This forum is dedicated to discussions on how to grow the sport of hang gliding. We will take a methodical approach to collect data and come up with implementable ideas on how to increase our numbers. This includes effective marketing, lead generation, site access issues, improving regulations, lack of instructors, lack of sites, etc

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By Tom Benton
#25535
:?
Last edited by Tom Benton on Sun Sep 30, 2007 7:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By averen
#25553
The training hill that my instructor uses is in a fairly high foot traffic area (which can be a pain for learning at times.) It worked for me at least...that's how I met up with him...we do some slope soaring out at the same site and he happened to be out there training a couple of people one day...

I don't know how many people sign up with him because they meet him out there, but at least it keeps the sport in the public's eye, and maybe some of the kids go home and talk/dream about it later and eventually become HG pilots :)

This weekend we had to break class for a couple of hours because the field was too busy with runners and some flag football games. Probably about 200 people that were exposed to HG. One problem that we run into a lot is that a lot of people don't seem to know anything about the world past their arms...there could be a big glider 20 feet away and people just don't see it...

Jared
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By HGXC
#43243
Wingspan34 wrote: Imagine you're out at the field to play a (he man) game of football, and here are these people HGing! ! ! Not so tough anymore are you? Better not to notice.

Personally, I don't go about acting superior as a HG pilot, but I do believe that many people consider "aviators" to be intimidating or arrogant. The old "brass balls" assumption. "We (HG pilots) need 'em, you ain't got 'em." At best, they will ignore you, since you're just on of those "nuts".

The truth of it all, is that only a (VERY) small percentage of human beings will ever want to try hang gliding. The best idea is to work best find these rare individuals. And THEY are the ones who walk up (upon seeing you train) and say, "How does someone start doing this?" Otherwise, we have to simply be regular human beings, and let interested people know it's not all that hard, IF they have a true interest.

Well I agree there is only a small percentage of people who would choose to fly but you need to be exposed to something to even have the opportunity to form an opinion about it. It is a niche sport but it also has substitution activities for competition. Rock climbing and Mountain Biking might be considered as substitution activities. As for the football comment well I played football too and there are many different types of courage and toughness. I really don't see much "toughness" in Hang Gliding unless you are one of those who must carry a glider and gear up Mt trails to launch. As for courage well there are many examples of courage. If you feel that you have something under control no matter what it is, it doesn't take much courage. I often think the term "guts" and "courage" are way over used in HGing. I usually hear this from someone who has never flown and just thinks of someone doing a high diving act with a glider strapped on his back.

I correct people when they say ....You jump off mountains!....I say i take off, assume air speed and things like that. I take off fully expecting to achieve flight, so there may be some butterflies but I don't need a shot of whiskey to did up courage. I do need to focus and pay attention.

There have been nearly 50 people that have contact the lead generation program in the last 20+ days. I read that the Mystic Wizard is concerned about bad leads. Well mystic there will be some bad leads for sure, but in order to fish big you need to drag a large net. You will get you catch and some beer cans and spar tires. In marketing this is Halo effect. By refining our message which google allows you to do you will get a better percentage of good leads.

Dennis
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By DanTuck
#43292
For what it's worth, here's the perspective of one person new to the sport.
The vast, vast majority of people out there are just ignorant about hang gliding.
I know I was until 6 months ago when I decided to give it a try.
I am one of those outdoor types and actually got the idea to try HG when I was out climbing one day.
I live in an area where HG is not visible at all and I was so amazed when I started watching videos on YT.
I had no idea how far the sport has come, I remember seeing a segment on some Discovery Channel show with old Rogallo wings and that was what I thought the sport was.
But I can tell you this - I go to REI and d---'s a lot and if I had ever seen a HG set up there, I would have started training a long time ago.
I verbally promote the sport as much as I can but I'd love to be involved with any kind of promotional event around DC.
I know that the local club sets up wings and gives out info at the annual Kite Day on the National Mall but I think the REI idea is great.
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By designbydave
#68797
Wingspan34 wrote: So who else thinks they may have some good shots that they could submit to Google Earth?
I bet I can find a few
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By Rick M
#68807
Last week I started just this process. I added four launch panoramas to my new Panoramio account. None show up in Google Earth yet - and they may not ever based on your criteria. I shrunk the images to a width of 1600 but this put the height down to under 400. Or do you mean it's OK as long as at least one dimension is at least 500 pixels?
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By Rick M
#68815
I posted Table Top, NV, Goodsprings, NV, and Crawfords, UT. I know there are a bunch of panoramas on the Wiki.

