Blimey Nigel.. What are you trying to do mate , start World War 3 ?
You are probably right in principle on both points , but one has to bear in mind that as far as dress is concerned , it is a leisurely weekend event and many will have sat in the confines of an aeroplane for a few hours to get there , and will probably be staying over in tents before their return sector on the Sunday. So turning up looking like something out of Moss Bros just isn't an option . Ok, if everyone was slouching about in string vests looking like Rab C. Nesbit then you may have a point , but normal leisure clothing is pretty much the norm isn't it ? I'm a bit worried that a chap goes to something like that to look at other chaps clothing .
As a great fan of the Goodwood Revival , I have to say , it has become a bit too cheesy over recent years with people going completely over the top in some cases . I lived in Whittlebury, Northants as a boy , which is very close to Silverstone and spent an awful lot of time at race meetings back in the 60's . And what most people wear to Goodwood just wasn't worn by race goers back then.
My point is , lets not turn Sywell into a panto with stick on handle-bar moustaches , and hired RAF uniforms .
Your second point is the real emotive one . Getting new blood into our organisation is an often talked about topic . One of the stark realities is this though . What do you need to build an aircraft ?
Well firstly , a fairly decent chunk of disposable income . Also , a fairly decent sized double garage.
Thirdly , an unbelievable amount of patience , especially if you're not building an 'MFI Flatpack' type.
None of the above are things that most younger guys are going to have in any great proportions, which is the reason why most LAAers are over 45 . It's not a stodgy old gits pastime , as most of the sexiest things in the sky are LAA type aircraft , but they are things that mostly can be afforded by 'gents of a certain age'. And the new generation of LAAer is probably not the fresh faced youth , but the 40-something who has a career, mortgage nearly paid , kids left home, maybe a possible inheritance on the way. It's just one of those subjects that we can beat to death , but the bare facts are pretty much as above .
Are you sure you should have started this thread mate ?
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