But that hasn't happened yet. I had to go to a commercial operation that charges SIGNIFICANTLY more than what the club charges. One 2-days weekend cost me almost as much as my entire ab-initio training cost me at the club. This has further delayed my training because I've had to take breaks from my training to save up money, often going 2 months between lessons during a limited soaring season (May to September). Now I will be the first to admit that the commercial operation is giving me excellent, quality training, and is making me a better pilot. But the financial aspect of it has been the biggest limiting factor in my development as a glider pilot. I live in a part of the country where there are no active soaring operations. I've had to travel 4hrs one way just to get training, and I see tremendous potential for soaring in my immediate area. I dream of starting a local club. But again, the biggest hinderance to that dream is the financial aspect of it. There just isn't enough of an interest locally to support the necessary financial investment needed to start something and "get it off the ground". I do agree with G2 that Condor has tremendous potential at generating interest among young people, particularly when it is used with the immersion of VR. I hope that one day this can be my reality of working with young people locally to set up an operation that is both affordable and captivating. I believe it is doable. But it will take a significant capital investment that I just don't have at this time. So please, don't say that gliding is not too expensive. Expense is the single biggest barrier I'm facing in my own personal development, and in moving forward with my vision.

If there was interest in soaring the money would follow. I heard every 2022 snowmobile is already sold by pre order. RVs, ATVs, boats and such are flying off the shelves. It ain't a lack of money, in your area it might be a lack of population density, but that is different.


Indeed, twenty years ago $800 million annually was spent on snowmobiling in Maine alone.
  #114  
Old April 6th 21, 07:56 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Frank Whiteley
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 2,099
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 8:14:14 PM UTC-6, wrote:
On Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 8:06:25 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 8:21:09 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Gliding is not in decline because it has become too expensive. It is in decline because it has failed to adapt to the needs and demands of society as it is today.

"I know what I'm going to do for fun this weekend....I'll spend my Saturday hanging around with 85 year olds, pushing heavy gliders about all day and hopefully I'll get a 20 min flight in return for my efforts".


Anyone who thinks finances are NOT a factor in the decline of gliding, has their head up their a$$. It may not be the only factor, but it most definitely is a major contributor. Most successful clubs are large. With large clubs comes significantly more dues, thus padding the bottom line, and thus enabling them to operate nicer equipment. How much $ do you think that club has invested in their equipment that operates 5 tugs and 5 K21s? Where did that money come from? There is this concept of critical mass, where you need a certain number of paying members to support the success of the operation. Below that, things start to dwindle and die. I did my training at a club that had a 2-33 and a Lark. Members hated flying the Lark. The instructor did not teach XC because he had no personal experience in it, and if the 2-33 landed out, it was a HUGE deal to trailer it back to the club. After getting my license in the 2-33, I bought my own glass ship, but they refused to tow me because I hadn't been checked out in it. But they also couldn't offer training to transition me from a 2-33 into a glass ship because the club didn't have one. They couldn't afford it. So I had to go elsewhere to get the training I needed to transition into my own glider. But that hasn't happened yet. I had to go to a commercial operation that charges SIGNIFICANTLY more than what the club charges. One 2-days weekend cost me almost as much as my entire ab-initio training cost me at the club. This has further delayed my training because I've had to take breaks from my training to save up money, often going 2 months between lessons during a limited soaring season (May to September). Now I will be the first to admit that the commercial operation is giving me excellent, quality training, and is making me a better pilot. But the financial aspect of it has been the biggest limiting factor in my development as a glider pilot. I live in a part of the country where there are no active soaring operations. I've had to travel 4hrs one way just to get training, and I see tremendous potential for soaring in my immediate area. I dream of starting a local club. But again, the biggest hinderance to that dream is the financial aspect of it. There just isn't enough of an interest locally to support the necessary financial investment needed to start something and "get it off the ground". I do agree with G2 that Condor has tremendous potential at generating interest among young people, particularly when it is used with the immersion of VR. I hope that one day this can be my reality of working with young people locally to set up an operation that is both affordable and captivating. I believe it is doable. But it will take a significant capital investment that I just don't have at this time. So please, don't say that gliding is not too expensive. Expense is the single biggest barrier I'm facing in my own personal development, and in moving forward with my vision.

How do you know that there is not enough local interest? More likely the problem is not enough local awareness of the existence of soaring. Motorless flying is WAY outside what most people even believe is possible. Knowledge coupled with access (that’s what clubs are for) can really change that. So, how many people does it really take to start a club? Same as for nearly everything that gets done: one committed individual. Oh, but aviation is different, it is expensive! Yes it is. But there are ways. Oh, yes, there are ways!

