Sport Pilot Talk

Agree with everything you said!

I'm going to attend a meeting at the other airport next month anyway. I want to see just how firm all these other guys' commitments are. VP Kevin is a physician of some sort, and he knows monied people. I'd like to see him pull this off. Especially when he couldn't even call to reserve tables at the restaurant last night! If he can get it done, I'd consider joining his club too, just to fly a millennial-aged airplane with glass.

Kevin, I think your group is somewhat common these days, based on what I've seen as I've done programs about the RAF around Florida. Mostly older folks, aviation enthusiasts of one stripe or another, but lacking a commitment - for whatever mix of reasons - to be active pilots. One of our local EAA chapters mirrors your club: We routinely get 20+ members at a monthly meeting but there are only 5 or 6 active pilots...and I'm being generous when I use the word 'active'.

The critical issue seems to be your chicken/egg dilemma of wanting to grow the club via an LSA purchase vs. the cost of the purchase - and its relevance - for a small, mostly non-flying membership. Your original notion - buy an LSA and they will come - may be sound (or just overly optimistic), but it's hard to imagine how the numbers will work. I'd suggest you initially focus on the club and not the aircraft. Your options seem to be to grow the club, thereby expanding its options, or let it remain as it is and simply remain a social member of a mostly inactive club until the membership dwindles away on its own. There are many ways to energize the existing group while attracting new members, and your challenge is to try some that would be suitable for your group and the local aviation scene. Some might be programmatic in nature: group tower visit, flying contest, hosting a ground school for local, interested H.S. students, guest speakers, importing AOPA's 'rusty pilot' program, picking one improvement project for the 172 and tackling it as a group - the list is almost endless. Others might be more civic minded, perhaps an improvement project at the airport, or hosting an airport open house, or raising funds to sponsor a deserving student pilot.

I mentioned I've seen many such groups as your club...but I've also seem some real success stories. One excellent example (and very much aligned with your current situation) is Friends of Arcadia Airport - http://foaa.us/ This group has rescued a municipal airport essentially abandoned by its city govt., they have now created an excellent 'Fly in/Camp out' oak-shaded camping area for visiting pilots, they host hugely successful Saturday breakfast fly-ins and an annual 3-day event tied to their local professional rodeo, and they are building Florida first pilot shelter with a large pool of donations they've raised. Yet only a few (3? 4?) of the members are active pilots. The leadership chose stepping stone projects that local aviation enthusiasts could get behind and they made sure those projects had a social component, as well. I've seen other examples of this same circumstance - e.g. a small group of leaders rescuing an increasingly inactive but historically famous Florida club who's assets were being lusted over by a few others. It is now flourishing.

I think your first challenge is with your club and its identity & purpose. That strikes me as the dog. The aircraft is the tail.

chavycha wrote:you'll at bare minimum want to have access to an A&P with Rotax experience;

Needn't be an A&P, necessarily. You can also go with an LSRM-A with Rotax experience. In fact, that's preferable, because an LSRM will, by definition, have LSA-specific training which an A&P may lack.

drseti wrote:

chavycha wrote:you'll at bare minimum want to have access to an A&P with Rotax experience;

Needn't be an A&P, necessarily. You can also go with an LSRM-A with Rotax experience. In fact, that's preferable, because an LSRM will, by definition, have LSA-specific training which an A&P may lack.

As a A&P I get a little tired of hearing that a LSRM is preferable to a A&P when it comes to working on a LSA.

What I said, Tom, is that LSA experience is something that some A&Ps MAY lack. You clearly have lots of LSA experience (probably more than I do), and are clearly an exception to this statement. But, I'm sure you understand that the average A&P whose experience is limited to certified Cessnas and Pipers is likely unfamiliar with the LSA rules and procedures, and is likely to screw up, if not the aircraft, than at least the logbooks. I'm sure you've seen as many examples of this as I have. So, no offense intended at all to you, and I should try not to generalize -- but often, an LSRM will know more about servicing, inspecting, and maintaining an LSA than do some A&Ps. LSRM should therefore not be considered an inferior rating.

OK, so I should have said "that may be preferable" instead of "that's preferable." Mea culpa.

Paul, to get a A&P requires more than 15 times the training to get a LSRM, and since working on light sport aircraft falls under the priviledges and limitations of a A&P they should be taught the rules as part of that training.
Now it is true that many A&P's did their training prior to when the light sport rules were in place, if the mechanic is doing their job right they will learn the rules. Just because a few mechanics choose not to properly educate themselves on the rules shouldn't cast a dark cloud over all mechanics.

Tom, I can't disagree with anything you've said, and certainly don't want to cast a dark cloud over all A&Ps, but there is more to the story. This discussion deserves it's own thread, which I will try to create tonight. Stay tuned, and thanks for your participation.

Jack Tyler, good ideas. Our local EAA club does a really decent job of a pancake fly in/drive in Young Eagles event that always seems to pull a good crowd, with only two members of our club flying. I'm going to have to start bending their ears as well, see what we can figure out. Two or three more annual events would be pretty cool, to get all those kids back round the airplanes.

I'm thinking about proposing to a couple of working CFI's a possible cut rate membership. I must look into our bylaws and insurance to see if they could hang the proverbial shingle out, and advertise flight lessons in the club airplane. Learn in it, buy into it....