What would you want to see at your local EAA chapter's meetings?

Matthew K

Matthew K

Line Up and Wait
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Broke Engineer
Some of you may remember my post talking about myself potentially taking over an EAA Chapter as the current leadership was stepping down. Well I ended up taking over, and have officers filling the other roles of leadership (all of us were voted in by current members of course).

The chapter I came from had a new speaker at every meeting, there was time before the speaker began to converse among members, and that was largely it for the meeting. We're trying to have a speaker at every meeting like the chapter I came from, but I don't want every meeting to be the same basic thing: conversation, presentation, leave. I want to keep it interesting.

So, I wanted to get general suggestions on what you guys would want to see at your local EAA meeting (whether your a member of one or not). I've got my own chapter members to consult with this about, but I wanted to see if any of you had any interesting ideas that could be used/suggested at my chapter as well as others.
 
People my age. I’m mid-40s.

ETA: the last chapter I belonged to actually had goals as a chapter and structured their meetings to support those goals.

FrEx: Goal: At least one E-AB completion annually turned a couple of meetings into work parties.
 
TCABM said:
People my age. I’m mid-40s.
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Seriously... I am 45 and the few EAA things I have been to I felt like a kid out of place.

Nothing wrong with age and wisdom...while we all have a common interest of aviation, hard to connect socially and get engaged with such an age disparity
 
All the EAA meetings I went to were nothing but really old men coughing, sneezing, wheezing, slurping coffee, complaining about everything. I will never go back to one.

What I had hoped for: Hands on tips and techniques, show and tell for something a member was working on whether that is a piece they brought in, or a trip to their hangar or house. Maybe a few presentations but if they don't apply to you they get boring really quick.
 
We do a variety of things. Visit Projects being built including the Wright B Flyer, local museums like WACO, USAF, others, First Flight planning, Aircraft history like the YF-22/YF-23 program, local airport open house as examples.

Cheers
 
I'll second the suggestion of trying damn hard to recruit some younger members. I stopped going to most of the local "formal" pilot meeteings (EAA, IMC Club, etc.) because at 35 I'm usually way, way, way under the average age. And I'm also usually in the minority as an actually active pilot. Many times, the meetings just turn into some of the members (usually older and inactive) interrupting the speaker/presentation/discussion to tell their own stories (which usually turn out to be totally unrelated to the topic at hand). Nothing wrong with the occasional story-telling session, but there's a time and place for it, and it's not during someone else's presentation. To that end, you need a strong personality that can actually take control of and run the meeting, shutting down folks like that (in a polite enough way) and keeping the meeting on-track. When the meetings get bad, people (at least those who have other things they could be doing with their time) will simply stop showing up.

As to the meetings, if you're going to have speakers, try really hard to make sure they're actually going to talk about something interesting that's related to the group's goals. Having speakers for the sake of having speakers is dumb, IMHO. My old flying club used to do that, and we got lots of super boring speakers that had little to do with our "mission" as a club. And for the love of god, don't bring in speaker's whose primary goal is to talk to you about, and recruit you for, their organization. That's the worst.
 
I was somewhat surprised to see how many mentioned problems with the mean age of the chapter members. Perhaps its because the chapter I came from is largely filled with engineers (ages 30-50s) from a major aircraft company that's nearby (feel free to guess). The chapter I'm heading now has a mix. Some older members, some mid 40-50s.

100% agree that any speakers we have need to be interesting, and not just have some random speaker for the sake of having a speaker.

Shawn said:
hard to connect socially and get engaged with such an age disparity
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Personally, my experience hasn't been the same. The older crowd has been very easy for me to talk to. I am considerably younger than you, so perhaps my relative youth makes it easier for the older crowd to talk to me. I understand your point though, I'm the youngest one at my chapter, and was the youngest at my previous chapter, it would be nice to have people of similar age.
 
TCABM said:
People my age.
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Shawn said:
Seriously... I am 45 and the few EAA things I have been to I felt like a kid out of place.
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Grum.Man said:
All the EAA meetings I went to were nothing but really old men coughing, sneezing, wheezing, slurping coffee, complaining about everything. I will never go back to one.
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Yep, same situation here. Anytime I walk into that group of pilots I suddenly get this condescending vibe thrown down on me. It’s more like a 65+ gathering than anything else, so I feel out of place too.
 
Matthew K said:
...100% agree that any speakers we have need to be interesting, and not just have some random speaker for the sake of having a speaker.....
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agree. gotta have speakers discuss things relevant and interesting to the youngsters these days....how to mount cameras, how to make/edit youtube videos. I'm not even joking. having a discussion on things like "maintenance you are allowed to do on your homebuilt rv" isn't gonna attract kids who would have had to start building their rv when they were 2 for the discussion to be anywhere near relevant to them. trying to get a guest speaker like a current relevant youtuber I'm sure would draw attention, as ridiculous as that is.
 