So, here’s one way to do it:

Get a glider. How does one individual afford that? Get a loan with the option to only pay interest. My club was started by one guy who bought a Ka-7 and a Ka-8 and financed them with just such a loan. Our monthly payment on the Ka-7 was $50 if we elected to only pay interest. We had months when that’s all we could afford. But, guess what? The club that coalesced around those two old gliders actually ended up paying off that Ka-7 and Ka-8 early.

Get a ground launch rig: 1000 meters of Dacron, or Dyneema rope, a tow pulley setup, and a tow vehicle with a trailer hitch. You can launch without a pulley setup, but you will get better launches with the pulley and it's easier on the tow vehicle. I can give you details on where to get this stuff..

Find a place to fly. With the pulley launch system, you don’t even need completely smooth ground since the tow car will never have to go faster than 30 mph. If it's smooth enough to land the glider on, you are good.

Get ground launch qualified. You might have to travel to some place where they do auto or winch launch. Sooner, rather than later your club will need a ground launch qualified instructor. Get your CFI! SSA has scholarships to help you do that. I got my CFI-G cert that way.

By the time you have found a glider, you should be able to cultivate sufficient interest in a couple others who will chip in to get the club going.

My club started this way back in 1990-91 and today we have over 50 members, 5 club gliders (soon to be 6 with addition of a second glass 2-seater), and a Pawnee towplane with recently refurbed like new engine and airframe.

Establishing a club is a lot of work and it requires committed individuals who will do whatever it takes to keep it going. With luck, you will find that there are more like-minded folks around than you think.


Wally, et al,

These were all ideas discussed with John about Ronan, MT, over the past 3-4 years. I provided him with case files on 501(c)(3) chapters and other information, including the names of six CFI-Gs that were within about a 90 minute radius, 18 commercial glider rated pilots in the same vicinity from among the 39 or so glider rated pilots in the same area. I also suggested he contact the EAA chapters in the area (3-4 IIRC) and Rotary Clubs to develop support and funding (similar to the way Jim Callaway pitched Hamilton Soaring Club). He also was basically donated a Phoebus A and a K-8. Two-seaters are harder to come by with funding. But the longest journey begins with a single step, which I saw a forming the 501(c)(3) before staring the 'big ask' for money. Not blaming John as he's a physician with young children and I'm sure his discretionary time also has a large honey do list, but it takes more than money to make it happen. There is/was a tow hook in the area and a self-launcher. Last year at least five 2-33 were totaled in wind incidents. One for sure it being rebuilt, but finding replacements is and will be increasingly difficult. (FWIW, most of the CFI-G's and Commercial Glider ratings in that radius were getting pretty senior, so probably not interested in crawling in the back of a 2-22 or 2-33).

Frank Whiteley
  #115  
Old April 18th 21, 12:03 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
David Shelton[_2_]
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Posts: 15
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

It is worth noting that paragliding is on the rise in the USA, and it is attracting a younger crowd. At the very least, we should be marketing more to this group. Sometimes I wonder if paragliding is the future of our sport, and not the $150k motor glider.



  #116  
Old April 18th 21, 05:31 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Frank Whiteley
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Posts: 2,099
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 5:03:57 AM UTC-6, David Shelton wrote:
It is worth noting that paragliding is on the rise in the USA, and it is attracting a younger crowd. At the very least, we should be marketing more to this group. Sometimes I wonder if paragliding is the future of our sport, and not the $150k motor glider.

