AOPA VFR Mentoring Scheme - Is now GO

[AndyR]

Some more work on the adoption of additional Aerodrome/Regional reps should ensure that the mentoring option becomes more widely advertised and adopted.

After a gap in proceedings due to personal commitments I am hoping to be able to lend some weight to this again over the coming months.

[AndyR]

Is there any flexibility?

Yes. Also, your CPL qualifying cross country will count I believe. Mention of your Scottish trip will also go towards consideration for the issue of Silver Wings. Add a note to your application for consideration.


Andy

[Human Factor]

Thanks, will do.

[Pete S]

What exactly is the purpose of the various Bronze/silver/gold awards other than another badge to stick on your baseball cap?

For example does the possession of an award bring (like membership of the Institute of Advanced Motorists) benefits such as reduced insurance premiums?

Just flicking through the requirements I see I would be eligible for a silver award but am not sure that I have a suitable CFI who is going to be willing sign my application form relating to long cross country flights in Europe or USA.

Indeed if it's just another Blue Peter badge can I be bovvered?

Peter

P.S. I've been an AOPA member since about 1993.

[AndyR]

Personal achievement.

Something to work towards, a goal.

Pride.

Encouragement to stretch ones wings, try something that maybe you have not tried before.

Retention and advancement of skills.

[AndyR]

P.S. Pete, I am sure the likes of SteveC would be happy to verify your flights. However, who do you use for your biennial sign off (not flight), would they not do so?

[Jim and Pat Dalton]

Indeed if it's just another Blue Peter badge can I be bovvered?

You've got a Blue Peter badge!!!!


Damn!!!!!

Must admit I've never really seen the point (as in motivation to complete) of these particular awards other than for some kind of bragging rights on par with the ironing badge in boy scouts (Something I would never get anyway) or the PFA rally attendance badges...sorry.

But I'm not knocking an attempt by AOPA to at least try and make flying more interesting to certain types of pilots. I'm wondering if they looked to gliding as the example when they gave it a try, but then gliding clubs and folks are a mildly different culture to powered plank operatives

Fwiw I have always thought AOPA have missed a trick should be holding its very own section of social/ educational/ political/ or even flying award events. Strikes me that by enhancing its objectives and making membership into a real and tactile experiance by giving it other attractions to attend, meet etc (like the excellent mentoring scheme and the duxford event) AOPA would grow its membership and still meet its objectives plus its obvious need for more active membership involvement.

Would be very happy to make something like that a part of a Butty day experiance.

Again not knocking AOPA (and before a certain headset re-appears): We are not AOPA members (but are LAA members) partly because of the hands off (unless you join a comitee )culture, as it doesn't seem suit our particular brand of gregariousness, So we are unlikely to join and yes we have and do get involved with the LAA when asked.

We do hope the AOPA mentoring scheme takes off as I'm sure along with the badges(I hope that works for them too actually), this was part of the intent. Wouldn't it be great and good publicity if they had an FOC introduction to flying scheme for the curious public run by the mentoring pilots and I bet a lot of pilots would love it and it would do GA an awful lot of good in many ways.

[AndyR]

Wouldn't it be great and good publicity if they had an FOC introduction to flying scheme for the curious public run by the mentoring pilots and I bet a lot of pilots would love it and it would do GA an awful lot of good in many ways.

Want me to bring it up at the next MWG meeting?

[Jim and Pat Dalton]

Andy I'm not a member, so I can't really request it.

But it seems a good idea to me. Similar to one run by the daily express many years agao when aviation had a future. Bet the current bun would sponsor(read boring threads about commercial flying and the loss of trial flights) its publicity and increase the power of AOPA's fighting funds plus the power of public image as well as benefitting GA by bringing new lots of blood in and increasing flying school income (tho it wont initialy be seen in such a speculative light)

Whats it they say about driving school cars? a person is more likely to buy a similar model! Wonder how that would affect AOPA as new people come in?

There is tons you can do to make things fly!!!

[AndyR]

You can't, but I can.
Not sure about how it would actually help grow membership of AOPA to be honest though.
Also if run by mentors (they are not doing it under a CPL and AOC but a volunteer basis so AOPA would not have a revenue stream from it), but worth looking at IMHO to see if there is a variation on it that can be looked into.

[Jim and Pat Dalton]

You can't, but I can.
Not sure about how it would actually help grow membership of AOPA to be honest though.
Also if run by mentors (they are not doing it under a CPL and AOC but a volunteer basis so AOPA would not have a revenue stream from it), but worth looking at IMHO to see if there is a variation on it that can be looked into.

