How do we inspire pilots to truly take up cross country soaring ?

Another way to inspire XC flying is to have club camps away from the
home field and/or soaring safaris. Pilots get to experience different
locations and conditions and have a time of total immersion in soaring
without the pressures of work or going home in the evening.

When I was at Black Forest in Colorado, the club usually held a couple
of camps per year away from home. We'd take our tow plane and at least
one trainer with us for students and newbies and would also sell rides
to tourists to help with costs. These events were usually well
subscribed by private owners and normally occurred over long weekends.

Safaris, on the other hand, usually lasted a week or so and consisted of
straight out flying, landing at a different airport each day. I have
participated in three such safaris but, unfortunately, could never get
more than one pair of pilots sharing one glider to go along. We've done
those by ground launch or using a self-launcher.

At Moriarty we've discussed taking a tow plane and a group of gliders
and heading out on a week-long trip but, to date, it's not gotten
further than the talking stage. I recall reading of border to border
flights back in the '80s and I'd do that in a heartbeat if it could be
organized. I know a few new pilots who would jump at the chance to
participate in that! I imagine starting at Alamogordo, NM or El Paso,
TX and flying north to a preplanned location to rest and continue the
next day. We could continue to the Canadian border in WY or MT, rest
up, and head for home. That might take two weeks! The biggest problem
I see is getting to commit to using their vacation. For my money this
would be a lot more fun than returning home each day as in a contest.

On 8/16/2015 9:40 AM, wrote:
On Saturday, August 15, 2015 at 10:09:43 AM UTC-5, Sean Fidler wrote:
From another thread recently, thought it might be a good topic to paw around with everyone...

For me, soaring is great fun. I've been doing it consistently for about 5 years now. I've met a bunch of amazing, great, kind people and have learned a tremendous amount about the sport (light years left to go). Thru and thru, as a group, soaring pilots, their friends and family are among the nicest, smartest most interesting people I have ever met. I am attracted to this immensely.

Part of the reason I have devoted time and energy to the sport is that am truly inspired by what competition/cross country pilots are capable of doing in gliders. I am still fascinated by it and want to be a part of it. This, for me, was huge. Glider pilots are amazing pilots, PERIOD.

I probably never would have truly learned of the sport (and what it really is at the highest levels), or been so attracted to it if my dad was not involved. Having a family member with a high performance glider, flying it regularly and promoting how amazing the sport could be all the time was key. Having access to a high performance glider and a group of local friends who could mentor me and take me out on cross country flights shortly after I got my license was the key moment. Would I have got my license if the motivation was just flying around the airport? Probably not.

Those experiences flying with the Ionio boys on short, mentored cross country's "set the hook" for me and eventually led to me buying a glider so that I could fly with everyone rather than leave my dad back at the airport whenever I was flying. Of course once I bought my first glider so I could fly with this gang regularly, the learning curve grew dramatically. The hook set deeper. And so on.

Flying clubs are important to US soaring "health" I suppose but they also seem to lack in areas. They often don't have much to offer in terms of even moderate performance gliders. They often don't promote or in some cases even allow cross country.

It seems that European clubs are more into cross country which is more challenging and more rewarding than local flight, which I think gets old after a year or so. If some inspirational figure is not actively encouraging and facilitating cross country glider flight (the whole point of the sport I think) at that key moment in a glider pilots career, I think they come to the conclusion that they have checked the box and move on.

Obviously without glider clubs more focused on taking pilots into cross country levels, one has to have the financial means to do it on their own. I dont see that as a real problem as numerous 40:1 gliders are available for the same price as a small sailboat or powerboat, which almost everybody seems to have these days (jet skis, snowmobiles, etc). It's a matter of priority. Gliders I suppose are for one person (usually) where a boat (or other rec toy) is for the whole family.

But Europe seems to have an entirely different dynamic with respect to soaring. More youth, larger numbers, etc. U.S. numbers have been steadily declining for 25 years.

One thing I learned in business school. It's often better to adopt successful competitors methods even if at first you don't fully understand them yet. Our clubs (and the SSA) should be talking to European clubs and picking their brains for advise. I wonder how many have actually done that. Perhaps take a trip to Europe on summer and spend a few weeks with a successful club, talk to the people, etc.

