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Thread: Getting Younger People to Meetings

  1. #21

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    My wife just woke up and she reminded me. She said, honey you sold that airplane for 2500 bucks to that man. I forgot I did that and why I tell people I gave an airplane away, for I did indeed give this airplane away.

    Here is that airplane. Also on this day I am letting a friend fly this airplane as I film said flight. I get just as much enjoyment from watching others have fun in something I own as I do doing it myself. Maybe this is just me.

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    Last edited by 1600vw; 05-13-2016 at 07:05 AM.

  2. #22

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    Here is another one. This is me filming and another friend going for a flight in the Hi-max I owned.


  3. #23

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    Those two airplanes you see shared a hangar for years. I went to purchase the low wing and there sat that Hi-max. The owner showed up this night I was looking at the low wing. he was the towns police officer. when he found out I was buying the Avenger he said he would sell his Hi-max. The hangar was so big and dark I never even saw it in the corner. I said what H-max. He shines his little flash light on it and i about fell over. I grabbed the light from his hands and went looking at his airplane. I took all his info down and told him i would purchase it and would call him. I lived almost 1000 miles away.

    When i get home I start calling him. I get no answer. I get no answer for almost two months, then one day he picks up the phone. He said he thought long and hard about it and decided to sell it. I drove to him the next day and picked this airplane up. This is what it looked like when I purchased it. Again this is not me flying her but another friend. What joy it is to share aviation. I love it.


  4. #24

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    Was general aviation ever geared toward the young? I have only been in this sport or hobby for a few short years. But from what I understand many wait until kids are grown before attempting something like this. Form what I have read its more about cost then anything. The next or number two reason would be safety for they have those whom count on them being around or need them and if something happened..we all know the story. So some wait until said kids are grown for that reason. But most wait until later in life to get into aviation and this seems to be the norm for general aviation. You do have a few who get into aviation younger but the key word is {few}. This is at least what I have found.

    My point what I was doing at age 20 or 30 today I do not do those hobbies or sports. I moved on. All we can do is hope that the kids or children today will do the same. Hopefully later in life they will shed the electronic whatever it is and be doing other things. Maybe by then they will be burned out on all these electronic gadgets. Only problem, GA aviation may be gone by then.

    But as to cost. There is a group out west who seem to have this figured out. These women get together and give training at a reduced cost for their cause. That cause, to get more women flying. It seems to be working. This is what needs to happen to all of general aviation and lower, meaning SportPilot. Why? For the cause of aviation. Because if we don't do something like this, aviation as we know it will not be here for our grand kids when said grand kids do decide they want to fly.
    Last edited by 1600vw; 05-13-2016 at 08:16 AM.

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by 1600vw View Post
    Was general aviation ever geared toward the young? I have only been in this sport or hobby for a few short years. But from what I understand many wait until kids are grown before attempting something like this. Form what I have read its more about cost then anything. The next or number two reason would be safety for they have those whom count on them being around or need them and if something happened..we all know the story. So some wait until said kids are grown for that reason. But most wait until later in life to get into aviation and this seems to be the norm for general aviation. You do have a few who get into aviation younger but the key word is {few}. This is at least what I have found.
    Can I just say that you are awesome? I wish more people like you would post on threads like this one. Of course, those people are probably busy doing what you are--helping others experience the joys of flight!

    I can say from experience that this assumption is correct for me. I have wanted to learn to fly since I was about 6. Not coming from a piloting family, I was unaware of the opportunities to learn to fly for recreation. So, I checked into flying professionally through schools located at universities and the costs were astronomical. My family didn't have much money; so, I decided to pursue an Air Force ROTC scholarship. I met all of their requirements, but when we got to medical history, they saw that I had bronchitis as a child and said I could fly helicopters in the Army. I'm a fixed-wing kind of person, so I gave up the dream.

    In my 30s, I had a bit more discretionary income and I found out about recreational flying from a few friends who were pilots and built and/or restored their own aircraft. Money wasn't the issue, irrational fear of leaving my girls without a father was my fear. I gave up that fear a little over a year ago. Today, I am 42 and about 25 hours in as a student pilot. I'm talking with three generations of family members about building a Bearhawk that we can co-own. This has been one of the best decisions of my life.

    I've already investigated becoming a Young Eagles pilot because I want to talk about learning to fly and give that experience to kids. Young Eagles wasn't around when I was a kid and I didn't know about the Civil Air Patrol. It wasn't until I was in the working world that I heard about both opportunities from an individual who graduated from the Air Force Academy and is now flying fighter jets.

    I tip my hat to you 1600vw. Keep doing what you're doing!

