Getting more young people into flying (and why SPL is really great)

CSP is a good place. I took my intro flight out of there in a little Tecnam Sierra Light Sport. Now I fly out of Frederick in a much more comfortable 172.

Anyway, getting people into aviation these days is pretty difficult. None of my friends have any real interest in aviation. I think I've met maybe four people in my life that like aviation as much as I do, and one of them is a retired USAF Colonel who flew C-130s. My girlfriend is terrified of flying, and my friends say they want to ride with me. However, their idea of the ride is to go up and see MD from the air for like 10 minutes and come back down.

I think cost is what keeps those interested at bay. 8-10K is a lot to drop on a piece of laminated paper. It kept me at bay for a very long time until I've finally decided to just give it a shot and see how far I can go by enrolling in a small degree program.

The key is probably igniting that spark of excitement in a child and gearing it towards planes. That can be hard, because flying is an unnatural feeling for most people. I guess ya gotta aim for the thrill seekers, I suppose!
 
I'm 63 and have wanted to fly since I was a small kid. I thought the Navy was going to provide a chance at it, but then couldn't pass the physical due to border line eye sight. I went for years thinking that my eyesight kept me from flying a small plane until I had the money to do it and started asking.

My point is that I didn't have the money to even think about flying when I was young. With so many kids coming out of college and unable to find a job, I don't think this part of the equation has improved since I was a college kid and young adult.

Even with falling aircraft prices, at least for some of them, flying is still expen$ive to get into. From what I've seen except for the occasional person that is happy to get an LSA in a Cub, LSA doesn't appear to be the answer due to the expense. A SkyCatcher is over $100K. Even if you don't buy one, rent has to be high.

For the lesser expen$ive LSA aircraft that are new, they are still expen$ive.

As much as I would like to think that it would be possible to start doing campaigns to get people out to the airport to get them interested, that 1 in 50 number probably has alot to do with whether or not they can afford it.

My $0.02,
 
HerrGruyere said:
The key is probably igniting that spark of excitement in a child and gearing it towards planes. That can be hard, because flying is an unnatural feeling for most people. I guess ya gotta aim for the thrill seekers, I suppose!
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I'm not sure it's a spark that you can ignite from without. The thrill seekers we already get, but they quit really fast since flying isn't exactly thrilling, they usually end up at the Drop Zone.

There really isn't much to attract young people to flying anymore, you are either born with the dream to fly or not. If you are you will, if not, most likely not. It's not like it was right after Lindbergh where people had some respect for pilots. Even as a career, 'Airline Pilot' has gone from being a profession to a trade in they eyes of the public especially after the stories of the captains leaving their PAX stranded in the airplane on the tarmac for hours like retarded prison guards following orders. A professional doesn't do that. A professional refuses idiotic orders and finds a solution rather than waiting for someone to tell them what to do even if it's just to say "Well you better send a bus over if you haven't got a gate because I'm blowing the slide." Then there is the entire issue of quality of life & career security; there is none in aviation as your seniority number resets with each new employer meaning there is no lateral or upward movement possible except within the same company until the go out of business or merge, then you're screwed again. There are also quality of life issues due to being away from home & family.

Then there's the issue of cost vs. utility, GA has a very limited usefulness.

Couple it together with a bunch of nit picking pedantic fuss budgets who believe it is their personal mission to regulate everything you do, it makes it so if you weren't born with the dream of flying and a burning desire to do it, there is no attraction left.
 
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jpower said:
Quite true. And Chesapeake Sport Pilot tries to put the fun back into flying.

*Begin shameless plug for CSP*
They sponsor a number of events throughout the year, including my personal favorite, the Tangier Holly Run. I've never flown on it, but I've visited Tangier Island twice and absolutely love it. (I'm sure at least one PoAer has been on the Holly Run before...maybe s/he can chime in?) I fly newish airplanes (~1000 hrs) that are in great shape. To practice emergency procedures, my CFI has tactfully pulled the power over a friend's strip, and when I saw it, I turned towards it and made a successful emergency approach. Then we promptly buzzed him. We did turns around a point over my CFI's house and saw his wife waving up at us. All the fun that flying should be!
*End shameless plug for CSP*
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I went on the Tangier Holly Run with my girlfriend and a younger couple (who were about 21/22), and my dog. We had a great time, but were probably the only people in the group of about 60 who were under the age of 40. A couple kids. One other pilot I recognized who is around my age (30) was at CSP for the breakfast, but not sure if he went on the trip. CSP and Helen did a great job of managing the program and hosting the event. I would do it again next year.

Andrew
 
AirDC said:
I went on the Tangier Holly Run with my girlfriend and a younger couple (who were about 21/22), and my dog. We had a great time, but were probably the only people in the group of about 60 who were under the age of 40. A couple kids. One other pilot I recognized who is around my age (30) was at CSP for the breakfast, but not sure if he went on the trip. CSP and Helen did a great job of managing the program and hosting the event. I would do it again next year.

Andrew
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What you need to do if you want to meet more young people in aviation is join the EAA and start going to meetings.
 
Henning said:
I'm not sure it's a spark that you can ignite from without. The thrill seekers we already get, but they quit really fast since flying isn't exactly thrilling, they usually end up at the Drop Zone.

