Hi Stefan and Bob
thanks for your messages.
My post was rather abrasive, so its especially good of you to reply so
politely.
I do not wish to criticize any volunteers, only to express my opinions. I
hope the trailer stickers will help the
movement, but as I tried to explain, I don't think so. And I think a 30ft
long trailer might excite more curiosity if
its blank and mysterious. And my trailer never leaves the hangar anyway (I
have a motor glider and the engine
never fails).
About the SSA: it can't be a secret, that a lot of dissatisfaction exists.

andrew


At 14:27 07 May 2012, S. Murry wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 22:21:06 -0500, Andrew Wood wrote:

Hi, Andrew,

Just one comment on your post. I know Bob DeLeon personally (he's in our

club here in Houston and is a very active member and supporter of all
things soaring).

Your assertion that this campaign exists to keep SSA staff occupied does

not ring true to me. From talking with Bob it seems pretty clear that
this is his baby. The SSA supports it, I'm sure, but from what I
understand they didn't exactly contact Bob trolling for things to do to
keep the staff busy. Bob came up with this idea (along with a few others

whose names I do not know or I would acknowledge them here, too), did most


or all of the work on the graphics and website, and the SSA's only real
involvement is in coordinating the (optional) printing of the trailer
stickers and handling the order processing. From what I understand if you


want for some reason to cut the SSA out altogether, Bob will send you the

graphics file and you get it printed yourself wherever you wish.

Your comments about whether or not this campaign will be effective are
another matter. I disagree with them personally, but obviously only time

will tell whether this campaign will work. What I can say is that if most


of us don't get behind it and get the stickers on our trailers/bumpers,
etc., then it definitely will NOT work.

As far as whether there is some built-in "soaring gene" or something. I

have heard this argument before. What I don't understand is if it is true


that people have some innate desire to fly and nothing can stop them, then


why are the number of pilots declining even as the overall population is

rising? It seems that if there is some (small) percentage of people who

are just "wired" to eventually get into our sport, this percentage ought

to be more-or-less constant over time. Genetics don't change so quickly.


If this were the case, then our numbers would rise with the overall
population.

My personal explanation for the decline is several-fold, but to make this

post short(ish), I think one factor is simply that there are SO MANY
things competing for our limited attention, time, and money, that it is
easy for niche activities (like soaring) to get lost among all the
options.

Yes, I am sure that many people are aware that this activity exists, but

if they don't get a reminder, they may just continue along in their boring


lives...golfing or watching TV or whatever, because they just hadn't yet

experienced the "spark" that ignites whatever it is that causes them to
come out to a glider club and start learning.

Given the small number of glider pilots and glider trailers, it's unlikely


that "Let's Go Gliding" is going to instantly arrest the decline in pilot

numbers, but if we can start to add even a percent or two a year to our
numbers, I think it is well worth the $115 and 1 hour of our time to put

the stickers on our trailers.

--Stefan





Awareness is good. So I suppose trailer stickers are ok. But I
have the sinking feeling, that like most things the SSA does, they
won't do any good, and are more designed to justify the SSA staff
and fill up some space in soaring magazine. If I saw a big trailer
with a sticker "lets go cave diving" it would not cause me to
contact my local cave diving club. I already know that cave diving
exists, and I don't care. I don't have the passion for it, like most
people feel about flying. The passion has to be there, and it won't
be magically created by trailer stickers or coffee mugs or
whatever. Those unfortunate people who do have the passion for
gliding.....they are destined to spend a lot of time and money, and
will already be bugging their parents, visiting airports, and on the
internet looking for local gliding clubs. We could tear off all the
trailer stickers, paint them in camouflage and string barbed wire
around the airport, and they'd still sneak in. All we can really do,
is make sure those new people can easily find us, and welcome
them when they come.


At 15:42 06 May 2012, Bob D wrote:
Hi, Bob DeLeon here=85creator of Let's Go Gliding. There is but
one
objective to the campaign: AWARENESS.

Our sport has resided way off the radar in comparison to the
other
recreational choices. So LGG is designed to elevate the
awareness of
this choice. This objective needs to look: exciting, adventurous,
challenging, and the opportunity to be involved with a great
group of
people who love the sport. That's why I made the choices in how
it's
designed and what it says. That was the creative brief driving
the
imagery and words.

Yea, it would have been fun to have imagery like the Cool Hand
Luke
scene previously described. But that would have been dis-
ingeniune to
what soaring really is. It would be a "hook" that once swallowed
would
have cut off a lot of support (female) and been regarded as fake
to
those who are the target audience.

AWARENESS of this sport--and what it offers-- is the key. The
more
people see the campaign, the more they'll sense that the guy
sporting
the bumper sticker or showing the brochure will be a source to
get
their questions answered. And if not a person, then the web
address
(LetsGoGliding.com) will be the other source to influence their
thinking and impressions.

It's not likely that in the next two years we'll see a growth in the
sport that will be ascending, but if worked enthusiastically by
those
who fly gliders, with the SSA's backing, we can arrest the
descent of
declining numbers and hold the line on those flying. Adding in
numbers
right now is that objective. Otherwise, the sport will slide into a
category that will effect manufacturers of gliders and glider
equipment, the ability of some clubs to remain active, and the
value
of your used glider. Trust me: no business or entity wants
decline.
You want some kind of growth. And getting active with a
supported
marketing campaign that puts a "cool" and inviting spotlight on
the
sport is the answer.

And as previously stated, this campaign is going to need
unbridled
support from the soaring community. With this year's World
Gliding
Championship being held in the U.S. we have a superb chance to
arrest
the descent of glider pilot numbers in the U.S.








--
Stefan Murry