[LASS Soaring] Posted on the soaring exchange

[Edwin Wilson]

Some of you do not monitor the soaring exchange. A lot of discussion 
about contest participation, missing youth, etc. I wanted to pass along 
my thoughts to the exchange and hear any of your thoughts.



<>I have read and digested all the notes on what is wrong with soaring. 
In particular poor contest participation, lack of youth age members or 
just new blood in general. I feel it is time I put in my two cents. I 
have been in this model hobby for 50 years. In soaring for 35 years and 
a LSF level V since 1999.
If a club wants to grow both in members and activities and you want more 
people at your contest you need to do several things.
    First increase visibility - Fly in a site that has public access. 
Many clubs are off in the boonies and John Q never gets to see you. If 
you are one of these clubs try to find a park or public area to fly in 
once or twice a month. Even if it is just hand launch or speed 400 
assisted launches. Save the big planes for your regular field. Do you 
have a handout to answer questions on soaring with a map to your field? 
Does your club have a plane like an Easy Glider to demonstrate to 
walkups and maybe give them a little stick time to introduce them to the 
controls? We used a Highlander here in Louisville, and by tossing it 
over the back of our head and watching it "bounce" we were able to ease 
some of the fears people had of breaking the plane. Many introductory 
flights were made this way. Do you post contest announcements in hobby 
shops or community news in the newspaper?

Second go after the youth - Hey we are competing for their attention. 
Don't expect kids to flock to you just because you fly a model plane. 
You have to go after them! Go to the area schools and talk about flight 
in the classroom and if possible demonstrate soaring. Most schools have 
a field where an upstart and a 2-meter plane could be flown. Don't 
forget the handouts for the students to take home. If you get a youth 
interested for heaven sakes HELP them. Don't expect the parents to know 
what to do. Clean out your old plane collection. Offer an old flat 
bottom airfoil plane, you will never fly again, for a report card with 
all passing grades. The response will surprise you. Locally we have done 
this with Lee. Now when he goes out into the field to fly a hand launch 
by himself you would think he is the Pied Piper. Kids seek him out to 
talk about his models. Guy's kids have their own language. We as adults 
will never understand.  Next thing I know here is dad with son in tow 
wanting more information on soaring. Do you have the handout ready?

Not all contacts will be immediate success. Many years back I gave some 
time to a young teen. He was never seen again until as a young man he 
returned with a BOT to fly. Bruce Davidson is now one of the countries 
top hand launch pilots. You never know when the seed will grow.

You want more people at a contest you must start at the base. Soaring's 
base is the LSF goal program. To me it is the thread we all have in 
common. Starting with those pesky landings to being nervous standing at 
the winch at our first contest we all share common experiences. The 
tasks teach us skills of soaring while participation introduces us to 
the social aspects of shared experiences with others who enjoy the same 
aspects of soaring flight as we do.

I know...I know...it means Gordy is right!

PS: The next Lee is Mark Terry from Knoxville Tn. He hooked up with Lee 
at the Tullahoma contest last week. I signed him up with a LSF aspirant 
sheet and before the contest was over he had completed his thermal 
flights for level 1.
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