Ryanb said:
Yep, same situation here. Anytime I walk into that group of pilots I suddenly get this condescending vibe thrown down on me. It’s more like a 65+ gathering than anything else, so I feel out of place too.
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I got recruited for the QBs once upon a time. Made the EAA chapter look like a bunch of preschoolers. One meeting was plenty.
 
Oddly, I think you see "geezers' because it's when one isn't working nine-to-five, and has a little extra money, that one contemplates building a plane. (I plan to shortly; I'm 61, but I look 59.)
 
I've only been to an EAA meeting once, and it was for a Rusty Pilot seminar. You could have a couple of those a year. Pilots get to count the presentation as the ground portion of a flight review.

I see you're in GA. Where is the chapter located?
 
BrianNC said:
I've only been to an EAA meeting once, and it was for a Rusty Pilot seminar. You could have a couple of those a year. Pilots get to count the presentation as the ground portion of a flight review.

I see you're in GA. Where is the chapter located?
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Sorry I'm just now seeing this. It's quite a bit south of your location.

Here's our website(needs an update, on the list of things to do): http://www.eaachapter489.org/
 
What I want is just about anything related to building. Our local chapter has done a lot more recently in this area, but somehow it just hasn't worked from my schedule standpoint.

But especially I'd like someone to walk up to me and say "Gee, I have a fully equipped empty hangar at this airport 2 minutes from your house. Would you like to use it to build?" I dunno, asking too much?
 
bflynn said:
I'd like someone to walk up to me and say "Gee, I have a fully equipped empty hangar at this airport 2 minutes from your house. Would you like to use it to build?"
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Me too!
 
I don't want to go to a "meeting". I want to do something active - build something, help build something, hands-on kind of stuff.

I have the pleasure of sitting in plenty of meetings between 8 and 5, and have no interest in sitting in meetings during my discretionary time.

One of the challenges is that many of the folks who attend the local chapters' meetings are retirees and seem very content to sit in a meeting. They are winding down their aviation careers and are happy to talk about aviation, rather than actively participate.
 
Shawn said:
Seriously... I am 45 and the few EAA things I have been to I felt like a kid out of place.

Nothing wrong with age and wisdom...while we all have a common interest of aviation, hard to connect socially and get engaged with such an age disparity
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Hey man I’m 25 and I’m friends with lots of old guys :) I know where your coming from though
 
Talk to Randy (EppyGA). He's been the President of his for ~4 years, and is now Treasurer. EAA690 is well run. They have an active Youth Build program, Young Eagles and do well.
 
wayne said:
Talk to Randy (EppyGA). He's been the President of his for ~4 years, and is now Treasurer. EAA690 is well run. They have an active Youth Build program, Young Eagles and do well.
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I have been in contact with him :)
 
Some people dream about building planes. Some people just do it. Those who do don’t have time to sit around with the dreamers. Just my observation. I belong to EAA but I don’t attend local socials.
 
It would be nice if every EAA Chapter did a build, problem is it costs money. We undertook an RV-12 build in 2016. To date, it has been financed by member donations in an amount over $28k. The problem is, that only gets you so far and donations have dried up leaving us with an airframe needing an engine and avionics in the amount of $45k. It did get a lot of different members involved in building, but now we're faced with trying to sell what we have or have members in the chapter organize a flying club and pay in the remaining amount to complete the airplane and get it flying.
 
Open bar maybe?

Does your chapter have their own place that nobody else uses? A place you can meet fellow pilots between meetings? Maybe have a cookout or other social activities?

I get the age divide. I am 66. But when I go to some pilot meetings I feel like the youngest person there. And all the old guys act like they know everything. And what they don’t know isn’t important.
 
JOhnH said:
I get the age divide. I am 66. But when I go to some pilot meetings I feel like the youngest person there. And all the old guys act like they know everything. And what they don’t know isn’t important.
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That’s precisely the problem and exactly the reason I choose not to attend any of the chapter meetings.
 
Interesting, we don't have that issue in our chapter at all. Everyone gets welcomed and can easily become a part of the chapter. One of things someone can do is to become involved in chapter activities as much as possible. Volunteer to help with things. If one just stands in the corner, they won't meet anyone.
 
I generally like our chapter meetings. At 58 I'm not the youngest guy there, but I'm in the bottom quartile, I think. We do have good speakers at least half the time. What I'd most like to see is just a "show & tell". Show what you've been building, fixing, upgrading or breaking. New headset, new tool you found, old plans unearthed in your basement, pretty much anything aviation related. Honestly, I think it would help to get people a little more fired up.
 
Ryanb said:
That’s precisely the problem and exactly the reason I choose not to attend any of the chapter meetings.
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I personally have no particular problem with the age divide, and I'm younger then you! Granted, I have been fortunate enough to be warmly welcomed into the first chapter I joined, and to be welcomed into the chapter I head now. I do see the potential for others to be less accepting of the younger crowd though (along with having some hard headed members that don't want to change their ways), so I can see that being a problem with some chapters. Also some people just have no interest talking to the older generations, which may be your case, which I do understand. :)

Of course it would be fantastic to get the younger crowd involved, something I'm actively trying to do. I've got a particular advantage given my age (those that have met me know), but it's still hard to get people around my age interested unless we're doing something specifically hands on or offering free flights. And to address those who have mentioned having some home built project for the chapter members to work on, for us, and I imagine many other chapters, the money simply isn't there. Who knows, maybe sometime someone will be gracious enough to donate what we need to make that kind of a project happen, and I'd be open to the idea, but like Eppy said there's a lot that goes into a chapter build, and few chapters have access to the resources required.
 
