OK.. all the kidding aside.. sponsorships are not easy to come by. You have to sell yourself for starters. You need to bring something to the table. Why should a company sponsor you? What value do you bring them?

Many people think sponsorship is all about free stuff.. and they couldn't be more wrong. When you become sponsored by a company you in effect become a part of their marketing department. Everything you do and say reflects back on that company. It is not all about the flying. There are a LOT of very talented pilots out there who would not make good reps.

There are really 2 kinds of sponsored pilots out there..

1) The top competitor. This person is consistently in the public eye at the top of their game, be it aerobatics, scale, racing, whatever. They 'sell' the things they represent by winning.

2) The ambassador. This is the person who everyone relies upon when they need help. They go out of their way to assist others and are great PR for their companies for their attitude at the field and other events.

It's a rare find when you get both types in the same pilot. Believe it or not.. the people I deal with would MUCH rather have the second type than the first.

Doug Cronkhite
Team JR