I am not a risk averse person and believe that persons have the right to participate in activities that enrich their life experience, but I think informed decisions do factor into choices. Currently, paragliding web sites are preaching 'It's safer than driving' because there's a 1/10,000 chance of dying in a car and 1/11,000 chance of dying while paragliding. Since the FAA doesn't track Part103 flight statistics, we're left to 'industry' thinking, I suppose as if death were the only factor. I think if they bothered to discuss the number of broken backs, broken limbs, concussions, and other injuries, it might paint a different picture. Believe me, I don't want more government oversight either. Here in Colorado, the state government has pending legislature to require the ski industry to provide explicit information on injuries and deaths, which is oppose in some quarters. The winter sports realm already divides up the accidents and incidents. For example, if you back country ski and perish in an avalanche, that's not a skiing fatality, that's an avalanche fatality. I haven't skiied in a long time and when I did, people didn't wear helmets. Same applies to snowmobiling. Kind of skews the safety statistics I think. Because I'm involved and interested in the sport of soaring, I've had Google Alerts enabled in my g-mail account for several years to filter for news by gliding, soaring, sailplane, glider, and a few others. Of course, sugar gliders, base units in the commercial truck industry, porch swings, Fortnite, and others get tagged, but it works pretty well. Though I don't look for paragliding or hang-gliding, I still get plenty of alerts about those activities, many times the number of soaring related alerts. Maybe I should try the other filters because maybe some media channels actually do accurately report on paragliding. Several soaring pilots I know came to the sport from hang-gliding, including RAS posters. Many have proved to be excellent sailplane pilots. A few years ago I recall 5 of the top 10 US OLC pilots for a year were these pilots. I don't know if the any of the other five had HG experience in the past. In addition, quite a few local glider pilots have the same background. I haven't surveyed anything, but I only known of one who arrived from paragliding and he took up soaring after breaking a number of bones in a severe paragliding mishap. A lot of young people go rock climbing also. I personally find rocks very unforgiving even for minor errors and if on hits you from above. I've known about three rock climbers personally, one remained unscathed and major in avalanche studies, another came home one evening with a big scrap and goose egg on his forehead and no skin on his knuckles (he moved on to HG , set at least one world record, and hosts a well-known HG web site, http://ozreport.com/), and one had a large 300lb boulder peeled her from the rocks in a 30ft rope drop and ended up losing motion in a smashed finger, suffered a concussion and had an ankle injury. She was lucky to have survived and it had nothing to do with her skill and ability. I hope a number of these young people will both survive and find their way to soaring and many HG pilots have done.
FWIW, Dr. Dan shared this on his FB page recently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj7sjJi6zJ4

  #117  
Old April 18th 21, 07:45 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Gregg Ballou[_2_]
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Posts: 63
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

New paragliding set ups cost as much as a nice 1-26. From what I last heard paragliding wasn't growing much but paramotoring(flying around slowly, not self launching to soar) is growing. Doesn't matter what everyone else is doing, just shows money and time is out there, and no one is using it to come play with us.
  #118  
Old April 18th 21, 09:00 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Douglas Richardson
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Posts: 19
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 7:45:38 PM UTC+1, Gregg Ballou wrote:
New paragliding set ups cost as much as a nice 1-26. From what I last heard paragliding wasn't growing much but paramotoring(flying around slowly, not self launching to soar) is growing. Doesn't matter what everyone else is doing, just shows money and time is out there, and no one is using it to come play with us.


The problem(s) with gliding is simple, and it has nothing whatsoever to do with money.

We should stop worrying about trying to market our sport to people who can't afford it and begin making it attractive to people who can.
Gliding isn't very expensive and we should get over this obsession with the race to the bottom.

Just look at gliding (and the rest of aviation for that matter) from the point of view of a newbie.

£600 membership fees in return for what....an opportunity to spend more money?
If people are not receiving anything of value, they won't pay for it.
And no, a club magazine called "cloudbase", "launch point" or "cumulus" that keeps members up to date with building work going on at the airfield isn't a good deal for £600.

While we're on this subject, why do some privately run businesses charge membership fees?
If you want to form a club, then do so. But don't run it as a private business and still charge membership fees.
You can't have it both ways.

Then you've got the club atmosphere.
Is the atmosphere at your club dynamic, fresh and supportive of young/new pilots?
Or is the atmosphere one of a group of anal old fuddy-duddys who become more excited by the paperwork surrounding aviation rather than the flying itself?

I've said it before and I'll say it again, do you think people enjoy spending 10 hours stood on an airfield in return for a 20 minute up-round-and-down?
The answer is no.
If you think people enjoy this, I'm afraid you need to leave the 1960's behind already!

As a sport we need to adopt self-launching and slot booking.

And we need to stop leaving all the work to the "yoof" because we can't be arsed to do anything ourselves.
  #119  
Old April 18th 21, 10:59 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Martin Gregorie[_6_]
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Posts: 699
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Sun, 18 Apr 2021 13:00:58 -0700, Douglas Richardson wrote:

And we need to stop leaving all the work to the "yoof" because we can't
be arsed to do anything ourselves.

Well said.

Equally to the point, a CLUB is run by and for its members, so there
should be no difference between 'da yoof' and us old buggers when it
comes to helping to run it. This something that should involve all
members, regardless of age or sex. The only exceptions should apply to
roles that need specific qualifications and/or training, i.e.
instructors, tug pilots, winch drivers and launch marshals.


