Hi,
We should also remember those parents who give gliding a go when there
child does shows interests. My club has several long term members who
started that way.
The other thing to remember that these young pilots not many stay long
(i.e. 2+ years) but there is good chance they will come back someday.
I also know a few who started in the UK with the cadets many years ago
and have come back to gliding later in life.
regards,
Arie
On 27/08/2010 5:49 PM, harry medlicott wrote:
Hi Dave
Yes, you are a contributor and making a genuine effort to promote
gliding. It seems you might have had a favourable influence in your
club. If we had more like you am sure the gliding movement would be in
a far more favourable position. Spoke to some pilots from the
Netherlands recently. About 30% of their pilots are under 30 you and
half of these are young women. In promoting our sport we need to look
at all possible sources of members and cater for their needs. We have
young people happy to push gliders around all day but can only afford
modest glider and launch costs, the time poor but affluent who want to
have their lesson or flight and then leave the field and the empty
nesters, their children have left home, the mortgage is paid off and
they are looking for a new challenge.
Just at the moment am concentrating my efforts on making gliding
affordable for AAFC cadets. The lack of support from GFA makes me
wonder if it is worth the effort.Our clubs new manager, Ian Downes is
also making an effort to attract official local high school support,
Harry Medlicott
----- Original Message -----
*From:* Dave Boulter <mailto:daveboul...@internode.on.net>
*To:* Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.
<mailto:aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net>
*Sent:* Friday, August 27, 2010 2:26 PM
*Subject:* Re: [Aus-soaring] Death of a Movement
Like yourself and Paul and many others I know, I do something
every week and every day to grow gliding and get more members. I
happen to be a member of said Sydney Club and I talk with people
actively and dont just "take their money". I know a whole bunch of
people who do similar at my Club.
Say what you like about NSW Gliding, but we are doing stuff now
and will continue to improve that in the future. With more arms
and legs we could probably do even more. Sometimes you have to
pick your battles, you know that.
The Sydney Club in question has more than ten scholarships in
progress at present and would offer more. These kids get their
flying for free (yep members pay for it) and the kids pay
launches. We would take more if more were there.
It is good to see Clubs doing stuff at grass roots levels, as I
said previously.
On Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 2:13 PM, harry medlicott
<hw.medlic...@optusnet.com.au
<mailto:hw.medlic...@optusnet.com.au>> wrote:
Paul,
You are right. It is rather sad that the gliding club close to
the largest city in Australia does not seem to convert many of
its large number of its AEFs to gliding. Do they hand out
pamplets or preferably videos etc.? It seems that many
instructors get their flying free from the back seat of a DG
1000 and tugpilots gets theirs launching but do they have a
real interest in converting AEFs to members?.
Re air cadets. LKSC has done somehing to make gliding
affordable for air cadets. I have personally at no cost to the
club built a winch powered by a Chevy 454 ci motor using
Dyneema rope which gives high safe launches. I have also just
bought a Winch launch Assistant which shows the speed of the
glider being launched on a display in the winch which will
hopefully give even higher, safer launches. We are subsidising
juniors membership to $40 which does not even cover the
capitation fee associated with our lease, half glider hire
rates and membership by a generous donation of $100 pa per
cadet aged 15/18 yo. Total of club membership and GFA is $76,
which, coupled with a winch launch charge of $12 which gives a
launch of 1,800/2'000 ft. We hope it is an offer to good to
refuse. There are 90 AAFC cadets in our area and the hope is
we will build up a cadre of young pilots . When AAFC cadets
come to our club to fly an AAFC sponsored flight they tell us
that aerotow etc. makes gliding unaffordable for them.
Hopefully our initiatives will change all that.
What disturbs me is that LKSC has approached both GFA and
NSWGA asking for help to reduce the GFA membership
charge commensurate to our clubs contribution and so far only
got a flat no. The generous donor currently subsidising junior
membership can't be expected to continue The future of our
dying sport must be in attracting new members, preferably
young ones, so the refusal of GFA and NSWGA to help is pretty
dismal.
The future of our sport is the responsibility of us all. How
many writing emails are actually doing something really
constructive? Certainly Paul Mander who wrote the following
email but how many others,
Harry Medlicott
----- Original Message -----
*From:* Paul Mander <mailto:p...@mander.net.au>
*To:* 'Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in
Australia.' <mailto:aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net>
*Sent:* Friday, August 27, 2010 8:37 AM
*Subject:* Re: [Aus-soaring] Death of a Movement
There is a club near Sydney that has become so dependent
on joy rides that they have 32 listed instructors but just
125-ish flying members, no cross country or competition
curriculum. They run a full time operation yet cry poor. I
may be overstating it, but not by much. Is this what
you’re talking about? What should be a worry for our sport
is that they are the first point of contact with gliding
for nearly ¼ the population of Australia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
*From:* aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net
<mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net>
[mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net
<mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net>] *On
Behalf Of *gavin wrigley
*Sent:* Friday, 27 August 2010 7:46 AM
*To:* aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net
<mailto:aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net>
*Subject:* Re: [Aus-soaring] Death of a Movement
I couldnt agree more, Ian.
In addition to 'chivvying' those who have already
evidenced some interest by taking a flight, lets get a bit
more smart about those we pitch our market to.
I have already revealed my disinterest in the treadmill of
gift companies/grandpa's birthday/air experience flights.
Fine, dont refuse them, but they wont create new members.
Lets make it easy for other pilots to try (or re-try!)
gliding. Include model aircraft enthusiasts, hang gliders,
RAA and GA pilots. They have already revealed their
susceptibility.
And dont just plod through 'effects of controls', perhaps
done by a relatively new instructor....unless that
instructor has initiative, enthusiasm, some soaring skills
and the ability
to demonstrate the 'Joy of Soaring'. Show what is possible
after plodding through the 'effects of
controls'...gliding IS different!
For that matter....what about schoolchildren?
If anyone wants to know more about the highly successful
'Flying' course that is PART OF THE SCHOOL PROGRAMME for
all of the year 10 students at a school on Darwin then I am
happy to give details, and a professionally produced DVD
is available.
Quite a number of established/confirmed/advanced glider
pilots have shown interest in the fact that such a
programme exists, and has done for ten consecutive years now.
But not one, to my knowledge, even though they expressed
great approval for the idea, has tried to introduce
anything similar in their locality.
Its pissing with rain here in the UK. Thats my excuse for
so many posts in such a short time!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:26:50 +1000
From: mrsoar...@gmail.com <mailto:mrsoar...@gmail.com>
To: aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net
<mailto:aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net>
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Death of a Movement
Gary+ others,
Meant to say think we (GFA and CLUBS) need to convert try
and convert as many as possible 3 month into 12 months
memberships. Thus I think 3 month members should get a
letter one month out explaining their options for the
future and I would do a McDonnalds "we have a special for
you upgrade your 3months to 12 months by paying $xxx
(about $150 or whatever) but you must do it by expiry date
of say Oct30" One week before they get email reminder and
on the day send a SMS to UPGRADE TODAY. These days I
insure with Bingle (online version of AAMI at 2/3 the
price) and at 12noon of exp day I get an SMS and go on
line and it is paid. It works for AAMI.
So my thoughts are McDonnalds upgrade, or do you want to
buy this weeks special at Supercheap or top up your phone
credit before a certain date to keep your credit. Even
Woollies fuel is spend $5 on 2 milk and get another 4c/lit
off so milk costs $1 a litre
Importantly lets all do something rather than sit on our
hands till the last person has to turn out the lights
Any other ideas out there?
Ian McPhee
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