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What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 18th 17, 04:48 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

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
  #2  
Old October 18th 17, 05:01 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Luke Szczepaniak
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

It is my opinion that to recruit pilots in their 30's and 40's clubs have to sow the seeds when the candidates are in their teens and 20's. Once hooked and established in adult life the pilot will come back to the sport.

To succeed clubs must encourage young pilots to fly cross country and take part in contests. The single most important factor is access to a glider with a serviceable trailer. Off-field landings should not be frowned upon - they are a normal part of flying without an engine.

Luke Szczepaniak



  #3  
Old October 18th 17, 05:34 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

I agree Luke, I belong to a small club (35) with only 2-33's 1-26 and a 1-34, over the past couple of years I have encouraged 1 20yo 2 58yo and 2 65yo to purchase their own glass ships and to start some modest xc. Contests are still a little out of there skill level but I am hopeful and I try to continully invite them to the ASA races as they are a no pressure race venue to get aquainted with rules and procedures. The club ships rarely go xc as there is a 1hour time limit if people are waiting. I try and emphasize the need to get there silver badge most importantly, the 5 hour duration.

CH ASW27 and Ventus B (for sale)
  #4  
Old October 18th 17, 10:51 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

On Wednesday, October 18, 2017 at 10:48:56 AM UTC-5, 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


Chris, we at Chicago Glider Club introduce new x-country and future contest pilots to the sport by calling a task on every weekend that is suitable. These are mostly TAT or MAT calls with a min time of 2-3 hours. Flights are sent to SH and Mike scores them using Winscore. The handicaps we use include the actual weight at the time of flight so that water ballast is allowed. The best 8 flights of a season count toward the NISC (N. IL Soaring Contest) Champion title. Rules are here, all Chicagoland glider clubs can and do participate:
http://chicagogliderclub.org/index.php/nisc
Herb, J7
  #5  
Old October 19th 17, 04:03 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Scott Manley[_2_]
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

Condor is a computer-based glider flight simulation of contest flying. It can and has been used by many aspiring competition pilots to develop and refine their cross-country and competition racing skills. The Condor online world includes many opportunities to develop and test one's racing skills against serious race-minded pilots from all over the world. On a more local level, clubs can (and some do) sponsor regular "race nights" where members can compete with each other either in-person (around a table like a friendly card game) or from home over the network. If used in combination with competition mentoring, Condor is a great tool for getting club members excited about trying the real thing, not to mention very well prepared for it.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Scott Manley CFIG (a.k.a. The Condor Guy)
  #6  
Old October 19th 17, 09:31 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default 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
  #7  
Old October 19th 17, 10:09 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot)
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

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.
  #8  
Old October 20th 17, 12:50 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

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
  #9  
Old October 20th 17, 01:59 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Sean Fidler
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Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

I second Scott on this. Simulate, simulate, simulate. Train as you fight, fight as you train. Practice at low cost and with no pressure first, then slowly raise the bar.

Condor has, unfortunately, also had a history of being rejected (or scoffed at) by many in the US soaring community, and this attitude still exists. “It’s a game or a toy...” That said, a simulated contest day (we did a full two day Condor contest in 2012 in Ann Arbor, MI, great fun) or some practice in Condor’s online environment (US Soaring Server) would be a great way to help and encourage new contest pilots (especially younger ones). Condor could help get them up to speed faster on how to manage our current rules, program and manage soaring flight computers (essential with US 100% TAT tasking (complex) and start and finish procedures) and to build general experience. The rules (and tasks) we use here in the 🇺🇸 can be very challenging to newer pilots. People generally don’t like sports where the initial complexity is outrageous. I argue are rules are just that. Condor is a great option and is greatly underutilized here in the USA as a training tool.


On Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 11:03:41 AM UTC-4, Scott Manley wrote:
Condor is a computer-based glider flight simulation of contest flying. It can and has been used by many aspiring competition pilots to develop and refine their cross-country and competition racing skills. The Condor online world includes many opportunities to develop and test one's racing skills against serious race-minded pilots from all over the world. On a more local level, clubs can (and some do) sponsor regular "race nights" where members can compete with each other either in-person (around a table like a friendly card game) or from home over the network. If used in combination with competition mentoring, Condor is a great tool for getting club members excited about trying the real thing, not to mention very well prepared for it.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Scott Manley CFIG (a.k.a. The Condor Guy)


  #10  
Old October 20th 17, 02:02 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Sean Fidler
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Posts: 1,005
Default What is your club doing to recruit new contest pilots?

I second Scott on this. Simulate, simulate, simulate. Train as you fight, fight as you train. Practice at low cost and with no pressure first, then slowly raise the bar.

Condor has, unfortunately, also had a history of being rejected (or scoffed at) by many in the US soaring community, and this attitude still exists. “It’s a game or a toy...” That said, a simulated contest day (we did a full two day Condor contest in 2012 in Ann Arbor, MI, great fun) or some practice in Condor’s online environment (US Soaring Server) would be a great way to help and encourage new contest pilots (especially younger ones). Condor could help get them up to speed faster on how to manage our current rules, program and manage soaring flight computers (essential with US 100% TAT tasking (complex) and start and finish procedures) and to build general experience. The rules (and tasks) we use here in the 🇺🇸 can be very challenging to newer pilots. People generally don’t like sports where the initial complexity is outrageous. I argue that our US rules are just that (scoring takes many hours for example).

Condor is a great option to prep new pilots fror contests or CC (needless to say primary instruction) and is still greatly underutilized here in the USA as a training tool.


On Thursday, October 19, 2017 at 11:03:41 AM UTC-4, Scott Manley wrote:
Condor is a computer-based glider flight simulation of contest flying. It can and has been used by many aspiring competition pilots to develop and refine their cross-country and competition racing skills. The Condor online world includes many opportunities to develop and test one's racing skills against serious race-minded pilots from all over the world. On a more local level, clubs can (and some do) sponsor regular "race nights" where members can compete with each other either in-person (around a table like a friendly card game) or from home over the network. If used in combination with competition mentoring, Condor is a great tool for getting club members excited about trying the real thing, not to mention very well prepared for it.

Respectfully submitted for your consideration,
Scott Manley CFIG (a.k.a. The Condor Guy)

 




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