What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 11:48:56 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Just curious... what is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

Secondly, what are YOU doing to recruit new contest pilots, especially those pilots in their late 30's and 40's?

Please share your story with us and consider asking yourself how YOU can help recruit members back at your home club to participate in their first contest in 2018.

Thank you!

-Chris Schrader
*SSA Director, Region 6 (OH, IN, MI, KY)
Growth & Retention Committee Chair

We take them to contests and have them fly with us in our ASK-21's. Each year we take 6 to 8 pilots that are new to XC(some) and to contests(almost all). They fly with us on task (commonly doing much of the flying)so they can see XC flying from the planning to the post flight.Most years I'm full up with juniors.
Some get hooked. Many don't, but at least they get the training and exposure.
Regionals that go the extra step to encourage this can do a lot toward growing the XC segment of our sport, and also contest flying.
If you can get enough ships they can have their own class. K21's and Grobs and such are very much good enough for this activity. You don't need a Duo to go cross country.
We suggest each participant plan on 2 days. One day as crew, one flying. All are invited to Rookie School that we run as part of the program and they are expected to come to pilots meetings. Lots is learned and they meet a lot of nice folks.
FWIW
UH

And, this same format can help drag "lapsed contest/XC" pilots out there.
I'm an example at Wurtsboro this fall.
Limited flying the last few years, last real contest was a number of years ago, but I got a seat for a day at this contest.

Since nobody else wanted it (maybe not offered?), I took it.
Great to go fly a task where decision making was involved.

Yes, many ways to move pilots up to XC or contests, I'm fortunate to live in a region that has multiple places that foster this.

On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 9:48:56 AM UTC-6, wrote:
Just curious... what is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?



Our Club, Black Forest Soaring Society, is going to test a business model, conducted by SSA officers. It is called SWOT: Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. We are BETA testers for this prospective program.

This weekend, the SSA officers will spend time observing our club in action, and surveying our members. At the end of the flying day, we have invited them to a German Brat and Sky picnic.

Raul Boerner

On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 11:48:56 AM UTC-4, wrote:
Just curious... what is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

We host seminars each winter to teach subjects such as Beginning Cross Country 101, or Glider Racing 101. We have had great response will fully packed rooms.

Feel free do download our presentations and use them for your club:
http://www.southerneaglessoaring.com/seminars.html

We might do 2 this winter. One subject that I want to tackle is how to disassemble and assemble the Cirrus that we have for club members to take cross country. This is one barrier, many new pilots have never done glider assembly, so are uncomfortable with landing in a field and trying to figure out how to put it in the trailer.

It is not that hard to find one or 2 experienced pilots to put something together for a presentation in the morning, then lunch and then maybe an afternoon activity [short field landing, flying together, disassembly etc].

Chris

Chris,

I hope your club is NOT sending students up for their certificate without having participated in an assembly/disassembly.

The regs are very clear that a pre-solo pilot must have received training in and logged instruction in the following area(s)

Part 61.87 (i) (13) Procedures for disassembly and assembly of the glider;

As a pilot examiner I look for the specific endorsement of the CFI that this instruction has taken place.

In our club all the members have opportunity to assemble a disassemble the gliders at the beginning and end of the season and we make a special effort to log that in their training record.

Mike