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

Zero MC will get you landing out quicker... (Unless you always fly with
a tail wind and, in fact, you fly more with a head wind).

On 8/29/2015 9:14 AM, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Saturday, August 29, 2015 at 10:20:03 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Friday, August 28, 2015 at 11:20:23 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
"Land out miles away, what follows, not so much fantastic."

Actually, land outs can be an entirely different adventure!
I believe that the 'good old days' of soaring really did happen and that they still do at some popular locations, but the 'little woman' is no longer eager to crew, and there may only be one or two tired (and older) pilots on the ground late in the day.

I'm confident that my club could muster a retrieve, but the XC participation rates have fallen below the threshold that makes land outs routine.

OLC, Badge and Wave camps are another story because there are a large number of pilots present (like in the old days), they are on vacation from their normal evening activities and commitments, and they're looking for a late afternoon/evening adventure. I'm willing (even eager) to help with a retrieve, but the only one that I've ever done was at a wave camp.

So for the foreseeable future, I'll be flying with a zero MacReady. Maybe relocate to a more popular XC location. Maybe FES someday.

--
Dan Marotta

Sorry if this has already been covered as I am late to this party. How about having more xc camps with structured learning and someone to follow around a course. I know when I started to fly xc I was frustrated by the lack of any structured learning. I asked several xc pilots where I was flying if they could take me around a course and teach me a few things, every one said I have to keep up with them. I searched away from my glider port to find instructors who would take me xc. I flew a Grob 109 on a simulated course then found an instructor in the Sierras who took me on a long flight in a Janus. Then I started out on my own usually not getting more than 50 to 75 miles away finally I started doing the long flights. I had to seek out training from three different glider operations to get all the training and skill I thought I needed to be safe and competent to fly xc far from home base. Believe it or not Bill Bartel actually took several days off work to show me around the flying in Arizona. I had been flying xc for about a year or two already, still so much to learn. I still remember Bill opening his airbrakes to come back down to my height in the thermal to thermal up again with me.

We have many sanctioned contests and much emphasis on this news group and in Soaring Magazine is about racing. In addition to having a race committee how about having a pilot development committee. Hold multiple sanctioned youth, women, family day and xc flying meets with activities for all and a training syllabus. Just a thought

On Sunday, 30 August 2015 12:01:25 UTC-6, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
Sorry if this has already been covered as I am late to this party. How about having more xc camps with structured learning and someone to follow around a course. I know when I started to fly xc I was frustrated by the lack of any structured learning. I asked several xc pilots where I was flying if they could take me around a course and teach me a few things, every one said I have to keep up with them. I searched away from my glider port to find instructors who would take me xc. I flew a Grob 109 on a simulated course then found an instructor in the Sierras who took me on a long flight in a Janus. Then I started out on my own usually not getting more than 50 to 75 miles away finally I started doing the long flights. I had to seek out training from three different glider operations to get all the training and skill I thought I needed to be safe and competent to fly xc far from home base. Believe it or not Bill Bartel actually took several days off work to show me around the flying in Arizona. I had been flying xc for about a year or two already, still so much to learn. I still remember Bill opening his airbrakes to come back down to my height in the thermal to thermal up again with me.

We have many sanctioned contests and much emphasis on this news group and in Soaring Magazine is about racing. In addition to having a race committee how about having a pilot development committee. Hold multiple sanctioned youth, women, family day and xc flying meets with activities for all and a training syllabus. Just a thought

Jonathan, make it happen. DO not just talk about it with a keyboard make it happen. Remember that we are they

On Sunday, August 30, 2015 at 8:48:57 PM UTC-4, Ron Gleason wrote:
On Sunday, 30 August 2015 12:01:25 UTC-6, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
Sorry if this has already been covered as I am late to this party. How about having more xc camps with structured learning and someone to follow around a course. I know when I started to fly xc I was frustrated by the lack of any structured learning. I asked several xc pilots where I was flying if they could take me around a course and teach me a few things, every one said I have to keep up with them. I searched away from my glider port to find instructors who would take me xc. I flew a Grob 109 on a simulated course then found an instructor in the Sierras who took me on a long flight in a Janus. Then I started out on my own usually not getting more than 50 to 75 miles away finally I started doing the long flights. I had to seek out training from three different glider operations to get all the training and skill I thought I needed to be safe and competent to fly xc far from home base. Believe it or not Bill Bartel actually took several days off work to show me around the flying in Arizona. I had been flying xc for about a year or two already, still so much to learn. I still remember Bill opening his airbrakes to come back down to my height in the thermal to thermal up again with me.

We have many sanctioned contests and much emphasis on this news group and in Soaring Magazine is about racing. In addition to having a race committee how about having a pilot development committee. Hold multiple sanctioned youth, women, family day and xc flying meets with activities for all and a training syllabus. Just a thought

Jonathan, make it happen. DO not just talk about it with a keyboard make it happen. Remember that we are they

This group is full of great thinkers, but pretty thin on doers. My impression is that they think we're short of idea guys.
I get to editorialize because I do at least one training event each year.
UH

Wow, tough crowd. Even the header asks for ideas "How do we inspire pilots to truly take up cross country soaring?" So I presented a few ideas and get dis'd for the effort.

Perhaps the poster below does not understand the purpose of an interrogative? And this tread specifically requests ideas.

On Monday, August 31, 2015 at 5:12:41 AM UTC-7, wrote:


This group is full of great thinkers, but pretty thin on doers. My impression is that they think we're short of idea guys.
I get to editorialize because I do at least one training event each year.
UH

Jonathan (if that's your real name), it's hard for a long established group to take seriously an unknown newcomer who offers shop-worn advice on one of the most difficult challenges in soaring. UH has not only been talking the talk but walking the walk for decades. You are of course free to express your opinions, but don't complain when your ignorance earns you a rebuke.

-John, Q3

On Wednesday, September 2, 2015 at 11:01:23 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
Wow, tough crowd. Even the header asks for ideas "How do we inspire pilots to truly take up cross country soaring?" So I presented a few ideas and get dis'd for the effort.

Perhaps the poster below does not understand the purpose of an interrogative? And this tread specifically requests ideas.

On Monday, August 31, 2015 at 5:12:41 AM UTC-7, wrote:


This group is full of great thinkers, but pretty thin on doers. My impression is that they think we're short of idea guys.
I get to editorialize because I do at least one training event each year.
UH

Dear John, you are missing The point. As you stated I am somewhat of a new comer, hence I was unaware the idea presented was so obvious it not merit mentioning. Yes, it is my real name. The post asked for ideas! UH, while a legend chided me for presenting an idea, actually writing "my impression if that they think we're short of idea guys". If stifling ideas in any form is a good way to coming up with new ideas I would be interested in learning how you came to this conclusion. Back in the corporate world we had brainstorming sessions, no idea how well worn or however "silly" was discounted as you never know what series of ideas or questions about that idea will grow into the desired result. "If you change the way you think about things, the things you think about change". Maybe a new comer rehashing old ideas is not so bad. What is bad is stifling any idea, or anyone willing to take the time to write an idea.



On Thursday, September 3, 2015 at 8:35:20 AM UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
Jonathan (if that's your real name), it's hard for a long established group to take seriously an unknown newcomer who offers shop-worn advice on one of the most difficult challenges in soaring. UH has not only been talking the talk but walking the walk for decades. You are of course free to express your opinions, but don't complain when your ignorance earns you a rebuke.

-John, Q3