Are New Warbird Members Out There?

[Forgotten Field]

It is interesting to see the various descriptions of how and why kids don't get involved, do get involved, etc. Well, we have a perfect model for attracting kids- illegal drug sales.

Drug dealers use younger kids to work their business, and actively recruit them to their organizations by various methods. There is a progression. First, they treat them like they are important and actually pay attention to the kids. Second, they give them some kind of job that seems important, but may not really be critical to what is going on. Third, they reward the kids- money, toys, cell phones, game boy, etc. Fourth, they move the kids up in the organization if they show some talent.

There is no way that we can compete with drug dealers with monetary gifts. But most kids (and 40, 50 something kids as well) are not looking for 'things.' What they are looking for is a sense of belonging, and experiences that grow their minds and bodies. I had this fight with a museum which will remain nameless. We had an organization that was stocked with 40-50 kids who were BURNING to get their hands on airplanes. The chairman was more concerned with kids getting seriously hurt on the airplanes than leading the BURNING DETERMINATION which all of them had toward efforts to help us out and grow our membership. A single day was attempted, and the chairman was so controlling and safety conscious that he blocked the kids from doing anything more than picking bird do off the airplanes, then cancelled the program. There were 35 kids who showed up, highly enthusiastic, ready to go for a whole day. At the end of the day, there was no thank you, little or no appreciation expressed to them, and no follow-up given- and they still wanted to come out again. That was nixed by the chairman. Who lost out on that one? The kids and the organization.

During my time in the military, I was constantly exposed to a concerted effort at retention and recruitment at every level of the organization. I am told the same thing is done in effective volunteer organizations and drug cartels. Are you doing that on a personal level, and beyond that, are you configuring your organization to recruit kids and adults like a drug dealer? It may be an outrageous comparison, but it is valid. If you aren't using the basic model for recruiting and retaining members at all ages and levels of experience, then you are doing a disservice to your hobby.

There may be lots of excuses about what we do and don't do, but it is time for all people in aviation to re-examine who comes in the door and how we deal with them. I'll put it simple- open your doors up and make people feel like they belong. It is only to our benefit and the longevity of flight status of our beloved warbirds.

[Return_with_Honor]

This topic is one that I think is on the minds of many a warbird enthusiast. I believe that the future of the warbird movement lies in the hands of (all) people in this arena, no matter their particular place in the chain, sort to speak. Whether you are an aircraft owner or a passionate volunteer, it takes everyone to act as ambassadors towards (all) other interested people. To use myself as an example, I started (actively) participating in the warbird community as soon as I could drive and had that independence. I remember as a young 15 year old, writing a letter to Bill Harrison (then President of Warbirds of America) simply asking him what I could do to get invloved at Oshkosh. He graciously responded with specific information on how to volunteer and get invloved. That was in 1982. Since that time, I have spent many, many years as a volunteer on both the Warbird Line Crew and Warbird Judging Crew at Oshkosh and other events. I obtained my Private Pilots License in 1986 and thus began the next step to my pursuit of flying Warbirds. Because owning a warbird aircraft was not in my forseeable future, I expanded my passion for military aviation in many different areas such as modeling, photograhpy, collecting military aviation memorabilia, and maintaining active membership and participation in not only the EAA, but also the CAF locally. Thru these various areas, you meet so many people with similar interests that it almost becomes transparent as to what can be shared. Today, at age 40, I find I still have the same enthusiasm towards this movement, and would love to participate at an even greater level. I think the barriers to growth in this movement lie in people that do not embrace others. I could recall so many examples in my lifetime in which someone simply welcomed me into their "world" as friends within this community. People like Bill Harrison, Jeff Ethell, Mike Schloss, Connie Bowlin, Tom Wise, Linc Dexter, Pete Parish, Taigh Ramey, Tim Savage, Ben Cunningham, John Dilley, Ray Stutsman, Steve Hinton, and so many more. We all realize our own limitations (individually), but (collectively) there are very few limitations. To thrive as a movement, we all must embrace and recognize that the more you give as an individual of your own personal talents, the more we will all gain as a movement. It shouldn't matter if you're flying them, fixing them, parking them, protecting them, photgraphing them, restoring them, or just being around them. Attitude, Willingness, Generousity, Fellowship, Loyalty, Compassion, and more, are all part of the recipe to our success.

