Cheap sailplanes

On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 13:28:05 -0700, "F.L. Whiteley"
wrote:

[snip]

Old fart greybeard, with glider on display, jumps out in front of a group of
likely looking college undergrad snowboarders, points, and states
emphatically, "Soaring will change your life". At least one of that group,
after going from ab-initio to switched on glider instructor, has now
completed BPT for the USN and is headed for next school and carrier duty.
He has never forgotten that day, and soaring has changed his life.

How are things going for Dillon? I heard the Navy flight training
bases were shut down by hurricanes.

rj

"Ralph Jones" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 3 Dec 2004 13:28:05 -0700, "F.L. Whiteley"
wrote:

[snip]

Old fart greybeard, with glider on display, jumps out in front of a group
of
likely looking college undergrad snowboarders, points, and states
emphatically, "Soaring will change your life". At least one of that
group,
after going from ab-initio to switched on glider instructor, has now
completed BPT for the USN and is headed for next school and carrier duty.
He has never forgotten that day, and soaring has changed his life.

How are things going for Dillon? I heard the Navy flight training
bases were shut down by hurricanes.

rj
Graduated 4th (the other CFI-G, Austin 1st) in same class. Headed for E2/C2
school, however, the turboprops are being replaced with jets, so he's likely
headed for jet school first. Last I heard there's a good chance he'll be
around for a visit before
Christmas, then home before returning for the next training phase.

In the meantime, they've been flying the ASW-19 out of Refugio Soaring
Circle.

fw

I continue to believe that the answer to building soaring has mainly to do
with making it more convenient. The other thing I believe is that one of the
very best things we, as sailplane pilots do is solve problems...I tend to
agree with some of the commentary on here that we just don't show enough of
how cool our sport is...the low finishes ARE cool...and occasionally someone
will get hurt...but damn are they fun!!! To this day, most of my flights end
in a low pass and quick circuit...one day it might get me...but for now, it
adds to my enjoyment and everyone who sees that sort of finish
goes..."Wow....I want to do that too..."

Not sure that's good or bad, but it definitely happens. The other thought
is, that I don't think it's the cost of the sailplane that's prohibitive, I
think it's the whole package...club fees/dues, tows, insurance, equipment,
etc...You guys can pontificate all day about how a cheap simple glider is
going to build the sport and I for one don't buy it. The first time the guy
with the new low cost glider sets off to try to accomplish some goal and a
buddy follows in a 30 year old "Old" glider and blows the living doors off
the new guy...the whole theory of new=better...starts to sink in...as...BS

If I've seen one consistent thing amongst young new prospective sailplane
types, its that they have a tough time justifying all the expense, for the
limited amount of time they get to participate ....weekends...April till
October...but for a few places in the U.S. that's a fairly common thing. So
we really come down to competing with EVERY other interesting thrill-seeking
venue out there. And quite frankly most of the rest of them are neater to
watch on TV...than ours...There's something quite simple in human nature,
that dictates that if you can watch it on TV...and then participate at any
level...you sorta get to live the experience twice. I watch my growing sons
watch surfing, snowboarding, skiing, golf, tennis...just about
everything...I think we ought to concentrate on finding a venue to air our
sport on TV...somehow. Anyone know anybody involved with WINGS?? Or any of
the extreme sport shows...?? I've got some amazing Video footage that really
looks cool...we just need a venue to get it seen by a bigger audience...

It seems we ought to try to figure out ways to get our sport seen by more
eyeballs...and make sure that what people see...is cool...WAY COOL DUDE!!!!

(imagining the following extreme sport show)

Bitchin Surfer Dude pilot 1: "So there I was dude....going up in this
bitchin wave....and whoa....I was like....this is totally gnarly dude...so I
just put the nose down and flew two hundred miles....It was awesome!!!!!

Bitchin Surfer Dude pilot2: "Whoa....I was like ...right behind him...and
then he was like...gone dude....hair on fire and movin out 140 miles an
hour....I went after him...and WE ROCKED!!!"



Okay...well....perhaps I went too far...suffice to say, we need more
eyeballs more exposure and we definitely need to adjust our view as to who
our target audience is, and define a demographic...for the pursuit of fresh
meat....for our sport...


Methinks.



Steve.

"Steve Hill" wrote in message
...
I think we ought to concentrate on finding a venue to air our
sport on TV...somehow. Anyone know anybody involved with WINGS??

From AOPA ePilot today:

DISCOVERY CHANNEL TURNS IN ITS WINGS
Discovery Communications will, on January 10, rename its Discovery Wings
Channel the Military Channel. Stories will focus on the troops, their
equipment, the Iraq war, and a behind-the-scenes look at actual military
operations. The channel won't abandon aviation forever, however. It will
still cover topics like military jet fighters (a show scheduled for January
28) and the world-famous Blue Angels flight demonstration team (scheduled
for March 18).

who would be prouder to hear this Joeseph Goebbles or George Orwell?

