We're getting old, folks...

In article om,
Jay Honeck wrote:
So what's the solution? How do we make flying more feminine? How do
we attract females to the airport?

I can only comment on my situation, but I don't think it's uncommon.
The issue with my wife is not the lack of "feminity" of flying; she has
an interest in model trains, which is a very male-dominated hobby in my
experience. Her issue with flying boils down to her fear of dying in a
fiery airplane crash.

I suspect that is really an issue of lack of familiarity; she didn't
know anyone that was a pilot growing up (neither did I, FWIW), and as
a result she perceives flying as something strange and unusual. If
she had flown in a GA plane as a child, or even been on a Young Eagles
flight, her attitude would be very different. I am not sure what
the solution is here, other than to get more pilots into the system.

That's why I think Sport Pilot is important for the long-term health
of GA. The people now that I see who are active GA pilots seem to fall
into one of three categories:

- They make it an integral part of their lifestyle (that's obviously
you, Jay :-) ). I think relatively few people have this option.
- They use it for business and can write off part of their aviation
expense. This doesn't seem to be an option for anyone who works
for a large company; when I've talked with other people in my
field, they _all_ told me that they have explicit corporate policies
against using GA for corporate travel (I'm in the same boat).
- They have plenty of spare cash, or somehow they got a plane on the
cheap. Or they have figured something out to make plane ownership
affordable that has escaped me.

I think Sport Pilot can work for people like me; they've got _some_
spare cash to devote to flying, but not enough to spend on a bigger
plane. I'm not talking about the $80,000 Cubs, but I've seen a few
planes in the $50,000 range that could even haul around a few fatasses
like me. Split that with one other person, and you've got a reasonable
new car payment.

My wife, Mary, is living proof that flying is NOT an all-male
pass-time, but I know she likes to hang out at the hangar entertaining
friends nearly as much as she likes the flying. So how do we make the
airport more SOCIAL?

I dunno ... I have never seen any sort of social life at any of the
airports that I've been to, much less anything I'd think my wife would
be interested in. Most of the airports I've visited have been lifeless,
depressing places. If there was some sort of social life associated with
aviation, I think it could maybe get my wife interested in flying; she
would at least get a sense that "normal" people do it. Right now I
think she thinks that flying is reserved for rich people and wackos
like me :-/

--Ken