Sport Pilot Ground School at Mentone '07

[Hognose]

Greg, Tom and guys...

what do you think about the idea of doing a Sport Pilot Rotorcraft-Gyroplane ground school at the next convention, 2 days, kind of modeled on the King or other traveling seminars?

I'd teach and sign 'em off for their writtens, but I'd like to have some assistant instructors to back me up? I'd do it on AGI rating (I should be current on that and IGI when the convention happens). That means the instruction has to be good so that everybody passes his knowledge test.

We could charge a fee, which would go to PRA and materials we can get at cost (I'm pretty sure). We might even be able to get someone to come out with a mobile test van, I dunno if there is one in that FSDO.

I also have a presentation I do on, "12 Steps To Lose Your Shirt On A Homebuilt Aircraft." I could spin it in a gyro/helo direction. It's pretty entertaining (and also brutally frank). I use case studies like Mini-500, BD-5 and Dream Wings Valkyrie of how would-be builders and pilots lost their money, their dreams, and in some cases, unfortunately, their lives.

Basically, it' s an attempt to teach "risk management" in terms not necessarily of how we as pilots think of risk, but more in terms of how a project manager thinks of risk. Risk of project failure. This field has an incredible potential to fulfill one's dreams, but there isn't always a good balance between dreams and reality.

One other presentation I'd like to do is: "How to Handle the Press." Basically, 45 minutes of how you, your club, your company, can get your message out.

I'm a pretty good teacher and presenter, if I say so myself. Anyway, I'm willing to assist with these suggestions, or where and as needed.

cheers

-=K=-

[StanFoster]

Kevin: That sounds like a fantastic idea for the next convention. That would add a lot to it.


Stan

[barnstorm2]

I think those are fantastic ideas.

[Heron]

And remember
Every team needs a coach and a captain, the quarter back is the most visible player but he needs the team´s back up to work well . . .
Delegate is key to success, planning takes long time, execution is righ there on the spot with all the pros and cons going at the same time.
Anyway thank you all for the efforts, I think you guys to your best everytime and that is enough for applause.]
Now lets go back to critique!!!
Heron

[gyrogreg]

Hognose (Kevin),

Fantastic project! I will certainly assist on some ground school. I think we should be able to get a number of Instructors to participate. We would need someone - you - to organize the course to identify where the various Instructors could present or participate. It sounds like you are volunteering to do this. That would be much appreciated.

I have not specifically solicited a "Forums Coordinator" for next years convention yet. I'm not sure that Glenn has a volunteer for this yet either. If we have none yet, I will be soliciting for one soon in the mag and on this forum. But, if anyone would like to volunteer to organize the forums, we could sure use you. the forums at the convention are one of the real values at the convention. I did this last year, but frankly I did not start early enough. And, there are plenty of good ideas for valuable forums. Any volunteers to be the "Forums Coordinator" for '07? Looks like Hognose might be your first commitment - and a great one!

GyroRon,

If I am as busy next year as I was this year, WOULD you be really be willing to give the rides in the Magni for me? But, I may have to check with my insurance agent! Seriously, I'll make the offer now to whoever volunteers to be the Forums Coordinator, I'll give you an hour of loggable dual - toward a licence - for free at Mentone.

Hognose, if you organize this ground school, I'll give you an hour in the Magni too if you want it. If you think it might help with the ground school, I'll donate a couple of 1/2 hour flight training sessions to raffle off to your ground school students. Maybe you might be able to get some other instructors to donate some flight time for this too!

If you take me up on these offers, please remind me at Mentone so I don't forget - Alzheimer's may get worse by then!

- Greg Gremminger

[groundhog]

I would definately take the ground school but could it be on wed. thurs or like that so I/we could be available for the other forums.

[Rick Whittridge]

Kevin, I think you have got a great idea there. This could prove to be a BIG DRAW of interested people to the convention & the PRA as new members & future pilots. I hope that this can be worked out. Now is a good time to hammer out the details for this as there will be alot to do to make this happen.

[SNelson]

Guys: my situation only allows me to say THANKS all at this time.

Sig

[Hognose]

OK guys, I opened my big mouth and now I'm on the hook.

Greg, I'll take you up on that (and buy some additional instruction too. Money spent on instruction is never wasted and I've never flown with an instructor that didn't bless me with a new insight).

We'll (uh, I'll) have to move pretty quickly on materials. At a minimum I want everybody to have a Sport Pilot video or computer course to take home, and a Rotorcraft Flying Handbook. I know NAFI can get me some discounts on this stuff but I'm going to try going direct to Gleim and other vendors.

I'm going to want experienced gyro instructors to critique my rehearsals as I have aeronautical knowledge up the wazoo but am NOT an experienced gyro pilot, let alone a gyro instructor.

What's going to be put out in this two-day course is: the straight, FAA-required Aeronautical Knowledge that you need to pass your Sport Pilot Gyroplane knowledge exam. If we have interest we may add Private level and Helo exam materials. Assuming you absorb the material, you will get a legal sign-off to take the exam. (Meaning, I will answer to my FSDO if a bunch of you flunk. Failure is not an option).

