Swedish Gliding 2001Swedish Gliding 2001

71 clubs 5700 members (3000 active pilots) 400 gliders and 70 TMG 35 500 flying hours, 59 000 launches

and 400 000 km XC 280 instructors, 70 assistant

instructors and 150 technicians

Swedish Soaring Swedish Soaring Federation SSFFederation SSF

Flight safety, training and maintenance has been delegated by the CAA to SSF

Central flying school at Ålleberg Staff:

• Gliding Inspector• Assistant• Chief Flying Instructor• Chief Technical Officer• Administrator Ålleberg• two sales/administration staff

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 2000 2001

Flying hours/active memberFlying hours/active member

Conclusions so farConclusions so far

Total flying time is decreasing Flying time per individual pilot is

constant XC flying is increasing, i e the flying

quality has increased We fail to get new members, or better,

we fail to renew the membership We are getting older!

The view from ”the top”:The view from ”the top”:

We have realized the problem We want to do something about it!

But The flying/training/recruiting is

done in/by the clubs

The view from ”the bottom”:The view from ”the bottom”:

Middle age, socially established, time enough for gliding

Fewer pilots better access to gliders, no launching queue etc

Promoting gliding working instead of gliding

So, why bother, life is good!

One good argumentOne good argument

Who will run your wing tip in 10 years?

My view is My view is

Gliding is done in the clubs, so we have to persuade the clubs to approach the problem

We do not have a recruiting problem, we have a leadership problem (there are too few!)

The Federation can only support the clubs, not do the work for them

The clubs must send more pilots to our instructor courses

It is better to do a lot of small activities than try to launch a major programme

Keeping membersKeeping members

Modernized Rikssegelflygtävlingen RST (National Gliding Competition)– RST = DMSt or Aerokurier OLC– Started in 1945, is the backbone of Swedish

XC gliding– Altitude gain, distance, speed, club teams– Since 2001 only Online– Since 2001 Swedish Championship in

Altitude, Distance, Speed and ”Combination”

– About 400 pilots participated in 2001

– No bonus for FAI triangles– All tasks are given the same factor– Declared Tasks: Up to 5 TPs, 20% bonus– Pilot Optimised Tasks, choose your TPs

freely– Garmins OK as logger– Report within 24 hours

National XC week. The club whose members flies most km/member during the week wins a Volkslogger

A new comp class: Sport ClassOnly speed AAT and place scoring.Motto: Competition flying is fun!

Promote the silver, gold and diamond badges

SVENOR – a series of courses organized by the Norwegian and Swedish Gliding Federations

Open to all Scandinavian pilots Courses

– One mountain flying (Norway)– Two Aerobatic (Norway and Sweden)– Two XC (Norway and Sweden)– One cloud flying (Sweden)

SVENOR mountain course at

Vågå in 2001

Recruiting new membersRecruiting new members

Annual Nordic Gliding Day – ”Open house” in all Nordic Gliding

Clubs (May 25th 2002)

Common poster

The IGC Video (with Swedish speaker) is sold to the clubs at a very low price

The theoretical syllabus has been revised and reduced with 50%. All theory lessons are to be given during the flying training

Implementing a new National License (no medicals and administrated by the Federation)

Mini courses (”adventure courses”)– Two days, 6 flights, one year

membership including subscription to our magazine

– In 1999: full page advertisments in 4 of the largest daily newspapers in Sweden

“The clouds are looking for playfellows”