One idea - set the picture title to something like "View from [wherever] Hang Gliding launch".

I also added the following comment to each picture:
Learn to [Hang Glide](http://www.hanggliding.org/marketing/contact.php?id=52)
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By CHassan
#68875
I've got a few on there.
Image
and
Image

Click image to link to the pages, you can pull it up on Google earth from there.
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By Skyhighwoman
#68920
Okay I am late gettin in.

I do have a business type card that I created that points people hear. I also added the address to the wiki on this same card.

I carry this in my harness so I just hand these out. :thumbsup:

Mission is very public place with the LZ/breakdown area on the path to the top to foot traffic. We get all kinds of questions as the on lookers are curious.

Launch is a little bit out of the way and few make it over to see us but they do.


OH BOY I AM HELPING!

This is a running joke between Rex and myself. It used to be a commerical I think a pizza commerial.

Carm
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By PilotGuy
#72479
*BUMP*

Also, as far as guerrilla marketing goes, I fly on commercial airlines a lot, and I've been leaving copies of the USHPA magazine in the seat back pockets when I'm done with them. I gather up all the issues I can find that have HG cover shots and good gallery photos, and leave them in the airplanes I fly on. I've even handed a few to the pilots. :goodidea:
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By CHassan
#72485
PilotGuy wrote:*BUMP*

Also, as far as guerrilla marketing goes, I fly on commercial airlines a lot, and I've been leaving copies of the USHPA magazine in the seat back pockets when I'm done with them. I gather up all the issues I can find that have HG cover shots and good gallery photos, and leave them in the airplanes I fly on. I've even handed a few to the pilots. :goodidea:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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By SarahEmm
#129795
If you have to set your glider up somewhere other than a flying site for cleaning/adding a mount for something/whatever, try to do it where other people might see it maybe? I know that if I'd seen a glider earlier in life (I'm in my mid-20s now) I likely would have tried to start learning to fly sooner, but the first time I had ever seen a glider in real life was at Fort Funston this past weekend when I was there to tandem.
It's great getting the word out at air shows and the like, but I think getting it out to random people in your area, your neighbours, etc. is also important. I really like the REI-type idea, as there seems to be a lot of overlap between the "kind of people" that would be at REI (I'm thinking of climbers mostly, but this likely goes for other areas too) and hang glider pilots, so the idea seems to make a lot of sense. If someone had a glider set up near a MEC store (the closest Canadian equivalent to REI), I'd have gotten involved in hang gliding long before I did. Hang gliders aren't something you see every day (well, most people don't anyway!) too, so it does seem likely to help attract people to the store.
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By PilotGuy
#129796
Holy crap we've got a sticky. :shock:
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By xerxes
#129798
PilotGuy wrote:Holy crap we've got a sticky. :shock:
C'mon now lets keep it PG-13 :lol:
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By TommyT
#135739
The best way to get the information out (IMO) is vinyl stick on lettering placed on your cars back window, trucks tailgate any place it will be seen.

with your site information or HangGliding.Org if you don't have a site contact would reach the most people at the lowest cost.

Just today two cars pulled up beside me looking for infromation about HG because they seen the sign on my back window.

Tommy
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By Wagner24314
#135755
if i could get the weather i have permisson to land at the internataion airport in Sioux falls. all i have to do is call ahead.
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By TommyT
#135785
BTW - Where did you get your lettering?
Wingspan34
Just a local sign shop, something like $10 each in small orders, @$5 each with orders of 100 units.

Big exposure for little money.

Tommy
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By AIRHEADSHORTCUT
#135821
Wagner24314 wrote:
if i could get the weather i have permission to land at the international airport in Sioux falls. all i have to do is call ahead.

HMM...without a Mode-C transponder and without an encoding altimeter?
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By Wagner24314
#135836
its who you know :mosh:
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By TommyT
#135840
Can anyone supply me with some hang glider graphics / drawings to use on such a sticker?
soren_ladegaard
The image to the right of the Hanggliding.Org logo on the top of this page would work good on a window sticker, but not sure if the forum moderator would ok it, or have it in a larger format.



Local Hang Gliding School
http://www.midwestaero.net/
Local Hang Gliding Club
http://whitewaterhangglidingclub.freefo ... ng-f1.html

Tommy
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