John & Jim have made excellent points and I want to take John's last point a step farther.
"3. Support your local airport events and encourage your airport to do more to bring non-pilots to the airport. Aviation's PR problem is as much with the public in general as it is with the media." To borrow and paraphrase; Have we met the enemy and is he us? How many of us promote our businesses, our religious beliefs, our neighborhood watch group, etc., every chance we get in almost every place we go and don't we sometimes even create chances to do so? How many of us promote aviation with the same zeal? Take time to educate everyone around you and you might be amazed at how many people actually have an interest, however latent, in aviation. You make even have to take time to do something we all hate; you just might be forced to take someone for a ride. The more people know; not think or suspect or heard a rumor of, the more friends we will have among the general public. That's my nickel's worth on this one. Tommy ________________________________ From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Roach Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 10:14 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; eflyin Subject: Re: [ercoupe-flyin] RE: Wowsers! I agree with Jim Slade's comments. And as an almost 76 year old private pilot now flying under the sport pilot rules, I also have some familiarity with news gathering and communications. I urge all of you to read Jim's post and think about it. However, I'd like to discuss just one point he made. [EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:SladeJim%40aol.com> wrote: "Journalism is NOT PR." Jim is right. However PR does play a part in journalism. Most "unfortunate" news stories about aviation are caused by a lack of familiarity with aviation which plays well with a latent fear of the unknown. Many reporters (including newspaper, radio, and TV) have very little familiarly with aviation in general and especially with general aviation and those little airplanes. Thus, in the heat of reporting a fast breaking story, they are ill prepared to know who and what to ask and to properly evaluate the answers. However, each of us can do something about that. There are several alternatives: 1. Join EAA and/or AOPA. Both organizations work hard to reach out to news gathering sources so they will get the story right. And both encourage their members in various ways to do the same in direct and indirect ways. One good example is EAA's Young Eagles program. Another is AOPA's support materials for organizing an airport open house. 2. Take personal responsibility to do something about improving the aviation background for the local news gathers in your area. Write emails and letters to the media people. Put your anger aside and provide positive information to help them do a better job. Offer them a guided tour of your airport. Or even a demo flight if you have an aircraft available. Introduce them to the airport and it's people -- many of whom probably are the people these news gathers are trying to reach. Then, once you have made contact, stay in touch. Help them reach the right people when there is breaking news and suggest story lines when the news is slow. 3. Support your local airport events and encourage your airport to do more to bring non-pilots to the airport. Aviation's PR problem is as much with the public in general as it is with the media. Each of us should do more if we want to continue to have the freedom to fly just because we can. John Roach N 2427H
