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View Full Version : Interesting Results From the PRA 2011 Convention Questionare ! -->FAQ


barnstorm2
04-21-2011, 08:37 AM
First off, I would like to thank everyone who took the survey. We really appreciate your input and your opinions.

The final report has just been compiled and submitted to the PRA Board of Directors and will be reviewed at the next BOD meeting on May 1.

From the feedback I can see that we have not been doing a good job of letting people know what facilities and features are at the convention. A large number of respondents said they would be motivated to come if the convention had _____ and indeed the convention has offered that service or feature for years.

I thought I would seed a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) here and later turn it into an online document.

1. Fuel At Convention

YES. We do have fuel at the convention airport. Every year we bring in AUTO-GAS to the convention and sell it at COST. So far Jennifer has been able to get fuel from an AG supply depot that sells ALCOHOL FREE gasoline.

If you need 100LL AVGas an airport 5 min away has AVGas at good prices.

2. Other Types of Aircraft.

Yes, ALL types of aircraft are invited to the event. We even make special considerations for PPC/PPG operations.

3. Hangar Space

There is a great deal of hangar space available at the airport. All local FWs are moved out of the hangars for the convention. Also, we had some machines in the end hangar that were in for maintenance taking up room, these have been removed and we now have a great deal more space for parking, especially for 2-place machines.

If necessary, by request we might be able to make room for more machines, especially single place machines in the museum restoration area.

What we could use is a volunteer that would help with hangar parking. The past several years we have had people parking gyros in the hangars in a way that took up way more space then they should have.

If we could get a few people to take some shifts to assist with parking during popular hangar parking times (mostly at the end of the day) that would help greatly.

4. What if you did not bring a machine?

A number of people that answered on the survey that they had never been to the convention worried that they might have nothing to do if they did not bring a machine to fly.

At the convention we try to have SEVERAL things to do at all times other than fly.

One of the largest attractions are the Forums/Seminars and presentations. Presentations run nearly back-to-back each day of the convention from Thursday through Saturday. We are currently looking for Forum ideas and presenters. Check this forum for the threads by Tom Milton and others looking for ideas and speakers.

Additionally, we have a Rotorcraft museum on the airport, the BELL Helicopter museum about 3 miles away, a flea market (fly-market), bleachers for watching machines fly, static displays, vendors, Amish ice cream and pie made onsite, a canteena , hangar chats, PRA shop, fireworks display, Flying Lantern Launch, Awards Banquet, Membership meetings, DAR certifications and if you still have time after that we would LOVE to have you volunteer to help run the convention.

5. Family Activities

We do have activities for the rest of the family but we are actively looking for suggestions and volunteers to add more.

The PRA office as a list of local attractions including antique shopping, Amish arts, museums and other attractions to drive to near the convention.

Additionally, the office has games, water slide (slip-n-slide) and other toys available.

As listed above, there is also: Rotorcraft museum on the airport, the BELL Helicopter museum about 3 miles away, bleachers for watching machines fly, vendors, Amish ice cream and pie made onsite, a canteena , fireworks display, Flying Lantern Launch, and Awards Banquet.

We are actively looking for suggestions to increase the family friendliness of the convention and this will be an active discussion in the next BOD meeting please let us know if you have any ideas.


Again, thank you very much for participating.

We hope to have lots of new stuff this year possibly including some R/C rotorcraft.

.

StanFoster
04-21-2011, 08:56 AM
Tim- I have not had a machine to fly at Mentone the last 3 years, and there wasnt enough hours in the day to get to talk to everyone I wanted to. Plus all the flying there is to watch, contant grazing at the concession booth, seminars, forums, going out to eat in the evenings. All kinds of stuff to do for non flyers!

However, this year I am going to be flying again to and at the convention with my chopper, and cant wait.

Stan

barnstorm2
04-21-2011, 08:59 AM
Tim- I have not had a machine to fly at Mentone the last 3 years, and there wasnt enough hours in the day to get to talk to everyone I wanted to. Plus all the flying there is to watch, contant grazing at the concession booth, seminars, forums, going out to eat in the evenings. All kinds of stuff to do for non flyers!

However, this year I am going to be flying again to and at the convention with my chopper, and cant wait.

Stan

It is the same for me Stan,

Every year I have regrets because of a seminar I wanted to attend I missed because I was attending some other goings on and lots of people that I see but did not get enough time to talk to.

.

StanFoster
04-21-2011, 09:03 AM
Tim- Its the same way at Bensen Days. I would love to have a dollar for each time someone mentioned about me not flying there. I have a lot of fun "not" flying at Bensen Days, or at Mentone. Just too many people to talk to.

Stan

GyroDoug
04-21-2011, 02:32 PM
I certainly want to agree here. I have never been able to fly my own machine while at Mentone. I have caught a couple rides with a CFI while there, but my time flying is a very small percentage of the time I am there. Each time I have gone I have been there for the whole event and I have never ran out of things to do. It's kind of like going to Oshkosh (just smaller) but you really can't do it all because there's too much to do. And if you love rotorwing aircraft like I do, there isn't anywhere else in the world you can go to see such a wide assortment of flyhing machines and meet so many of the well known and influential personalities that have a major impact on our sport. If there is only one event that you can attend each year this should be that one. Of course one isn't enough for me and I highly recomend going to as many as you possibly can, but you sure don't wnat to miss this one.

I sometimes have people tell me, "I really want to get into flying a rotorcraft, and I would like to go to that event but I just don't know that I can adfford it." If you find yourself thinking that way, I suggest you take a hard look in the mirror and ask yourself how serious are you (really) about getting into this sport. Flying is an expensive sport and while flying a gyroplane may be less expensive that a lot of other options you could try it is still going to cost some money. If a person really can't afford to go to an Event like Mentone that will cost you less than $1,000 (and for many people it can be done for a lot less than that) then why are you telling yourself you are going to get into flying. This is like the first step to learning what this sport is all about and it ought to be your highest priority when you get started. (For those who are already flying, you ought to be able to figure out your own reasons you need to be there so I won't address that.)

Just make the decision to be there and work to find a way to make it happen. You'll be glad you did.