On Thu, 26 Apr 2007 22:10:39 -0500, "Maxwell"
wrote in :

If people want to fly, they can fly.

One of the best ways for someone interested in aviation to test the
waters is to join a soaring club[1] and earn a glider certificate. The
Civil Air Patrol uses gliders to entice their recruits, and glider
instruction is the perfect entry to airmanship.

Soaring club dues are cheap, and instruction is often provided gratis
by club member CFIs. There is no fuel cost, and the cost of launching
can be reasonable through the use of auto-tow or winch launch. And
soaring club members are usually expected to crew for their fellows
which results in reduced expenses and healthy camaraderie.

So there is a reasonably priced means of entry into the ranks of
airmanship, and it tends weed out the dilettantes.



[1] http://www.ssa.org/sport/wheretofly.asp