Oddly, my flying is at a location that actually IDs itself as IONIA NON CLUB. They don't like the politics. :-).

The rules is a small thing overall but debating the rules is an important thing in terms of competition pilots. My suggestions usually would make getting into competition soaring simpler for the new pilot. I do think our rules are too complicated, but the rule makers are all GREAT PEOPLE, working hard and want nothing but the best for our sport.

Sean
7T
We have been working on generating new cross country pilots at our club (Chicago Glider Club) over the last several years and have had some success with the following approach:

1. When new members without glider licenses join the club and seek instruction we try to introduce them to the idea of flying cross country early in the training process. My initial training flights, when the conditions permit, include taking the pilot to nearby airports, using them as turnpoints and getting the new pilot (many are already airplane rated) used to the idea that we don't just stay at the home field, and that modern gliders have the range to safely fly cross country. We have four airports within 10 miles, so its not much of a trip, but it seems to affect attitudes and expectations in a positive manner.

2. Cross-country and racing is a normal weekend activity at our club when the weather permits, so all members see that a group of us are flying cross-country regularly.

3. We have a training program focused on cross country that includes talks by experienced pilots on relevant issues, followed by practice with an experienced cross-country pilot who is usually a CFIG. We have three club two-place gliders (2 ASK-21s and a Duo Discus), so we have the equipment to do this. We have had good turnout at these events, both from new and older club members, many of whom have not been flying cross-country. After a short talk we fly 1-1/2 hour local tasks and evaluate the results. (I have found, by the way, that the biggest problem, so far, in getting people proficient to fly cross-country is thermaling ability.)

4. Apart from the cross-country flights with instructors, we have arranged for practice off-field landings at a near by RLA with a friendly owner. The pilots fly one of the two place glider to the RLA with an instructor in the backseat. They also tow out to go back to the glider club. This got a lot of interest and was appreciated by people who had never landed anywhere but at our glider club. Its a good project on days when the weather is too weak for cross-country.

5. Our club also has an ASW-24, and we encourage pilots to use it for cross-country flying.

6. We set cross-country tasks on most weekends when the weather cooperates (very few this year). If there are new cross-country pilots flying, the task options include a local MAT that won't take the pilot more than 10 miles or so from our airport, but allow visiting up to five other turnpoints. We encourage people to turn in their flight logs and we post the results, usually with comments from the pilots who flew tasks that day.

Interest has been good and several members who were not flying cross country when they started are now doing so. Mike Shakman

--
Dan Marotta

One thing that's worked, and has been a lot of fun, is having a task set for each flying day. After the task is flown, we get together the next morning, compare the scores, watch all the flights on see you, and get some coaching from the experienced xc pilots. It's a lot of fun to "compete" against your friends. We get to fly places we might not otherwise go, and it's fun to learn from each other. At the soaring club of Houston we are fortunate that we have a cross country mentor willing to do all of the task setting, scoring, getting the projector ready etc.

Enthusiasm

I will offer two ideas:

First. Next week the UK Junior Nationals will be run at Aston Down. There
are over 50 entries and a load of two seaters being flown by pundits to
show those who are not yet ready for competition how it goes. This is down
to a few very enthusiastic pundits who are keen to grow the sport and pass
on their knowledge and enthusiasm to the next generation and to a few of
the juniors themselves who have thrown their efforts into enthusing other
youngsters.

There is a junior web site, great junior videos, 'how to' stuff etc. See
http://www.juniorgliding.co.uk Our BGA is also enthusiastic and supportive
with competition subsidies and training bursaries for the young.

I have never known the junior scene to be more active. Let the youngsters
loose and they will do it.

Second: Make cross country flying less intimidating for newbies and low
handicap gliders at club level. Handicap distance tasks allow all to fly
together at the same time, in the same air, in a collective spirit. We set
these every weekend at Booker and they get flown in gliders from 89 to 112
handicap. One member who flies a Pegase and hasn't flown more than 100k on
her own tasks for years flew nearly 300k the other week and landed with a
huge smile.

For newbies you can give them an extra 5 handicap points to allow them to
play on a more level ground.

Take a look at www.handicaptask.uk I have even made it US friendly! Sean,
please have a look if you are seeking ideas.

Jim