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Mike Schumann wrote:
I started soaring about 3 years ago. I'm in my mid 50s and have had my private pilots license for about 10 years. I ended up flying gliders after having a heart bypass that made it too much of a hassle to keep my medical. Flying gliders is a lot more fun for me than power flying ever was. I totally agree that middle aged pilots are a big opportunity for the sport. I tried to get my son interested in gliders, but he was much more interested in power flying. I suspect that in 10 - 15 years, he'll get bored with $100 hamburger runs and discover the thrill of gliding too. Been soaring since getting out of school in 1972. With a real job I was finally in a position to get myself to and pay for flying lessons, knowing then only that I wanted to fly in the worst sort of way (well, philosophically, anyhow, heh heh). Parental encouragement was non-existent; the desire came from within, from I know not where. Had never heard of soaring, and '72 was pre-hang glider boom. Wound up taking soaring lessons because of my work room-mate/cheaper/easier than power lessons, and...this to me seemed key then and remains so today...deep down I knew I wanted to fly for sheer personal enjoyment, since my coke bottles precluded military/commercial avenues (i.e. could not fly for a living, at least in any way that I could then see). Hang gliding never attracted me due (initially) to absence of 3-axis control, then 'landing gear' concerns (in my 20's!), and ultimately because soaring was and continues to be so much of a challenge and fun. My working observation is soaring attracts those who seek it...for whatever reason. Some, like me, simply seek the challenge and rewards of some sort of 'acceptable flight,' and in that sense are easily identifiable. Age seems to hardly be a factor for these types, but opportunity certainly is. Others don't seem to know what they seek until after blundering into it somehow. I've no idea how to attract/market-to these types, beyond keeping one's antennae wiggling, and assisting where possible. Again, opportunities... YMMV. Regards, Bob W. |
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