How do we encourage more new pilots

[Peter Anthony]

What is the LAA doing? Well, Young aviators, Build a Plane and Air Scout camps for three. It might not be an immediate gain but the good will we're generating with the Scouting movement is definitely going to benefit us in the future. Not only with the youngsters but also with the leaders and parents. It also radiates off of the kids when they go back to school and tell their friends. Subversion by osmosis!
Unfortunately the presence that we had at RIAT was somewhat foiled by the weather, but there is a promise of a follow up to the dubious piece ITV West did comparing a Mighty Condor to a mere biz jet!
There's a lot going on even if people don't notice, one way to get people interested is the Bald Eagles events that the Oxford group hold. Throw a barbie and invite work and family friends over and take people flying and tell them what we do and how we do it.
However we do live in an age of instant gratification people will go bungee jumping or parachuting rather than taking the time to learn to fly or build and aircraft hence the rise of the package adventure weekend.
But those who want want to learn will find the way to do it, so keep waving the banner, keep the faith, and they will come.

[steveneale]

I agree with Pete D's original suggestion. We should go after non pilots. I'm an example. I sailed (not cheap) but had dismissed flying as too expensive and being a hands on type, didn't like the idea of paying some bloke wads of cash to fix something I could do myself. Many of the 4x4 brigade are a bit like that. They like to customise and tweak.

Then one Christmas I recorded a 8 episode "stack" of "A Plane is born" from Discovery channel with Mark Evans the Vet building a Europa. From it I found out about the PFA, Graham Newby gave a overview of PFA at the start. He explained that I could build and maintain my own aircraft. I began to salivate over the various aircraft that were featured. It also featured Mark Evans learning to fly. I was able to watch him learn and thought if a vet could do it so could I. I must have watched that video 50 times and the itch began to grow. That is how I got hooked.

So let's do a modern version of that. Don't try to sell it. Give it away as promotional material. DVD's cost pence nowadays. Perhaps also a Youtube type extension to the LAA website to collect together members own inspirational videos. The material is out there now.

Youtube is stuffed full of soul stirring stuff like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40_MzuKIGA

That will make any 4x4 drivers mouth salivate!

Also Ivan's vid shows you don't need much space for a strip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvJNwMETHSY

A lot of farmers out there.

Steve

[Simon Clifton]

The answer is LAA managed training, it is as simple as that.

Hand-holding people from their very first air-experience right through training to licence holder leads ultimately to committed aircraft ownership.

The merger with the BMAA should help, they have been doing it for over 20-years. When are we having LAA instructors then?

Simon C
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[Pete]

Steve N,

that's exactly what I am getting at.

My guess is that most LAA members have drifted into membership, rather being recruited, it's largely passive recruitment.

I applaud the young aviators initiatives etc, I expect that we gain a few members from this work ( dads etc ).

I see pilot training as a service that would help convert potential members into active members, but if folks don't know about the LAA...

What I guess is needed is a recognisable membership recruitment team who can come up with ideas on how to boost membership, and put these ideas into an information package. This team could include an EC member, and could then report and make recommendations to the EC

I don't think there is a single step that will boost membership ( apart from a good web site ), it's a case of lots of small initiatives.[/list]