[bdk]

The whole diversity issue bothers me.That sounds like quotas to me.The way it should be is if the person is interested in it let them persue it.Dont just drag them in because of color or sex.Get them in because of their interest in aviation.

I certainly agree with this, but I think the problem is one of exposure. I got interested in aircraft by attending airshows with my dad. We also went sailing with one of my dad's friends, went to car races, etc. The aviation bug is the one that really grabbed me. I doubt many inner city "minorities" get the opportunity to do those things.

Part of the problem I think is that there isn't much to do in the inner city (unless you want to just hang out in front of the liquor store all day) and many attractions nearby are not affordable for those in the lower income brackets. How many general aviation airports are in the inner city? Compton is probably one of the few and the folks there are trying to get the local kids involved.

Now with the tall chain link fences it is even harder for kids to ride up on their bikes and nose around, get rides, help out and build an interest. You don't have to be around people that look like you, but you do have to be around an airport I think.

P.S. Hanging around the airport is usually free, in fact sometimes nice folks will even give a kid a Coke.

[BattleRabbit]

I'm 18, and love warbirds and would be terribly upset to see them go anywhere, as they are such an important part of our history(and as a hopeful future history teacher such things tend to matter to me). My generation seems young and hopeless, everyone seems so bent on things of little consequence that they seem to have no interest in things like this. I feel though, that as they get older they will feel the same pangs of guilt that many people do. They will feel guilty for not knowing things, they will feel like they won't have much connection to their past. I can see it in my cousin who is 6 years old, I gave him a model of a B-17 done up in Coastal Command colors and he always has a question about it whenever I am around and he sees it. He is genuinely interested.

On the note of people who are 18 or so now, there needs to be a way to draw more of them to airshows to build more interest. I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have gotten funny looks from friends who were trying to get me to go to a concert with them when I had already planned on going to the New England Air Museum or something. Any of my friends who had bothered to join me to an airshow always enjoyed it, but we need to make repeat customers of them.

[Dave Downs]

The interest in anything comes from within, I don't think you can entice anyone into an activity.

When I was a little kid, I wanted to do 3 things - fly an airplane, be a farmer, and run a bulldozer, and I count myself very lucky that I've been able to do all 3.

A kid that is interested in flying or airplanes will find a way to become invloved.

I've had an interest in flying for as long as I can remember; family legend has it that I first flew in a Cub (on floats!) at the age of 2 while sitting on my mother's lap. I never did confirm that story.....wish that I had. When I was 10 or so, I asked my folks to drop me off at a local airport (since turned into a shopping mall....) while they visited family about a mile away. I was literaly hanging on the fence, looking like a little kid that wanted to go for an airplane ride, watching a guy un-tie a Champ. He spotted me and called out 'Hey kid, wanna go for a ride?' I said yes and away we went!!!

I repaid that debt years later, when a kid was watching me wash my Citabria - 'Hey kid, wanna go for a ride?' His parents were nearby, they said OK, and that kid probably didn't stop smiling for a week.

As for why the intrest in Warbirds? I really can't explain it, nor do I understand those who don't have an intrest in them......

[Dan Newcomb]

After several years of CAF membership I have arrived at the following conclusion about membership.

There are few people who are crazy or passionate enough to dedicate years of their lives donating time and money maintaining airplanes that they will never fly, let alone fly in, unless it has the seats, enduring freezing or hot weather, grease and grime and inevitable burns abrasions and other discomforts for the privilege of knowing that if not for their efforts these planes would be just sitting in a hangar collecting dust or rotting in some field. Why we do it is hard to explain. I suppose each of us has his or her own reasons. The good and bad of what you get out of this is mainly up to you. Through the CAF I have had the opportunity to meet some of the most amazing people on the planet. I have flown and flown in some incredible aircraft. I have made life long friends. You can sit on your butt or spend your life on the WEB or take up gardening or watch Oprah or some other pursuit but for me one day a week in the hangar at CMA does it. Some folk’s fish or hunt. I work on war birds.

The reality is that few people are interested. That’s life. Meanwhile the rest of us do what we can and hope to find new members that are as nuts as we are.

Dan