--
Martin | martin at
Gregorie | gregorie dot org

  #120  
Old April 19th 21, 07:10 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
David Shelton[_2_]
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Posts: 15
Default The decline of gliding - a worldwide issue?

On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 9:31:17 AM UTC-7, Frank Whiteley wrote:
On Sunday, April 18, 2021 at 5:03:57 AM UTC-6, David Shelton wrote:
It is worth noting that paragliding is on the rise in the USA, and it is attracting a younger crowd. At the very least, we should be marketing more to this group. Sometimes I wonder if paragliding is the future of our sport, and not the $150k motor glider.

I am not a risk averse person and believe that persons have the right to participate in activities that enrich their life experience, but I think informed decisions do factor into choices. Currently, paragliding web sites are preaching 'It's safer than driving' because there's a 1/10,000 chance of dying in a car and 1/11,000 chance of dying while paragliding. Since the FAA doesn't track Part103 flight statistics, we're left to 'industry' thinking, I suppose as if death were the only factor. I think if they bothered to discuss the number of broken backs, broken limbs, concussions, and other injuries, it might paint a different picture. Believe me, I don't want more government oversight either. Here in Colorado, the state government has pending legislature to require the ski industry to provide explicit information on injuries and deaths, which is oppose in some quarters. The winter sports realm already divides up the accidents and incidents. For example, if you back country ski and perish in an avalanche, that's not a skiing fatality, that's an avalanche fatality. I haven't skiied in a long time and when I did, people didn't wear helmets. Same applies to snowmobiling. Kind of skews the safety statistics I think. Because I'm involved and interested in the sport of soaring, I've had Google Alerts enabled in my g-mail account for several years to filter for news by gliding, soaring, sailplane, glider, and a few others. Of course, sugar gliders, base units in the commercial truck industry, porch swings, Fortnite, and others get tagged, but it works pretty well. Though I don't look for paragliding or hang-gliding, I still get plenty of alerts about those activities, many times the number of soaring related alerts. Maybe I should try the other filters because maybe some media channels actually do accurately report on paragliding. Several soaring pilots I know came to the sport from hang-gliding, including RAS posters. Many have proved to be excellent sailplane pilots. A few years ago I recall 5 of the top 10 US OLC pilots for a year were these pilots. I don't know if the any of the other five had HG experience in the past. In addition, quite a few local glider pilots have the same background. I haven't surveyed anything, but I only known of one who arrived from paragliding and he took up soaring after breaking a number of bones in a severe paragliding mishap. A lot of young people go rock climbing also. I personally find rocks very unforgiving even for minor errors and if on hits you from above. I've known about three rock climbers personally, one remained unscathed and major in avalanche studies, another came home one evening with a big scrap and goose egg on his forehead and no skin on his knuckles (he moved on to HG , set at least one world record, and hosts a well-known HG web site, http://ozreport.com/), and one had a large 300lb boulder peeled her from the rocks in a 30ft rope drop and ended up losing motion in a smashed finger, suffered a concussion and had an ankle injury. She was lucky to have survived and it had nothing to do with her skill and ability. I hope a number of these young people will both survive and find their way to soaring and many HG pilots have done.
FWIW, Dr. Dan shared this on his FB page recently. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj7sjJi6zJ4


Paragliding is certainly more dangerous than sailplanes, but plenty of people rightfully think that sailplane pilots are crazy. Both activities are extreme sports compared to the average persons risk tolerance.

Hang gliding is on a swift decline, and has largely been replaced by paragliding. Unless they figure out how to fit a hang glider into a backpack, I don't think the sport will ever thrive again. I also know a few former hang gliders that transitioned into sailplanes. Now that paragliders out-number hang gliders 2:1 in the US, I expect they will be providing more of the sailplane recruits from now on. I believe the model airplane industry is also thriving. The question is... how do you market to them?

These days, the best way to sell anything involves building marketing funnels, customized landing pages, targeted Google ads, social media campaigns, search engine optimization, etc. As an aging group, I'm afraid we aren't the most competitive bunch in the digital space, which is where potential young recruits spend so much time. It might be a good idea for soaring clubs to solicite a professional SEO audit, and to put more effort into implementing the resulting suggestions.

Regarding cost... rising cost certainly does make it harder to grow the sport. However, I've instructed several privileged youth; the parents completely funded their flying expenses. Even with unlimited financial resources, my experience is that it is getting harder to get teens to read books or study. They have a million things competing for their time. Learning to fly doesn't doesn't always compete with video games or Youtube. I honestly don't know how to overcome this part of the problem.
 




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