If you want to hook kids, you need to partner with a school and a local
corporation that is willing to put some money into science education, get a
winch, and run a low cost after school aviation program. The thing that
will hook the kids is the kick in the pants they get with every launch.

Mike Schumann

"Stewart Kissel" wrote in
message ...
Jim Vincent wrote:
Another one that drank the coolaid.


So, what's your solution, Jim?
Jack

At 18:54 11 November 2006, Jim Vincent wrote:
Jack,

Fair question. I'll need a week or so to respond
to you since I'm caught up in my honey-do list and
a marketing campaign for my company.


Not even winter solstice yet...and one of our favorite
winter time topics has arisen from the ashes. Personally,
I say concede what little youth market there is to
paragliding...it is cheap, and highly visible. Even
chicks dig it. I am not saying abandon youth programs...but
use paragliding as the gateway. Where would soaring
be right now without hang-glider types with busted
landing gears?

I doubt too many of the hang-glider types converted
to soaring because they saw a couple of old codgers
sitting in lawn chairs scratching their sunspots with
a rusty 2-33 pulled up next to them at the mall.(I
stole this line from Pez) Remember the forecasts for
waves of new recruits upon the release of Thomas Crown
Affair 2?. And for that matter, an accomplished hang-glider
piilot probably does not need to hear the stories of
landing behind the enemy lines in Wacos on Normandy,
and spend hours, days, weeks,months pulling 2-33's
around on the ground.

I don't see a sane business model to build low-price
two place ships...the PW-6's are not exactly over-running
the market. Towplane costs, insurance and gas are
pretty much fixed. Winching would be great...but currently
it is rare.

Let them learn about thermals in paragliders...then
maybe we can snag them later.

Our market IMVHO, besides the aforementioned hg's...would
be software geeks, and aging skiers, bikers, windsurfers,
etc. .