Links for new people interested in gliding

[/quote] Exactly! Soartech has hit the nail right on the head. As much as I like Bruno's videos, the shots of him with the intravenous tube up his nose are guaranteed to put off potential young pilots. Makes it look like he's on parole from intensive care for a last couple of hours outside before he has to "get his affairs in order". Get rid of it. "Leave it to Beaver" days are over. Look at the trailer from "Cloudstreet" being done in New Mexico. In general it will be a beautiful film...but in one scene they make the same mistake: some guy who looks 80 yrs old with the nose tube....The message? - this sport is for geezers in plaid shorts who drive to the glider field in gold carts..... You have to get good looking, young people in these promo videos and jazz them up. Study the sophisticated advertising business. The Let's Go Gliding stuff is staid, boring. Even using the word "gliding" is a mistake - reinforces the get dragged up, waft back down impression. So much to do...[/quote]

You mean something more cool like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQc40Uut10M

[quote=gotovkotzepkoi;833162]

Originally Posted by soartech[_2_]

Exactly! Soartech has hit the nail right on the head. As much as I like Bruno's videos, the shots of him with the intravenous tube up his nose are guaranteed to put off potential young pilots. Makes it look like he's on parole from intensive care for a last couple of hours outside before he has to "get his affairs in order". Get rid of it. "Leave it to Beaver" days are over. Look at the trailer from "Cloudstreet" being done in New Mexico. In general it will be a beautiful film...but in one scene they make the same mistake: some guy who looks 80 yrs old with the nose tube....The message? - this sport is for geezers in plaid shorts who drive to the glider field in gold carts..... You have to get good looking, young people in these promo videos and jazz them up. Study the sophisticated advertising business. The Let's Go Gliding stuff is staid, boring. Even using the word "gliding" is a mistake - reinforces the get dragged up, waft back down impression. So much to do...

You mean something more like this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQc40Uut10M

On Thursday, February 7, 2013 12:56:41 PM UTC-6, Lucky812 wrote:

Does anyone else have any favorite sites that they send people to in order for them to get interested in gliding?

The question of "where to send someone to get them interested in soaring" is something that our club (Soaring Club of Houston) gave considerable thought to a year or so ago when we redesigned our club web site. We wanted to avoid snowing potential new members with all the detail that existing club members (or SSA members, etc.) wanted and needed. We ultimately choose to create a separate public web site just for the potential new member.

On our public site, we tried to find a balance of what might attract a new, often younger, member. But also a bit of substance for the more serious potential student, and links to other sites for those who wanted more. We made a conscious effort to try to sell soaring first, then provide simple information about what a potential member could expect from our club.

I'm attaching a link for anyone who'd like to consider something similar for their club. At a minimum, it includes a number of links to videos which we thought were effective, and which you might also want to reference. For the key videos, see the "Have Fun" and "About Soaring - Videos" pages.

www.scoh.org

- Frank Allen, SCOH

On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 4:07:15 PM UTC-5, V1 wrote:
The question of "where to send someone to get them interested in soaring" is something that our club (Soaring Club of Houston) gave considerable thought to a year or so ago when we redesigned our club web site. We wanted to avoid snowing potential new members with all the detail that existing club members (or SSA members, etc.) wanted and needed. We ultimately choose to create a separate public web site just for the potential new member.

On our public site, we tried to find a balance of what might attract a new, often younger, member. But also a bit of substance for the more serious potential student, and links to other sites for those who wanted more. We made a conscious effort to try to sell soaring first, then provide simple information about what a potential member could expect from our club.

I'm attaching a link for anyone who'd like to consider something similar for their club. At a minimum, it includes a number of links to videos which we thought were effective, and which you might also want to reference. For the key videos, see the "Have Fun" and "About Soaring - Videos" pages.

www.scoh.org

- Frank Allen, SCOH

That's REALLY nicely done !
Thanks,
Best Regards, Dave

PS: But, where are the Schweizersauruses ?

On Tuesday, February 12, 2013 4:57:59 PM UTC-6, Dave Nadler wrote:


PS: But, where are the Schweizersauruses ?

Dave,
They’re rumored to be hiding out. Most likely spooked by recent news reports of asteroid 2012 DA14 which is hurtling toward Earth with a (supposedly) near miss date of this Friday 15. If you look closely though, you can see a newly painted red & yellow one at the bottom of the "About SCOH - Club Aircraft" page. Another CAP 2-33 was camera shy, but hides in a private hangar at our field. Good memories - that's how I learned to fly back in prehistoric times …

A very nice presentation of the sport from SCOH!
Meanwhile in a lounge at Denver International, I just threw a Soaring magazine in the bin, lest someone read the letters to the editor (or RAS, about the same)
Jim

GA pilots aside, everyone else that I have ever talked to about soaring already thinks that it is an incredibly exciting and beautiful sport. If I can connect with them in a friendly way and communicate my enthusiasm about the sport, there is a possibility that they will show up at the airport for a flight.

On Wednesday, February 13, 2013 12:26:44 PM UTC-5, JS wrote:
A very nice presentation of the sport from SCOH!

SCOH has one of the best soaring club websites that I've seen. But for the most part, the sport LOOKS incredibly boring. Some websites make it look more boring that others. Some websites create a negative impression. Pilots see something in these videos that non-pilots do not see. (The Grand Prix race video and a few others are exciting, but that experience is obviously out-of-reach for a newbie.)

Of course you need websites to communicate basic information, but you need to get people to the airport and hopefully up in a glider. Talking to people one on one is the best way to do that. Set up a glider in a public place. Talk to people.