Getting Younger People Involved in Aviation in New Zealand

[Dave Homewood]

How is the New Zealand aviation community enticing young people to get involved in aviation these days?

I know there is the Air Training Corps, but that is really only going to appeal to a select type of kid due to its rigid discipline.

The RNZAF recently ran a special event encouraging teenaged girls to look at RNZAF careers which was great to see, I hope they continue to do so with both girls and boys with many more such events.

Also there is exposure of aviation to young folks through airshows, many kids have discovered their passion for aviation by chance at an airshow, and why not as all the best things are on offer.

Museums like Wigram, MOTAT, Classic Flyers, and the likes all must draw a few non-aviation people into the fold to fall in love with aviation I'm sure.

And there is the Walsh Flying School but I am thinking that is for kids already firmly in the system with a fully fledged interest.

I believe we have a version of the EAA Young Eagles programme here where pilots take kids up for air experience, but I have never seen this advertised or in action so don't know how effective it is. Perhaps it is too costly for most pilots?

I cannot help thinking these days with the decline in model making among young people and the loss of many model shops, kids are not discovering aeroplanes that way any more.

Television seldom ever features aviation films, TV dramas or documentaries like they used to, so kids are not discovering it there any more.

Many airports are much less welcoming to kids hanging on the fence to watch planes due to safety and security concerns of the modern world. Do airports welcome school groups on field trips these days? That might engage a few youngsters who might never have thought about aviation before.

My generation read Commando Comics and other stirring aviation tales. Earlier generations read Biggles and the likes. And many had fathers and grandfathers, uncles or family friends who'd served in the RNZAF during the war or in the postwar heydey telling stories of daring do that sparked the imagination. What has followed on from this?

I guess the best hope now is youtube to capture the imagination. I had always hoped that my podcast and other aviation podcasts would appeal to younger folks too, but sadly most of the audience seem to be in their 30's and older so I doubt my efforts have ignited the spark for any kids and teens.

Whatever way the kids discover aviation nowadays, when that interest is sparked and the ember is alight, who is taking it further with the kids and fanning the flames to really get that passion for flying running through their blood?

Are any aviation groups running an education programme they can take to schools or scout groups, etc, talking about Air Force, Airline, Aero Club and General Aviation careers and opportunities, innovation, our aviation history, pioneers and our veterans? Should such a programme be initiated? Would the industry back it to assist with costs? There's growing talk of world wide pilot shortages, should we be inspiring more and more of our own youngsters to get into aviation?

[jaybee]

Young Eagles is a very popular way to enter aviation. My local aero club, NSAC, has a strong YE program as do a number of aero clubs around NZ. Flying NZ organised a YE conference in Christchurch earlier this year in April which had about sixty young people attending from around NZ. Flying NZ also has a number of scholarships available for young people.

The proof is in the pudding as they say; as a result of being involved in YE, there are a number of teenagers in my area who are either part way through their PPL or just gained their PPL and looking to go on to gain their CPL / multi engine / ATPL ratings.

You can find out more about YE on the Flying NZ website or by searching young eagles on FB.

And no, I am not a YE organiser!

[johnnyfalcon]

Or take the initiative and be proactive with those whom you meet

rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/13178/introducing-younger-generation

[eieio]

sorry to be negative ,$18000.00 for a ppl ,holy cow ,then live like a pauper to get a commercial, then to get a job after several years of instructing for small reward, Oh, I forgot the hours you gain [for what they are worth].I am sure cost could be reduced with less beaurucratic rot.

[The Red Baron]

If theres a shortage of airline pilots why haven't the airlines started putting up scholarships to get young people into flying?.
$100,000 odd grand to get a CPL and its not hard to see why young people aren't that keen on flying these days.

[planewriting]

I notice no one has mentioned gliding in this thread. In New Zealand there is Youth Glide youthglide.org.nz/ Over the last few years there has been an increasing prominence of very skilled young glider pilots emerging and some of these have added a PPL to their skill set.
I'm not going to name names but I am well aware of several Air New Zealand long haul captains who started their flying training in gliders. When my wife and I flew to Perth and back in Air New Zealand Dreamliner aircraft I noted that the captains on both flights started with the Auckland Gliding Club. So, it is not necessarily the case that the very young pilots need to start straight into paying for a PPL. Any good glider pilot will tell you the invaluable experience in good assessment in forced landings - think about the Gimli glider and Hudson River episodes in command not to mention Neil Armstrong landing on the moon - all these flights had experienced glider pilots in their crews. What I am emphasising here is there are ways to start on a limited budget and still reach the top.

[isc]

The Scouting movement in NZ conducts flying camps each year, there was one last year(I think) at Sheffield Canterbury. I think it was the same weekend as Charlie Draper's fly in here at Darfield, and I think a good number of them came to that.   isc

[ZacYates]

My interest came from living at Wanganui Airport from birth til about age three, being exposed to ag aviation from Dad's involvement at the said airport, then watching airshow and docos on video (Reaching For The Skies, various Tim Wallis docos) that mum recorded. No hope for me with that background.