Brad



"Roger Worden" wrote in message .com...
"Steve Hill" wrote in message
...
I think we ought to concentrate on finding a venue to air our
sport on TV...somehow. Anyone know anybody involved with WINGS??

From AOPA ePilot today:

DISCOVERY CHANNEL TURNS IN ITS WINGS
Discovery Communications will, on January 10, rename its Discovery Wings
Channel the Military Channel. Stories will focus on the troops, their
equipment, the Iraq war, and a behind-the-scenes look at actual military
operations. The channel won't abandon aviation forever, however. It will
still cover topics like military jet fighters (a show scheduled for January
28) and the world-famous Blue Angels flight demonstration team (scheduled
for March 18).

Brand,

George wouldn't be proud. Saddened perhaps. Alas, 1984 came and went
and no one's the wiser. Of course, that was the point of book. If you
enjoyed 1984, you might read his short essay... "Shooting an
Elephant." I'm sure you can google it up. We don't give Orwell nearly
enough credit, thinking of him more a sci fi writer than the keen
social observer he was.

I guess what's truly disheartening is that we keep making the same
mistakes. The least we can do is make new ones, if for nothing other
than variety's sake.

What has this to do with gliding? Some of you will get it.

Gotta go. Time to feed the proles.





(Brad) wrote in message . com...
who would be prouder to hear this Joeseph Goebbles or George Orwell?

Brad



"Roger Worden" wrote in message .com...
"Steve Hill" wrote in message
...
I think we ought to concentrate on finding a venue to air our
sport on TV...somehow. Anyone know anybody involved with WINGS??

From AOPA ePilot today:

DISCOVERY CHANNEL TURNS IN ITS WINGS
Discovery Communications will, on January 10, rename its Discovery Wings
Channel the Military Channel. Stories will focus on the troops, their
equipment, the Iraq war, and a behind-the-scenes look at actual military
operations. The channel won't abandon aviation forever, however. It will
still cover topics like military jet fighters (a show scheduled for January
28) and the world-famous Blue Angels flight demonstration team (scheduled
for March 18).

It seems we ought to try to figure out ways to get our sport seen by more
eyeballs...and make sure that what people see...is cool...WAY COOL
DUDE!!!!

That seems to be a tough nut to crack. How can we get mass-media exposure
without buying it? Orgs like SSA certainly don't have the funds to buy air
time. Paid ads on popular Internet sites with links to exciting video would
probably attract a lot of eyeballs, but I have no idea what that would cost.

I do NOT recomend trying to go down the path that parachuting is taking.
Have you seen their new competition format - I think it's called
"skimming" - where they negotiate a ground-level course just before landing?
It seems destined to attract the kind of "extreme sports" spectators that
only want to see crashes, and I think that's a terrible image to cultivate
for any branch of aviation.

Roger

In article ,
Roger Worden wrote:
It seems we ought to try to figure out ways to get our sport seen by more
eyeballs...and make sure that what people see...is cool...WAY COOL
DUDE!!!!

That seems to be a tough nut to crack. How can we get mass-media exposure
without buying it?

I'm writing the Sport Pilot article for Soaring, but EAA also wants one
from me about gliders to go in Sport Pilot magazine.

Another possibility is cross-pollenizing to Hang Gliding magazines.
A few ads in the classifieds, at least. C'mon, a big 'ol Nimbus
picture wouldn't get their attention

Orgs like SSA certainly don't have the funds to buy air
time. Paid ads on popular Internet sites with links to exciting video would
probably attract a lot of eyeballs, but I have no idea what that would cost.

I do NOT recomend trying to go down the path that parachuting is taking.
Have you seen their new competition format - I think it's called
"skimming" - where they negotiate a ground-level course just before landing?
It seems destined to attract the kind of "extreme sports" spectators that
only want to see crashes, and I think that's a terrible image to cultivate
for any branch of aviation.

Roger




--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd

In article 41b1fefa$1@darkstar, (Mark James Boyd)
writes:


I'm writing the Sport Pilot article for Soaring, but EAA also wants one
from me about gliders to go in Sport Pilot magazine.


I have heard (OZ Report) that there is a hang gliding article coming in Soaring
magazine.

Steve

"Steve Bralla" wrote in message
...
In article 41b1fefa$1@darkstar, (Mark James Boyd)
writes:


I'm writing the Sport Pilot article for Soaring, but EAA also wants one
from me about gliders to go in Sport Pilot magazine.


I have heard (OZ Report) that there is a hang gliding article coming in
Soaring
magazine.

Steve
Makes some sense, since there was the recent meeting in Idaho.
Consolidating some functions has been on the back burner for some years.
There are quite a number of cross-over pilots, several in my club.

Frank