Introducing new people to flying would find people who never thought it possible but now want to do it! Of those who would be encouraged to start a new pastime, I think you would find them all to be very AOPA (benefactor)friendly, hence new membership.

if you get a 1/4 of a 1/4 of 1/4 percent out of 60 million people, over a period of time, then that's a potential (if not impossibly) massive number of aviation friendly folks (and unfortunately mentors) Maybe its a too big number for the Iluminati

Even another fraction of that figure is a lot of people who would likely treasure the moment for life and look upon it as a key fantastic experience. Consequently they would view AOPA as a real aviation authority (people come from all walks of life, don't they?). It would also be a massive database of flying friendly folk to update and keep in touch with for various benefits to flying which would be stupid to ignore.

So doing this should be viewed as giving a small rolling snowball a little shove in our direction in order to become relitively massive to us, as it has to pick up interest in its travels.

We were amazed when we did the education strut with Stewart Lucks' Rans at Farborough a few years ago. The interest we had from the commercial sector in the aircraft and also the public was intense. Quite incredible the number of career office climbers who didn't think GA was available in such an easy and do-able format. We did another event at Sywell for school kids and the response was phenominal. People are interested in avaition, thats why they dream about it! We were amazed when (having bit off more than we could chew) we decided to fly 40+ kids and 2-+ adults in one day at the incredible genorosity of flying folk and thier genuine interest and keenness to promote this "thing" to others

As for the idea of sponsorship (i.e. I'm not saying the public paying) My thought was from an altruistic benefactor like a newspaper (otherwise how do you publicise it): Not for all the costs but leaving a bit left over as it would benefit the benefactor as it were. AOPA would not be able to afford it and make a right fag out of the job anyway as its not thier expertise.

I realise money is a big issue in flying, with many fixed ideas but I'm sure that whilst the AOC, CPL argument mat be thought impossible to overcome, (some thought the insurance issues for mentoring would be too big!!!). A way forward could be found with some open discussion rather than comfortably closing it of with the warming blanket of rules.
Enlisting the help of the CAA, making them feel like its good for them too( cos more pilots to legislate against is ), it may just be possible to make happen; providing the conclusion is that pilots were not receiving a direct measurable benefit.

Imho sponsorship its for the benefit of all aviation (at least that's what AOPA keep telling me they are there for!) so you don't need to be a member or a mentor or even the conductor of the flight to benefit from sponsorship. so from that starting point, a way forward with open not closed old minds surely could be found

Anyway Andy, sponsorship was just a thought from me as a way to finance putting the idea to the public with benefits as a reason for moving AOPA ahead and shouldn't be allowed to cloud the idea if its way too radical a thought to take on.

The impossible can be overcome.........apparently

Strikes me that AOPA could try to pilot it locally to a group.......if they have one

The most important thing is to discuss it and its benefits and move ahead if there is a public need, otherwise............?

[AndyR]

Thanks for that Jim. Not against the idea, just know what hurdles will be put up. Worth doing some discussion on in my opinion.

[Timothy]

a 1/4 of a 1/4 of 1/4 percent out of 60 million people, over a period of time, then that's a potential (if not impossibly) massive number of aviation friendly folks

I make it 9,375.

[Jim and Pat Dalton]

Oops!! mind you I didn't give a figure for the last fraction

And I wonder what the marketing guys here would say the expected take up per 1000 "living the dream" flight would be?

[The Westmorland Flyer]

I've just returned to this thread after a few months (it's tucked away in an corner of the Forums that to be honest I tend not to frequent). It's disappointing to read that the scheme lacks mentee takers but that could be old news. I wonder how the programme is going now?. I'm afraid that as the AOPA rep up here in Cumbria I've not heard of any mentees and am unaware of any demand for mentors. But I can see that there is a chicken and egg situation here so...

I've again reviewed the documentation. I'm still of the opinion that the lack of uptake so far is because the system is just too plain complicated and bureaucratic. There are many hurdles for both mentor and mentee to overcome. In particular, I suspect that aircraft owners will be very leery of the need to notify and get permission from insurance companies, with the attendant risk of increased insurance premiums. The requirement creates a complex set of relationships when, as will usually be the case, the aircraft is owned by a flying school that might struggle to see why it should open that particular can of worms.

But, we are where we are. A lot of effort has gone into this programme and it needs to be given a chance to succeed. I more or less qualify to apply to become a mentor (ample hours PIC and near enough Gold Wings standard on everything else). If there are mentees in Cumbria then I am willing to become a mentor.

I wonder how far I'll have to travel to do the induction course though