Students will be exposed to every test question known to be in the Sport Pilot Gyroplane question bank and will be given the knowledge to anwer these questions (and others like them) correctly, which according to the FAA is the knowledge you need to fly legally and safely. (Note: FAA says you are safe if you know 70% of this stuff. You can know 99% and they have NO compunction about violating you for your ignorance of the 1%. I don't want any "71% is overkill" attitudes).

We'll also have to decide what works in terms of scheduling. I think it has to go (as suggested) on the edge of the convention, but I'll defer to the collective knowledge and wisdom of the board members and convention organisers. I am just one Indian in this tribe, Chief.

Otay. Here's what I have as specified and implied tasks:

√ 1. Get my schedule clear for Mentone 07
2. Source instructional materials (display and hand-out)
√ 3. Get the question bank
4. Organize the material into instructional blocks & periods
5. Make up a presentation
6. Create drills, quizzes, tests
inserted7. Establish an Instructors Committee (get volunteers to help, basically, and see how we can divvy up duties).
8. Price the course (need to know costs first, PRA needs to come out ahead, added: I'll accept the exposure if I commit to more instructional packets than we issue out)
9. Figure out how PRA will get paid (I'd rather students paid PRA directly and I didn't handle any money)
10. Size the course - how many students can we handle?
11. Schedule the course
12. Create a sign-up method (edited)
13. Set payment & refund policy

cheers

-=K=-

[Harry_S.]

Kevin:

Where have you been all these years?

I have seen some "sparkplugs" in my time and...you're one of the brightest.

Thank you.


Cheers

[gyrogreg]

Hi Kevin,

Great! Looks like a great plan. the PRA isn't much if people like yourself don't step up and get the ball rolling.

I'll be one of the instructors to help. Here is some contact infor on some other instructors - or just grab others out of the Rotorcraft Manual. but, especially I suggest you contact the following:

Ron Menzie: ronsgyros@vuewifimail.com 501-766-6456
Jim Mayfield: arizonarotors@cox.net 623-877-9760
Duane Hunn: dgyro2000@yahoo.com 219-682-6228
Terry Brandt: brandt@groenbros.com 623-393-9451
Marty Weaver: martin-weaver@sbcglobal.net 405-376-5488
Chris Burgess: gyrocfi@erols.com 301-668-4124

I don't want to leave any of our excellent instructors off the list, but these guys do a lot of training and/or examination checkrides, and they all know their stuff! And, they will likely all be planning to be at Mentone. If you get enough and don't need me, I'll keep busy otherwise!

I suggest you create a list of subject areas (outline the course) you want gyro-type instructors to cover, and give the volunteers a choice of which one(s) to cover. They can also cover other general written test areas too!

When you get a course outline, pass it to all your volunteer instructors to get feedback comments.

I'm glad this started early - but time flies! I think we should prepare a short article or outline and schedule and pricing and signup procedure - and get it to the Rotorcraft Editor ASAP. Also, (if we can get the PRA website back working right soon!) post the infor on the web and have Paul Plack put a link in the PRA email bulletin. Posting the details on a thread on this Forum - or at least with a link to the PRA page would probably get signups going early.

I'm still looking for a Forums Coordinator volunteer. When we can get one, he/she should be able to work out a schedule - but last year it was not hard to fill up more than 2 days of forums. So, I would suggest scheduling the ground school classes early - maybe even Tuesday and Wednesday. But, we have a pretty big hangar for forums now - and I think that some of the gyro sections of the course might be good forums to leave open for general attendance even on Thursday.

Thanks again Kevin! This has the potential to be a great service to the gyro community and especially to the safety of the gyroplane sport!

Thanks, Greg Gremminger

[Heron]

I think it should be in order to change the sad face on this thread for a happy face, dont you think?
Good going guys!
Heron

[gyromike]

I split this thread off from the other one and gave it it's own title.
Maybe more folks will give it glance.

Oh yeah, great idea Kevin!

[Hognose]

Mike and guys,

I have a post I started in Training where I will keep updating as I plug the holes in what I know about how this is going to go.

http://www.rotaryforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10173

Greg, got your email, been flying a lot, got three straight below-minimums days to do some paperwork coming up, the front chased me back to the field today

Greg, thanks for hitting me with the instructors' contact info, instructors... brace yourselves! I've at least met everybody on your list except Marty and Chris. (Instructors note, everybody in this class will get is 61.309 aeronautical knowledge from here, but he or she is going to need flight instruction from somebody... how 'bout you?)

Seriously, I thought this was a good idea and I was going to suggest that "somebody oughta do it." Then I remembered the surest way to be sure somebody does it is to just do it.

New pilots are the lifeblood of our sport, our organization, and even this forum. Let's start cranking 'em out like the fixed-wing guys do. Let's put a grin on Juan de la Cierva, Igor Bensen, Ken Brock, and Don Farrington.

cheers

-=K=-

[Dean_Dolph]

Go, Go Kevin! PRA volunteers rule!