  6. #26
    EAA Staff Tom Charpentier's Avatar
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    As someone who put myself through flight training in my early 20s about 5 years ago, I would just like to make a plea not to discount us. Remember that people in my generation (I hate the word "millennial," it sounds like a software product from circa 1998) are oftentimes putting off major life milestones like getting married and having kids until later. That opens up a window of low time and financial (depending on student debt load) commitment early in life. Some people travel, others pursue their personal passions, and a few, like me learned to fly. I think it's important to remember this segment, because the more younger pilots we have the more sons, daughters, nieces, and nephews grow up with someone in their family who flies. There's a multiplicative effect to learning to fly earlier in life, and it should be encouraged.

    Yes, cost is a huge issue, but there are ways to make it work. At the time I learned to fly I had a pretty typical starting salary for a college grad in an urban area. I had some student debt to deal with, and almost half of my monthly take-home pay went to rent. I rode the commuter train to the airport on weekends instead of owning a car and plugged away at my ticket an hour or two a week for just over a year. I found something else I was good at and took a second job. Later the flight school owner let me work the front desk for extra flying money and a discount. And my EAA chapter was a HUGE help. I had plenty of free rides in fellow members' airplanes as I was working through my private, and it was one of the biggest things that kept me going for that year.

    Now, am I an atypical "millennial"? Maybe, but haven't us pilots always been an atypical bunch? We're a few hundred thousand people in a country of a few hundred million. So all we need is a (comparatively) few of those atypical people in every generation to keep our community going. That said, it is very frustrating to be dismissed as part of a generation made up of mindless screen-staring zombies with a shelf full of participation trophies. Sure, I grew up with computers, but I spent hours playing Flight Simulator on them practically since I could walk! I like to be hands-on too - I've built two boats, am restoring a third, and had a hand in building an airplane. So please carry an open mind about us and do not over-generalize.
    Tom Charpentier
    Government Relations Director
    EAA Lifetime #1082006 | Vintage #722921

  7. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by Tom Charpentier View Post

    Now, am I an atypical "millennial"? Maybe, but haven't us pilots always been an atypical bunch?
    Yes. Republicans. Not to throw out the political card to cause a ruckus. But invariably, a newbie hanging around with otherwise friendly oldtimers introducting them to aviation will ultimately start disparaging certain politicians, political parties, or "the government" as source of all aviation ills. Heavens forbid they meet the grouches in these groups. Aviators are often their worst enemies. There are some here. It is no wonder millennials interested in aviation are meeting up with their own kind online rather than visit or revisit local groups. Yes, valuable shared info is lost, but google is far more powerful than a bunch of wise flyers with jaded views of our "government".

    We want to be educated on how legislation impacts aviation, not lectured on "government overreach".

    Good day.

  8. #28

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    Cpuuri: I would like to thank you for the comment, but there are those here who are way more "awesome" then me. I don't have a hole lot to offer in the forum of aviation, but I can share and it makes me so happy when I can. What is lost IMHO anyway is friendship. People today do not know what it takes to be a true friend. Most who call one a friend are nothing more then an acquaintance. True friends help each other out. Most today do not know what a true friend is or how to treat one. Friendship is another dying art. Friends do not come easy nor should a true friend be treated as a stranger. I value friendship. Another lost art. That would be..How to be a friend. The art of friendship, something missing in a lot of people today.

    Tony

  9. #29

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    with people like Tony, there is hope. You want to attract more young people, make aviation more approachable. Share your love of all things aviation related. Become a mentor or a friend. I still believe that despite the fact that life has changed completely, that kids are still basically the same. Looking for guidance and support from people with knowledge and experience. Do not force your beliefs.... They will reject you 100% of the time. Be an aviation resource.

    Rick

  10. #30

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    The man who owns the airpark were I live. Now this is one awesome gent. A young man in his teens wanted to get his PP certificate. This was just a couple years ago. This young man works very hard for his family business. Dave the man whom I speak of who owns this airpark, he had a 172 that he was going to sell. This young man approached Dave about his airplane. Dave not only sold him said airplane he even financed this airplane for this young man. This was all done with the parents permission of course. Dave even had the annual done at no cost to the young man. He left nothing untouched in this annual and spend over 6 grand out of his own pocket on this annual. No cost to this young man. Now you can call Dave awesome for he sure is. That young man got his PP license and today enjoys his 172. Dave even gave him a hangar for it at no charge. Matt the young man I speak of wanted to be around like mind aviation folks. He took his new 172 to a controlled field or one with ATC, concrete floors in the hangars with electric doors and heat. This young man is living the life and I am so happy for him. He flies in every now and then and it sure is great to see him when he does.

    Tony

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