I hate to open a can of worms but I feel for the future of our sport I must. I believe that the recent Park Flyer fenom has breathed new life into our sport and given us a few more years of life. Why do I say this because Park Flyers can avoid.....CLUBS AND "SANCTIONED" flying sites.

I recently was working in the basement of my apartment on several planes. A retired friend came in and expressed a real sincere interest in the hobby. He then went on to relate a bad expereince that he had which over a year ago turned him away from the hobby. He went to a "SANCTIONED" CLUB field near where I live in Delaware (I'll leave the club name out). He stated that the men who were present were hesitant to talk to him, short and acted "aloof" and were consuming alcohol. This is not the first time I have heard this about this particular "CLUB." He just decided that he would choose another hobby for himself and his wife and he did not know where else to fly. Oh, I'll add that the membership meeting was only once a year so unless one of these "aloof" guys is willing to take you under his wing you won't be flying. Needless to say I'm going to teach him how to fly.

Then this weekend I went to my son in laws place in central PA. He really wants to learn to fly. So I got on the AMA site and found a club field only (3) miles from his house. We drove to the field looked it over and I called the President and found that again the membership was only open at the January meeting once a year. So even though I am a current AMA member I can't teach him how to fly there. Now, I'm not going to rag on this club in PA because mabey if we drive down there one day I can hook him into a club member. Sadly though after I explained my situation on the phone I was not given an invitation as a visiting flyer to teach him there mabey once or twice a month.

Now I am going to brag on a field and a President. The Swan Harbor Flying Club in Harford County MD. I have been living in Canada for the past five years and moved back to the States for a break and to visit my kids. I will be returning to Canada in May. This club has allowed me with current AMA membership to fly at their field until I move back to Canada in May. No club meeting no voting just a greatly appreciated courtesy extended to a visiting flyer from the President at the request of another member. All my flying will be done this winter and I will be out of the way before things get heated up this summer. I plan on sending the club a donation even though I wasn't asked for one.

If all clubs had this attitude I believe our sport would continue to grow and flurish. Finding places to fly gas planes is getting extremely difficult and I believe that established fields need to bend over backwards to recruit new pilots not discourage them. I also believe that any field that is not doing that should be taken off the AMA listing.

This is just an observation and opinion!