There really isn't much to attract young people to flying anymore, you are either born with the dream to fly or not. If you are you will, if not, most likely not. It's not like it was right after Lindbergh where people had some respect for pilots. Even as a career, 'Airline Pilot' has gone from being a profession to a trade in they eyes of the public especially after the stories of the captains leaving their PAX stranded in the airplane on the tarmac for hours like retarded prison guards following orders. A professional doesn't do that. A professional refuses idiotic orders and finds a solution rather than waiting for someone to tell them what to do even if it's just to say "Well you better send a bus over if you haven't got a gate because I'm blowing the slide." Then there is the entire issue of quality of life & career security; there is none in aviation as your seniority number resets with each new employer meaning there is no lateral or upward movement possible except within the same company until the go out of business or merge, then you're screwed again. There are also quality of life issues due to being away from home & family.

Then there's the issue of cost vs. utility, GA has a very limited usefulness.

Couple it together with a bunch of nit picking pedantic fuss budgets who believe it is their personal mission to regulate everything you do, it makes it so if you weren't born with the dream of flying and a burning desire to do it, there is no attraction left.
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It is indeed unfortunate the direction commercial aviation is going. Particularly with the high cost of training versus the low initial pay. Granted, some people out there are willing to go for it.
 
Henning said:
I'm not sure it's a spark that you can ignite from without. The thrill seekers we already get, but they quit really fast since flying isn't exactly thrilling, they usually end up at the Drop Zone.

There really isn't much to attract young people to flying anymore, you are either born with the dream to fly or not. If you are you will, if not, most likely not. It's not like it was right after Lindbergh where people had some respect for pilots." Even as a career, 'Airline Pilot' has gone from being a profession to a trade in they eyes of the public especially after the stories of the captains leaving their PAX stranded in the airplane on the tarmac for hours like retarded prison guards following orders. A professional doesn't do that. A professional refuses idiotic orders and finds a solution rather than waiting for someone to tell them what to do even if it's just to say "Well you better send a bus over if you haven't got a gate because I'm blowing the slide." Then there is the entire issue of quality of life & career security; there is none in aviation as your seniority number resets with each new employer meaning there is no lateral or upward movement possible except within the same company until the go out of business or merge, then you're screwed again. There are also quality of life issues due to being away from home & family.

Then there's the issue of cost vs. utility, GA has a very limited usefulness.

Couple it together with a bunch of nit picking pedantic fuss budgets who believe it is their personal mission to regulate everything you do, it makes it so if you weren't born with the dream of flying and a burning desire to do it, there is no attraction left.
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Just when I thought Henning had lost it by him posting some ( non Henning ) stuff on other theads..... he hits one out of the park..:yesnod::yesnod::cheers::cheers:..

I honestly think what we see early in life determines our outcome.. I can remember sitting on a cold tile floor in Miami Shores when I was maybe 5 years old watching Sky King.... Without a doubt, it set my thirst for aviation in motion...:yesnod:. In my opinion there are NO flying related, feel good media out there in this day and age to fertilize the younger generations mind. IMHO.

Ps.. This paragraph should get Henning a gold medal.:yesnod::yesnod:

( Even as a career, 'Airline Pilot' has gone from being a profession to a trade in they eyes of the public especially after the stories of the captains leaving their PAX stranded in the airplane on the tarmac for hours like retarded prison guards following orders. A professional doesn't do that. A professional refuses idiotic orders and finds a solution rather than waiting for someone to tell them what to do even if it's just to say "Well you better send a bus over if you haven't got a gate because I'm blowing the slide." )
 
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HerrGruyere said:
It is indeed unfortunate the direction commercial aviation is going. Particularly with the high cost of training versus the low initial pay. Granted, some people out there are willing to go for it.
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6 months and the cost of one year of private college is cheap. That and the ego thing and you can see why the pay is where it is.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Go from a twin to one of those you'd crush people's image of what you are supposed to do as a pilot.:)
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??? Doesn't matter what you fly, that's what you are supposed to do as a pilot, fly. We fly, don't need to add any modifiers.:yesnod:

What I fly is selected by the mission, not image. I need to be able to run boats between two points in So Florida, say Palm Beach to Miami Beach and take transportation back to my car with me. I can do that with a backpack fan and a paraglider, walk over to the beach, set up, take off and fly up the beach right offshore. I've already gone to the ATC facilities and talked to them and they say they don't have any problem with my plan since I intend to stay < 100'. The really cool thing is I don't have to deal with I-95 traffic.

So you see, I be doing exactly what every pilot wants to do, using an aircraft to transport myself in a position where I can pee on people stuck in traffic.:D
 
ClimbnSink said:
6 months and the cost of one year of private college is cheap. That and the ego thing and you can see why the pay is where it is.
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6 months and the cost of one year of private college is cheap? Which private college are you referring to? Haha. A year at the college where I went to is super cheap compared to the colleges of where I live now.

I think I'm just misreading your post, though. However, I can see the ego thing. I see it as you gotta do it for the love of flying and not for the pay or the ego.
 
Private sleep away colleges are mostly in the mid 40's per year nowadays. Don't know what the zero to hero programs cost now but throw in some book and beer money and I'm guessing they are pretty close.
 
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