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What I have noticed and find a bit funny is that most of the people who I know that are building are somewhat younger and are not attending EAA chapter meetings. Most of the older guys who attend the meetings are not building, at least currently. This is not an absolute of course, just what I've noticed at several airports and a few EAA chapters that I've dropped in on.
 
Fewer meetings. More gatherings.

"A meeting is an assembly of people, either by chance or by prior arrangement. This is the most generic term that covers the coming together of two or more people. A gathering is a meeting or an assembly held especially for a social or festive purpose"

Perhaps it's my age (several standard deviations below the EAA norm), or my general distaste for organizations, but the "chapter life" has never really sat well with me. Most EAA chapters seem to largely exist around meetings, and the meetings don't exist for much other reason than to, well, meet. If I want to hear a lecture about something aviation-related, well, YouTube or podcasts. Put me into a room full of other pilots and, well, people, I'd rather be holding a beer talking flying or business than all sitting quietly listening to one person talk. If I want to establish a group interested in flyouts, it can start there (or through social media).

I'm lucky enough to be based at an airport with a pretty healthy community, and largely the "community" exists informally and serves two purposes; to give the owner an excuse to drink good Scotch with other pilots, and to network the large and surprisingly diverse group floating around the airport.
 
scottfromboston said:
Fewer meetings. More gatherings.

"A meeting is an assembly of people, either by chance or by prior arrangement. This is the most generic term that covers the coming together of two or more people. A gathering is a meeting or an assembly held especially for a social or festive purpose"

Perhaps it's my age (several standard deviations below the EAA norm), or my general distaste for organizations, but the "chapter life" has never really sat well with me. Most EAA chapters seem to largely exist around meetings, and the meetings don't exist for much other reason than to, well, meet. If I want to hear a lecture about something aviation-related, well, YouTube or podcasts. Put me into a room full of other pilots and, well, people, I'd rather be holding a beer talking flying or business than all sitting quietly listening to one person talk. If I want to establish a group interested in flyouts, it can start there (or through social media).

I'm lucky enough to be based at an airport with a pretty healthy community, and largely the "community" exists informally and serves two purposes; to give the owner an excuse to drink good Scotch with other pilots, and to network the large and surprisingly diverse group floating around the airport.
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Most chapters are organized as 501(c)(3) organizations and thus have a set of bylaws the chapter must operate under. Those bylaws generally call for a specific "business meeting" be held on a monthly basis. When to hold this meeting and what to include in the meeting becomes a delicate balance. Our pancake breakfast attracts between 100 and 150 on a regular basis. It is not our business meeting. That is held on a separate day each month. Until this month it was held on the second Friday of each month, per the bylaws. We voted to allow the President to set the meeting date. We've always had a program along with our business meeting, but it still does not draw the numbers that our breakfast does. It's tough hitting on the right formula.
 
9CF1693D-80F6-4080-A58C-1AFFE1E0FC0A.jpeg Now if I could convince this skydiving team to join me again at a Chapter event, it might have an effect.

Cheers
 
A lot of good points on this thread!

Shawn said:
Seriously... I am 45 and the few EAA things I have been to I felt like a kid out of place.

Nothing wrong with age and wisdom...while we all have a common interest of aviation, hard to connect socially and get engaged with such an age disparity
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I'm 45 as well and they treat me like I'm the young guy that should take everything over. I have a full time job along with my photography business. I don't need another job, sorry!

I also understand that with age comes wisdom, but I've been flying my whole life. I plan to have 10K hours in the next two years; I'm close now. I volunteer at OSH, so I have some insight that can help, and I might even know a few people at the EAA! I've felt like they couldn't care less what I have to offer, and that's okay, I'll take my toys and go to my hangar.

Ken Ibold said:
I got recruited for the QBs once upon a time. Made the EAA chapter look like a bunch of preschoolers. One meeting was plenty.
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I turned them down. They must not me used to that. It was like I kicked sand in their faces. No offense, but I'm busy! Maybe I'll reconsider someday if they'll have me.

strangebird said:
Eliminate cliques so new people don't feel like they walked into a secret meeting, that for sure drives newbies away
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When I was 19, I was flying aerobatics in a Decathlon. I would save all of my money to just go up for 30 minutes twice a month. I wanted to join the local IAC group and showed up at one of their meetings. Only one person took the time to talk to me and I felt like I was on the outside looking in. I felt like they thought I wasn't worth wasting their time on. The good that came from this is, I will always stop to talk to anyone about airplanes, photography, etc. I'm not better than anyone.
 
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